Intellectual Property and Knowledge Transfer between Universities and Industries in Africa: The Case of Botswana

Abstract

As in other nations, knowledge transfer is central to the policy objectives of African countries. To this end, intellectual property (IP) is often mentioned as a strategy intended to facilitate the production and transfer of knowledge. As Africa is an enormous and diverse place, it is unwise to overgeneralize the situation across the continent. Nor is it practicable to canvass the practice in the continent within this piece. Hence, we have chosen Botswana as an illustrative country in Africa to examine IP’s relevance for knowledge creation and transfer between universities and industries. Given the major similarities in the situations of most universities in Africa and the limited role of IP for their contribution, our choice of Botswana is intended to reflect the dominant practice across most countries in the continent. Further, our analysis builds upon a prior study that explores the relevance of IP for universities in the country under consideration. Taking into account the contexts for collaborative innovation and knowledge transfer through the active role of universities, this article seeks to highlight Botswanan universities’ contribution to the stock of knowledge, the university-industry linkage for the knowledge transfer and the mode of the linkage in the country. In view of the analysis, the article concludes with relevant policy recommendations, including strategies for open collaborative innovation through university/industry partnerships.

Keywords: IP, Knowledge transfer, universities, industries, Africa, the case of botswana, IP