richie moalosi

Developing Design Policies in New Emerging Economies: Is Africa ready to develop, design policies?

WDC, 17-18 October 2014, Cape Town

Presentation Structure

• Introduction

• European Union Experience

• Lessons for New Emerging Economies

• Botswana’s design and innovation landscape

• What is driving the design policy success?

• Conclusion

Introduction

• Capabilities theorists claim that increasing the capacity of people to live the type of life that they value should be the primary concern of any public policy organs

• Design policy must assert a just socially-mediated process - of shared understanding of the design work within a context, defined by both the environment and human interest

• Capabilities theorists promote the idea that working to account for and advance human capability strengthens governance, at macroeconomic measures, but also in terms of civic engagement and citizenship.

European Union Experience

• Most member states have integrated design into their existing innovation policies.

• In 2010, design became one of the ten priorities for innovation in the European Commission policy ‘Innovation Union’

• The policy advocates for exploiting the strengths in design and creativity

• Paradigm shift from a technology-focused and R&D-driven, to a broader base that include service, user-centred and social innovation.

European Union Experience

• Design has a crucial role to play in this broader concept of innovation

• Design can act as the bridge between technological, service, user-centred and social innovation because at its core, design is a human-centred process

• European Commission assisted member states to integrate design in their innovation policies.

Lessons for New Emerging Economies

• In Africa, most member states are reviewing the Science and Technology Policies to include innovation.

• Initiative spear-headed by UNESCO at the African Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Initiative in October 2007

• Assist member states to reform their science systems, by supporting participatory policy formulation and/or reviews to improve science and technology management at the national level


• Countries benefitted from this initiative:

Benin Botswana

Burundi Congo

Cote d’Ivoire Lesotho Madagascar Malawi

Morocco Namibia

Nigeria Seychelles

Swaziland Tanzania

Togo Zimbabwe

Zambia

Democratic Republic of Congo


• The then, Botswana’s Science and Technology Policy has been reviewed to become the National Policy on Research, Science, Technology, and Innovation.

• 27 June 2014 AU adopted the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa – 2024

• The strategy is innovation-led and aims to attain knowledge-based economy


• The design component is still missing in these reviewed Science, Technology and Innovation Policies in Africa

• Design links creativity and innovation

• Design shapes ideas to become practical and attractive propositions for users

Challenges

• There are still few design schools in African universities

• The value of design within the New Emerging Economies is still misunderstood.

• Where design schools exist, designers work is silos.

• There are no design associations or societies to lobby government to develop design policies

Botswana’s design and innovation landscape

Several entities involved in design and innovation in Botswana

• University of Botswana

• Botswana International University of Science & Technology

• Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

• Botswana Innovation Hub

• Botswana Institute for Technology Research & Innovation

• Local Enterprise Authority

What is driving the design policy success?

• Design policy unifies all the stakeholders

• Product/Service value addition

• Recognising the importance of design and innovation as a business strategy

• Social innovation

• Promotion of quality design education

• Strengthening small-scale and cottage industries

• Assists to develop an indigenous base for research and innovation

Conclusion

• Design is still an emerging concept in many New Emerging Economies and its impact is minimal

• Adopt human-centred national design policy that focuses on people’s needs, and incorporate participatory design methodsto improve quality of life

• Any design policy should be developed from within than outside

• Complimented by an insider-outsider hybrid collaboration

Contact details

Thank You

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