ABSTRACT
The importance of innovations for the development and well-being of local communities is unquestionable. However, the geography of innovations is very uneven, and innovations and technology development also increase global inequality. Besides, as consumers, the world’s poor are little involved in innovation development and the profit sharing deriving from them. However, the innovation-focussed development cooperation can become an important tool to engage the global poor in innovation creation, systems, and policies.
In the African contexts, innovations need to be inclusive. These engage local people into innovation processes as active stakeholders, reduce socio-economic inequalities and foster positive transformations. In Africa, inclusive living labs are platforms to support systematic, open, and inclusive innovation processes. For innovation development, indigenous knowledge deriving from different contexts and areas in Africa can provide a competitive advantage for long-term sustainability. In some cases, not to change is a possibility, as the notion of unnovation suggests.
