WDC Design Policy Conference 2014 - Speaker Presentation

1. Developing Design Policies in New Emerging
Economies: Is Africa ready to develop,
design policies?
WDC, 17-18 October 2014, Cape Town

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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

7. Lessons for New Emerging Economies
• 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

8. Lessons for New Emerging Economies
• 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

9. Lessons for New Emerging Economies
• 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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 methods
to improve quality of life
• Any design policy should be developed from within than
outside
• Complimented by an insider-outsider hybrid collaboration

14. Contact details
Thank You
moalosi@mopipi.ub.bw