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West Africa prepares to boost the region's international competitiveness.

With the initiative "partnerships4competitiveness" facilitated by TCI Commissioner for West Africa, Thomas Winther, key stakeholders of the West African nations of Ghana and Nigeria met to discuss and identify promising new partnerships to promote clusters, innovation and competitiveness.

The launch of the initiative is developed by The Danida Centre at University of Ghana Business School in cooperation with The Competitiveness Institute and TWConsult (www.twconsult.net).

The initiative kicked off in Ghana 22 March 2006 at University of Ghana, Legon, Accra. In Nigeria preparations for a similar kick-off are on-going. The initiating partners in Nigeria are University of Ibadan and Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER). Further details on the Nigerian kick-off can be found in the Flyer with information on the speakers .

It is the ambition that the activities in Ghana and Nigeria will pave the way for wider West African participation in partnerships4competitiveness during 2006.

Background

The tool box provided by innovation systems (IS) and cluster initiatives (CI) to promote competitiveness and economic development remains largely unexploited in West Africa. This even if IS and CI for long globally has been recognised as the drivers for competitiveness, growth and prosperity.

Objective

partnerships4competitiveness aims to bring on board these "new" instruments for development of private sector competitiveness in West Africa. Through stakeholder collaboration the initiative aims to develop innovation systems and initiate cluster and partnership activities at local, national and West African level. The stakeholders are those of what is often referred to as "the triple helix"; namely companies, knowledge institutions and governments (national or regional/districts).

Importantly, partnerships4competitiveness is not a talk-shop but a platform for development and initiation of innovative and tangible collaborations with productive outcomes.

The organizers stresses that partnerships4competitiveness is a neutral platform for collaborations. The platform has no "own agenda" except to facilitate the development of joint activities to promote clusters, innovation and competitiveness.

For further details on programme and seminar registration please contact Thomas Winther: tw @ twconsult.net .

With partnerships4competitiveness being underway in West Africa, TCI is now involved in cluster and competitiveness development activities throughout SSA (sub-Saharan Africa). For information on cluster and competitiveness activities in South Africa please contact Nigel Gwynne-Evans, TCI Commissioner South Africa. For activities in East Africa please contact Professor Mwamila, University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

It is the ambition of TCI - based on the regional activities in West, East and South Africa - during 2006 to promote a pan-African platform for dialogue and learning on good practice for private sector development through initiation of productive partnerships aimed at promoting clusters and competitiveness.

Contributions and proposals to develop and promote cluster and competitiveness activities in Africa are very welcome. Please submit these to TCI fblunck @ competitiveness.org or directly to Thomas Winther tw @ twconsult.net .