China–Africa science and technology collaboration: evidence from collaborative research papers and patents

ABSTRACT

This research paper explores how the China–Africa Science and Technology (S&T) relationship has evolved over the years based on two specific outputs: research publications and patents. China–Africa S&T collaborations have evolved after China engaged actively with African countries. China has collaborated with a number of African countries in both publications and patents more than the current inter-African collaborations. However, Chinese collaborations are limited with very few African countries (For example, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco) that are comparatively stronger in S&T infrastructure than many other African countries. This research demonstrates that the China–Africa collaboration is increasing and is likely to grow in the coming years as China is emerging as a leading global research hub in the world.

KEYWORDS:

• China
• Africa
• bibliometric
• scientometrics
• patents
• China-Africa collaboration
• co-authorship networks
• scientific collaboration
• social network analysis
• Gephi
• UCINET
• NetDraw

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the South African Research Chair (SARChI) Innovation Studies, National Research Foundation, Department of Science and Technology and Tshwane University of Technology, Republic of South Africa.

Notes on contributors

Mammo Muchie

Prof Mammo Muchie founded the African Journal on Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID) in 2008 and serves as its editor-in-chief. He has been given a number of awards: long dedicated and valued service awards, best institutional senior researcher of the year merit, academic excellence award, outstanding contribution to Science, Engineering, Technology(SET) and innovation by NTSF in South Africa. Professor Muchie’s scholarly contribution to the discipline of innovation has been: strengthening and contextualising the theoretical framework of National Innovation Systems as applied to the African context. The principles and theory of the National Innovation Systems, as it is practised in the developed and industrial economies could not be applied directly to the developing or under-developed and largely agrarian economies of the African continent. Prof. Muchie took up the mammoth task of producing an impressive body of research on the innovation systems (in whatever rudimentary forms or degrees of evolutionary state they exist) in various African countries. He taught over 400 doctoral candidates in doctoral academies across the world in the Globelics, Africalics, Cicalics, Indialics networks. He has taken major initiatives for running Doctoral and Masters Academy in various universities in Africa and all over the world. One such academy is recently organized by the Association of Common Wealth Universities. Also, he has been invited for many keynote addresses and lectures in Africa and world-wide. He is the Founder of the Africa Post-Graduate Academy that has been training masters and doctoral students drawn from different disciplinary backgrounds applying the unity of knowledge approach to upgrade quality supervision. He has published over 400 papers, book chapters, articles and  given over 100 keynotes.

Swapan Kumar Patra

Dr. Swapan Kumar Patra is a Career Advancement Research Fellow at Tshwane University of Technology, Republic of South Africa.  He is a PhD in Science Policy from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.  Dr. Patra works on Globalization of R&D, Multinational Enterprises, National Innovation Systems, System of Innovation in developing countries. He extensively uses bibliometric, scientometrics indicators and social networking tools for his research and published a number of research papers in many reputed journals.