Leapfrogging Possibilities For Sustainable Consumption and ...

7.3.3 South-South Cooperation
Cooperation between African countries and other countries both from the North and
South is of necessity for a mutual benefit. This can be done in light of exchanging
experiences, sharing resources as well as technology transfer and development. A good
example in this case is a technology alliance launched by India, Brazil and South Africa.
The alliance will focus on finding solutions to agricultural, health and environmental
challenges.
7.3.4 Revitalized North-South Development Partnership
Development agencies, development NGOs and development banks should leapfrog in
terms of their role in national and regional development activities. They should finance
and support leapfrogging initiatives because when such leapfrogging initiatives are
carried out under favourable institutional and technical arrangements, they have the
following advantages:
• Cost-effectiveness
Leapfrogging can be a one-time shoot that can inject a vehicle for pulling out of poverty
through implementing a long-term sustainable solution from the outset.
• Saving on local and global environment
Considering the solar, hydropower, and biomass riches of Africa, any leapfrogging
solution can be developed and run in a carbon-neutral fashion where a lot of
environmental savings can be attained both the local and global level.
• Social empowerment
Leapfrogging technologies have the potential to empower individuals and communities
by enhancing the connectivity creating domestic and international networking thereby
facilitating mutual development.
• Basic Hardware and Operating Software
Most of the time development partners are involved in supporting what can be compared
to the installation of application software type solutions. The shift should be to
engagement in the creation of a context of leapfrogging that can change the poverty
landscape by assisting the development of what can be compared to development of the
basic hardware and operating software type of solutions.
• Fishing net versus fish
The emphasis on the infrastructural aspect of leapfrogging is a conscious prioritizing
effort of providing the fishing net rather than the fish. African countries are endowed
with a lot of biotic and abiotic resources that can be harnessed to materializing regional
and global sustainable development by utilizing such leapfrogging infrastructure.
All stakeholders including development partners have a role in participating in the
cultivation of the first seedlings of sustainable leapfrogging systems (SLS). The
propagating effect of these new systems as shown in Figure 13 results in a series of
positive impacts that bring about reduced poverty and satisfaction of basic needs in a
sustainable way through job creation, increased income and purchasing power and
eventually leading to the domestic development of the next generation SLS with no or
little external support.
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