Table Of ContentDisruptive Technologies,
Innovation and
Development in Africa
Edited by Peter Arthur · Kobena T. Hanson
Korbla P. Puplampu
International Political Economy Series
Series Editor
Timothy M. Shaw
University of London
University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
London, UK
The global political economy is in flux as a series of cumulative crises
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lished trans-Atlantic North declines and ‘the rest’, especially the BRICS,
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More information about this series at
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Peter Arthur • Kobena T. Hanson
Korbla P. Puplampu
Editors
Disruptive
Technologies,
Innovation and
Development in Africa
Editors
Peter Arthur Kobena T. Hanson
Department of Political Science African Development Bank
Dalhousie University Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire
Halifax, NS, Canada
Korbla P. Puplampu
Department of Sociology
Grant MacEwan University
Edmonton, AB, Canada
ISSN 2662-2483 ISSN 2662-2491 (electronic)
International Political Economy Series
ISBN 978-3-030-40646-2 ISBN 978-3-030-40647-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40647-9
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A
cknowledgements
This publication reflects the culmination of discussions that started infor-
mally on the impact of disruptive innovation on the lives of everyday
Africans, gradually morphing into if and how exactly these technologies
were shaping lives, communities, and the continent. Our initial conversa-
tions took on more meaning, till the suggestion was floated as to why not
write a book on this emerging issue.
Next came the roping in of potential contributors and we appreciate
the ease and willingness with which almost everyone signed onto the proj-
ect. Our shared commitment to the contribution to knowledge and
Africa’s transformation agenda brought us together to turn what started
out as a chat on social media into a concrete knowledge product. We are
particularly indebted to each contributor of the volume for taking time
from their busy schedule to contribute a nuanced and insightful chapter
on how disruptive innovations are shaping the African continent. Their
commitment to the volume and the broader pursuit of knowledge that
contributes to shaping the development landscape in Africa is inspiring.
We are grateful for their contribution to this volume.
At Palgrave, our heartfelt thanks go to Tim Shaw (Series Editor) for his
early encouragement and belief in the timeliness and pertinence of the
topic and to Anca Pusca (Senior Editor) and Katelyn Zingg (Editorial
Assistant) for their patience and clear guidance throughout the develop-
ment of this volume. Appreciation likewise goes to the two anonymous
reviewers whose invaluable feedback helped shape the quality and critical
thoughts of the volume.
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We also desire to acknowledge, with gratitude, the support and love of
our families who had to endure our absences while we were editing the
volume. Finally, while accepting culpability for all editorial slip-ups, the
views expressed in this volume solely remain the exclusive responsibility of
the individual contributors.
c
ontents
Part I Disruptive Technologies and Africa: The Policy and
Institutional Environment 1
1 Disruptive Technologies, Innovation and Transformation
in Africa: The Present and Future 3
Korbla P. Puplampu, Kobena T. Hanson, and Peter Arthur
Part II Rethinking Politics, Innovation and the Environment 15
2 Disruptive Technologies, Democracy, Governance and
National Elections in Africa: Back to the Future? 17
Peter Arthur
3 Agricultural Research and Innovation: Disruptive
Technologies and Value-Chain Development in Africa 39
Korbla P. Puplampu and George O. Essegbey
4 Scientific Innovations and the Environment: Integrated
Smart Sensors, Pollution and E-waste in Africa 63
Samuel M. Mugo and Korbla P. Puplampu
vii
viii CONTENTS
5 Disruptive Technologies, Sustainable Energy Generation
and Storage as Forms of Green Economy 85
Benjamin Ofori-Amoah
Part III Transformations in the Socioeconomic Sphere 115
6 Disruptive Technologies and the African Health-Care
Crisis: A Path to Sustainability 117
Joseph Oppong
7 Disruptive Technology and Knowledge Development:
African Universities, Human Capital and Educating for
Global Citizenship 147
Korbla P. Puplampu and Samuel M. Mugo
8 Disruptive Financial Technology (FinTech) and
Entrepreneurship in Burkina Faso 171
Euphrasie Kouame and Abbi M. Kedir
9 Disruptive Technology, Mobile Money, and Financial
Mobilization in Africa: M-Pesa as Kenya’s Solution to
Global Financial Exclusion? 187
Nafisa A. Abdulhamid
Part IV The Changing Nature of Wealth Creation 203
10 SMEs, Industrialization and Disruptive Technologies in
Africa: Enabling or Constraining? 205
Peter Arthur
11 Disruptive Technology, Foreign Direct Investment and
Private Sector Development Polices in Africa 227
Joseph Baricako and Abbi M. Kedir
CONTENTS ix
12 Perspectives on Disruptive Innovations and Africa’s
Services Sector 255
Kobena T. Hanson and Vanessa T. Tang
13 Automation of Knowledge Work and Africa’s
Transformation Agenda: Threats, Opportunities, and
Possibilities 273
Kobena T. Hanson
Part V Emerging Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward 293
14 Digital Transformation: A Connected and “Disrupted”
Africa 295
Kobena T. Hanson, Timothy M. Shaw, Korbla P. Puplampu,
and Peter Arthur
Index 307
