ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

In today’s globalized economy, through which countries are vying for economic strength, prosperity, and the capability to compete in the global economy all reckons on valuing innovation, harnessing its potential and laying it to work for the benefit of all the country’s citizens. This paper aims at investigating the Namibian national innovation system. We explore the concept of national innovation system and discuss the significance in fostering innovation for the country’s economy. Development stages of Namibia in terms of innovation are also examined, given that national economic performance is closely related to the country’s effectiveness to create an environment that is favorable for generating innovations. The evolution and analyses of Namibian NIS by determining innovation actors, defining the linkages between them through a “3Ms triangle” and evaluating their contribution to the national innovativeness and competitiveness are covered. As a final point, we categorize the Namibian national innovation system according to its development stage and draw some strategic implications in order to strengthen the Namibian national innovation system.