ABSTRACT
Innovation-focussed development cooperation is increasingly important in Africa in the early 21st century. Such cooperation in Africa encompasses all policies and practices in international development aid and assistance that aim to foster systemic and interactive development, application and use of innovations to improve local socio-economic development. This paradigm focuses on innovations, entrepreneurship, socio-economic transformation and business development. Technology development and technology start-ups are important targets in this cooperation.
The significance of innovation-focussed development cooperation has grown along with the “beyond aid” approach to international development aid and assistance. Despite its main interest of assisting developing countries, sometimes this approach helps donor countries’ enterprises to enter the markets of the Global South and generate new turnover that is useful for these enterprises, and more broadly, for the donor countries as well.
