Public-Private-University partnerships in agriculture science research for economic development in Africa: Lessons from North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park

The objective of this paper was to discern how public-private-university partnerships (PPUPs) in Africa can support agriculture science research for economic development, similar to what Research Triangle Park (RTP) has done for North Carolina and the South East United States. Agriculture departments provide research, extension, and training services as public goods. In addition, the Private Sector, Non-governmental Organizations, University Faculties and Colleges of Agriculture, Farmer Organizations, and Commodity Groups also provide similar services. The various service providers rarely work together, let alone set common goals. This lack of collaboration leads to duplication of effort, inefficient and ineffective services delivery, resources waste, and little impact. Agriculture is the main economic activity in most African countries. Therefore, little impact in agriculture translates to food and nutritional insecurity, unemployment, and poverty. Underperforming agriculture in Africa is attributed among others to: (a) lack of capacity; (b) inaccessible financial resources; (c) inappropriate research; (d) ill-focused extension services and illiterate farmers; (e) lack of business and resource management skills; as well as (f) communal land tenure system that discourages private investments and indirectly nurtures resources overexploitation and leads to the phenomenon of “The Tragedy of the Commons.” In the 1950s visionary leadership in North Carolina conceived the RTP. The area was then, economically depressed. The RTP includes the land within the perimeter of a triangle formed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. This ultra-successful public-private-university partnership can serve as a model for partnerships in Africa. Today, the RTP is an economic-hub, not only for North Carolina, but for the South-East United States. It is home to some of the world’s largest agricultural and biosciences companies. The RTP partnership pooled resources and worked and achieved common economic development goals. Agriculture is local. Therefore, PPUPs in Africa should be in line with local agricultural and economic development goals. How the RTP’s public-private-university partnership can serve as a model for similar partnerships in Africa is discussed.