“In this Issue of the African Technopolitan, we challenge African
countries to think big again and to act boldly to harness applications of science, technology and innovation for economic
and social development. In the lead article of the Magazine – ‘Big Data, Big Science and Big Development: Time for Africa to Think Big Again – Dr. Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng provides a critique of Africa’s development strategy in historical perspective and suggests alternative development and technology
policies post 2015. Günter Nooke, the German Chancellor’s Personal Representative for Africa in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, explores the potential contribution of ICTs to Africa’s economic development post 2015. Prof. Dr. Stefan Schepers makes the case for a new approach
to economic growth, sustainability and social inclusion in Africa, one anchored in ‘Innovation Ecosystems’. Prof. Goolam Mohamedbhai highlights the opportunities
and challenges presented by the World Bank’s Programme on Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) in
Africa. Dr. Shiyghan Navti argues that Cloud Computing is the Next IT Innovation in Africa.In two separate articles, Yentyl Williams reflects on Africa’s trade relations with the EU and the US.
In ‘Only the Best is Good Enough for Africa: The Portrait of an African Scientist’, we profile three African scientists/ scientists of African origin who are blazing the trail in three
different fields:
• Prof. Babatunde Ogunnaike, the William L. Friend Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the
University of Delaware and an expert in control and systems theory
• Dr. Tilaye Tadesse Asfaw, Ethiopian born NASA Astrophysicist
• Moses Gichanga, a drones for development technology innovator
Dr. Janice Golding examines the social investment landscape in Africa.”
