Other Frontier Technologies and Leapfrogging Potential in Africa

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines how frontier technologies—such as drones, the Internet of Things (IoT), and small-scale satellites—enable developing countries, particularly in Africa, to leapfrog traditional, costly infrastructure requirements in agriculture, healthcare, and environmental 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 variations.
• The Third Eye project in Mozambique demonstrated that combining low-cost drones with local operator training, mobile phone use, and communication of insights increased crop yields by 41% and decreased water usage by 9%.
• In Rwanda, a partnership between the government and the company Zipline utilized drones for blood delivery to medical facilities, reducing delivery times from 4 hours to 15 minutes to help combat maternal mortality.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) is being used in Bangladesh's Ganges Delta to monitor arsenic contamination in drinking water, reducing the necessity for traditional monitoring network investments.
• Small-scale satellites are becoming more affordable for universities, businesses, and developing countries, providing high-resolution imagery for urban planning and land-use monitoring while reducing the need for expensive traditional satellite technology.

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} }