National Innovation System Construction Process in Rwanda in an East African Region Context

The National Innovation System (NIS) is an interactive model of innovation that has the potential of better enhancing the use of knowledge for economic development. This approach is increasingly capturing the attention of developing economies as a means of utilizing knowledge for economic growth. This paper assesses how the NIS concept is being embraced in the East African (EA) region. It does so by understanding how the Rwandan NIS is being constructed in a regional context. In addition to Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania are EA countries that are used to understand the NIS integration in the regional context. Primary empirical data are presented for the case of Rwanda whereas secondary data are used for the other countries in this study. Empirical data were collected using interviews whereas structured literature review and data mining were used to acquire secondary data. Generally, it is found that the NIS concept is being integrated into the region which is confirmed by the high consideration of STI in policies and development programs as well as in the setting up of institutions for promoting STI as well as patterns of investment in R&D. Rwanda exhibits a promising progress in the process of developing its NIS with high documented commitments which reflect the will to have an effective NIS. Infrastructures and institutions as well as policies to promote innovation are being established. However, there are still challenges linked to low research capacity, low level of interactions among stakeholders, limited financial resources as well as lack of coordination framework.