Over the past decades, many new development initiatives have been introduced in Africa, each of which has been heralded as marking a new era in Africa’s development, but all of which have failed to produce the much anticipated results. Nowhere has less growth and development taken place than in Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Per capita GDP has declined by more than one percent per annum in real terms since 1980, and the gap between the per capita GDP of Africa and the average for all low-income developing countries has widened considerably. Moreover Africa’s efforts to achieve sustainable development (SD) have traditionally been hindered by a myriad of factors, including poor technology development, transfer and management. These have, in turn, have hampered attempts to improve low levels of productivity and competitiveness. The complex relationship between the economy, society and the environment and scientific knowledge requires a multi-disciplinary approach, and calls for skilled communication to be able to address technological issues as well as the political framework within which problem solving necessarily takes place.
