Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa

The document examines how frontier technologies enable developing countries, particularly in Africa, to bypass costly traditional infrastructure. It highlights the use of drones for precision agriculture in Mozambique and medical logistics in Rwanda, as well as the application of the Internet of Things for water safety in Bangladesh and the increasing accessibility of small-scale satellites for urban planning and land-use monitoring.

• Drones provide a more affordable and accessible alternative to conventional remote-sensing systems for precision agriculture, allowing farmers to better monitor crop and livestock production.
• In Mozambique, the Third Eye project demonstrated that combining low-cost drones with local operator training and mobile phone use increased crop yields by 41% and decreased water usage by 9%.
• Drone technology has significantly improved medical logistics in Rwanda through a government partnership with Zipline, reducing blood delivery times from 4 hours to 15 minutes to help combat maternal mortality.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) is being used in Bangladesh to monitor groundwater chemistry for arsenic contamination in the Ganges Delta, reducing the need for traditional monitoring network investments.
• Small-scale satellites are becoming more affordable for universities, businesses, and developing countries, offering a cheaper alternative to traditional satellite technologies for urban planning and land-use monitoring.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2026). Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=07-frontier-technologies

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=07-frontier-technologies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=07-frontier-technologies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026other, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=07-frontier-technologies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }