White Paper
ICT Talent Cultivation for Kenya Digital Economy
The digital economy is increasingly becoming a key driver in the global economy. It is projected that by 2026, it will account for 25% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), up from 15.5 % in 2016. Kenya is amongst the few countries in Africa that are taking an early lead to tap the benefits of digital technologies for economic growth. As a result, while Africa expects the digital economy to contribute about 5.2% of its GDP by 2025, Kenya’s digital economy is expected to generate 9.24% of her total GDP by 2025. This, amongst other factors, demonstrates the importance of the digital economy to Kenya’s economic prospects and transformation.
Nouveau livre - Construire Des Systemes Scientifiques En Afrique: Fondements conceptuels et consid rations empiriques
Sous la direction de Rebecca Hanlin Aschalew Demeke Tigabu and Gussai Sheikheldin
Ces dernières années, une attention considérable a été accordée au rôle de la science, de la technologie et de l'innovation dans la transformation sociale et économique de l'Afrique. Cet ouvrage s'appuie sur les efforts déployés dans ce domaine et affirme qu'il est nécessaire de multiplier les efforts pour renforcer les systèmes scientifiques africains.
ACTS awarded growth grant winner for the annual global food system challenge
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the Seeding The Future Foundation announced 2021 winners for the inaugural Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. This initiative inspires and supports innovative, diverse, and multidisciplinary teams to create game-changing innovations that will help transform the food system.
Building Innovation Capabilities for Sustainable Industrialisation. Renewable Electrification in Developing Economies
We are happy and proud to announce that our book Building Innovation Capabilities for Sustainable Industrialisation. Renewable Electrification in Developing Economies has just been published by Routledge and is available (Open Access). The book builds on research done by the IREK team and few other collaborating partners. It pays particular attention to how renewable energy projects may help develop capabilities that can help foster sustainable industrialization.
New book - Building Science Systems in Africa: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Considerations
We are pleased to announce a new book by Dr. Rebecca Hanlin and Dr. Aschalew Tigabu with colleagues as part of SGCI Africa. The book argues that African governments are at a turning point with science systems and continue work to move beyond only science as research and innovation to encapsulate all forms of knowledge, technology and innovation. It specifically focuses on the role of science councils in African governments as ‘boundary managers’ able to mediate the actors and flows to ensure more broadly defined and effective science systems.
AI4D Africa second call for proposals
AI4D Scholarships Enhancing Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The award of the scholarships shall strive to achieve uniform distribution of beneficiaries across anglophone, francophone and lusophone in Sub-Saharan Africa. Please read detail of each category and click the link to the category of scholarship you wish to pursue and follow the subsequent application instructions.
Launch of AI4D Africa Scholarship Programme
A scholarship program to foster and nurture talent in responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in African public universities will be officially launched on Tuesday August 31st, 2021. The scholarship will be awarded to successful registered PhD students (4 female and 4 male), two each from the 4 regions of the Sub-Saharan Africa.
Policy Brief - Political economy insights for science system transformations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Building and strengthening transformative science (and research, technology and innovation, collectively, STI) systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is as much a political and economic challenge as it is technical. Current political economy contexts – whether national, regional or global – condition the ways STI systems in SSA evolve, the goals they prioritise, and which STI system actors secure economic benefits and power.
UNESCO signs Letter of Intent with NACOSTI & ACTS for Collaboration in STI
We wish to combine forces and actively collaborate, so that each party brings its particular competencies and skills to contribute, in an effective manner, to the achievement of the SDGs. ACTS has been instrumental in enlarging the range of policy choices for sustainable development in Africa. For example, ACTS’ work influenced patent industrial property legislation and policy (Kenya); environmental impact assessment standards (Eastern and Southern Africa); bio-energy and biofuels policy (Eastern and West Africa); agricultural policy, bio-diplomacy, biotechnology and biosafety (Africa-wide); and climate change adaptation and mitigation (Africa-wide).
IREK Project Documentary
The IREK project brings together two research fields - development studies and innovation studies. It focuses on two specific low-carbon technologies - solar photovoltaic and wind power - to address the problem of access to sustainable energy.
IREK seeks to provide a better foundation for selecting and deploying available technologies in a way that increases inclusiveness and contributes to poverty reduction.
IREK seeks to provide a better foundation for selecting and deploying available technologies in a way that increases inclusiveness and contributes to poverty reduction.
Research Programmes
ACTS Strategic Plan lays out the foundation for immortalising Prof Juma by ACTS. The Centre has stayed true to Prof. Juma’s original vision and attention to STI policy research and its application for sustainable development. The Plan focuses on the core thematic areas that were always seen as the most important by Prof. Juma. These include agriculture and food security; climate change and energy and the role of STI in addressing the challenges affecting these sectors. This Strategic Plan builds on the following ACTS’ strengths, opportunities, experiences and competencies developed in the last 15 years.
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security
Climate Resilient Economies (CRE)
STI, Knowledge and Society (STIKS)
Our Donors and Partners
Partnerships are fundamental to ACTS’s work. We partner with a wide range of donor agencies, universities, research organizations, governments and private sector to ensure that breakthroughs in Science Technology and innovation, Agriculture, Energy and Climate Change are adopted and brought to scale throughout the developing world. Without robust and effective partnerships, even the most groundbreaking innovations will fail to reach our stakeholders whose livelihoods our research aims to transform.
Signatories to the charter
