Indigenous technologies and innovativeness of Africa’s industrial organizations: conceptual diagnoses and prescriptions for the African industrial man

African companies, institutions and industries should be significant players in the global marketplace by harnessing indigenous knowledge and technologies in areas of comparative advantages, developing these advantages for global market competitiveness and Africa’s economic growth and development. Hence, this study investigated the impact of indigenous technologies on the innovativeness of Africa’s industrial organizations. Content analysis with systematic indept literature review was adopted as the study’s methodology. Indigenous technologies implies home-grown raw materials, skills, craft and methods employed in the production processes which translate domestically available resources and materials into superior outputs of goods and services in order to satisfy market needs and wants, preferences and perceptions. Innovativeness construct is the ability of a company or an institution to innovate by creatively introducing new products, services, processes and ideas in the marketplace in order to meet the changing needs, preferences and requirements of the markets and industries. Several empirical studies have been done investigating the nexus between indigenous technologies and innovation, domesticated in different nations and environments with varied methodologies. The findings revealed that, indigenous technologies positively and significantly enhance innovativeness and innovations of local firms. The study concludes that leveraging indigenous technologies will improve industrial organizations in the global market and enhance Africa’s economic growth and development. We therefore recommend that, African industrial man/entrepreneurs, institutions and industries should adopt indigenous technologies in areas of comparative advantages. This will significantly drive productivity, innovativeness, innovation and competitiveness in the global marketplace and enhance Africa’s economic growth and development.