African countries must work more closely together at regional and continental levels if they are to overcome barriers to innovation and drive sustainable development, experts have warned.
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In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, IDS Senior MEL Specialist Jo Carpenter interviews Emmeline Skinner, Social Development Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Brando Okolo and Barbara Glover, both from the African Union Development Agency (Nepad).
In the podcast, they highlight how fragmented national systems are slowing innovation across the continent.
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Africa’s challenges
Many of Africa’s most pressing challenges – ranging from limited industrial scale to inconsistent regulations – cannot be solved by individual countries acting alone, they argued. Instead, regional coordination is needed to create larger markets, pool expertise and harmonise standards.
Professor Brando Okolo says, ‘emerging sectors such as digital technologies and biotechnology require scale, shared resources and aligned regulations, no country can effectively achieve this in isolation.’
From fragmentation to integration
Innovation systems in Africa are often hampered by duplicated research, uneven institutional capacity and differing national policies. According to participants, regional platforms can help link these systems together, enabling countries to collaborate rather than compete.
Programmes that bring together multiple countries are already beginning to show results. For example, regional initiatives have allowed governments to develop shared innovation indicators, making it easier to compare progress and coordinate policy responses.
Dr Barbara Glover says, ‘without coordination, each country measures and supports innovation differently, with shared frameworks, we can plan collectively and learn from one another.’
This kind of cooperation also allows knowledge generated in one country to be reused elsewhere, helping scale successful ideas more quickly.
Real-world gains
Several practical examples illustrate the benefits of regional collaboration. A medicines regulatory harmonisation initiative, for instance, is simplifying the approval process for pharmaceuticals across multiple countries. Instead of seeking approval country by country, manufacturers can now benefit from broader recognition, speeding up access to essential drugs.
Similarly, innovation financing models developed in Ghana – designed to mobilise domestic investment such as pension funds – are now being replicated in countries including Nigeria and Kenya.
Another initiative has brought together science funding agencies across more than 20 African countries, helping standardise how research is funded and managed. Supporters say this is improving efficiency and building stronger national institutions.
Partnerships and trust
The speakers stressed that long-term partnerships are central to making these systems work. Unlike short-term pilot projects, partnerships that link governments, universities, private sector actors and civil society can create lasting change.
However, collaboration depends heavily on trust – something that is often lacking in fragmented systems. Regional bodies can play a key role by acting as neutral conveners, bringing stakeholders together and facilitating cooperation.
Dr Skinner says, ‘Strong partnerships don’t end when funding stops, they create networks and relationships that continue to deliver impact.’
Shifting power and priorities
Regional institutions are also seen as critical in rebalancing power within international development partnerships. By aligning initiatives with continental strategies such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, they help ensure that innovation efforts reflect African priorities rather than donor-driven agendas.
Their political legitimacy and convening power can also shield programmes from disruptions caused by domestic political changes, offering greater continuity over time.
Rethinking how success is measured
The discussion also highlighted the need to rethink how innovation programmes are evaluated. Traditional metrics – such as the number of workshops held or reports produced – fail to capture more meaningful outcomes like collaboration, policy change and trust.
Instead, participants called for new approaches that assess how well countries align policies, share knowledge and build networks capable of sustaining innovation.
A vision for the future
If regional coordination became the norm rather than the exception, it could transform Africa’s innovation landscape. In such a scenario, innovators would face fewer regulatory barriers when expanding across borders, researchers could move more freely, and shared infrastructure would reduce costs. Integrated markets would also make African firms more competitive globally.
Professor Okolo says, ‘there would be a fundamentally different system, one where Africa moves from fragmented efforts to a truly connected innovation ecosystem.’
For policymakers and development partners, the message is clear: strengthening regional cooperation is not just an added benefit, it is essential to unlocking the continent’s innovation potential.
About the Between the Lines podcast
This podcast series explores ground-breaking ideas in development for positive social and environmental change. Each month we feature an interview with an expert in international development who will talk about their latest research and ideas.
Episodes content could feature authors of new books, IDS research or interviews with special guest stars.
The discussions give an insight on the themes covered, exploring the challenges and discoveries, and why the issues matter for progressive and sustainable development globally.
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