AFRICA LEAPFROGGING FUTURES: THEMATIC FUTURES

The document defines development leapfrogging as the ability of developing economies to skip intermediate technological stages and move directly to advanced systems. It argues that Africa is uniquely positioned for this due to limited legacy infrastructure, which reduces 'path dependency' and allows for the adoption of decentralised and digital solutions. Key examples include mobile finance, solar mini-grids, and the use of AI in agriculture and health. However, the document notes that full realisation of this potential depends on enabling conditions such as regulatory frameworks, digital infrastructure, and skilled human capital.

• Development leapfrogging allows developing economies to bypass the historical industrial pathways of developed nations by adopting newer technologies and institutional models, leading to faster productivity gains.
• Africa's lack of extensive legacy infrastructure, such as centralised energy grids and large transport networks, provides a strategic advantage by reducing path dependency and increasing flexibility to adopt efficient new technologies.
• Current examples of leapfrogging in Africa include the use of drones for precision agriculture and logistics, mobile communications for financial inclusion, and solar mini-grids for rural electricity access.
• While AI enhances productivity in sectors like health diagnostics and crop monitoring, its progress is hindered by limited data ecosystems, skills shortages, and concerns regarding data governance and bias.
• The successful deployment of frontier technologies in Africa is contingent upon supportive enabling conditions, specifically innovation policies, regulatory frameworks, digital infrastructure investments, and skills development.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2026). AFRICA LEAPFROGGING FUTURES: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. AFRICA LEAPFROGGING FUTURES: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=AFRICA LEAPFROGGING FUTURES: THEMATIC FUTURES |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026africa, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{AFRICA LEAPFROGGING FUTURES: THEMATIC FUTURES}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=09-leapfrog&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }