Transfer of technological innovation for socio-economic development: the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in ACCRA, Ghana

The importance of technological innovation transfer to a country’s socio-economic development cannot be underestimated. This is because technological innovation provides the base for today’s knowledge-based economy. As a developing economy, Ghana faces several socio-economic development challenges as those of other developing economies. Despite these socio-economic challenges, it has been shown that thriving Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, could help improve the socio-economic development of the Ghanaian economy. Notwithstanding the valuable contributions of SMEs to socio-economic development in Ghana, there appears to be a more significant disconnect between research outcomes from research institutions to SMEs in the areas of technological innovation transfer. It appears there is no bridge between research institutions and SMEs. Against this backdrop, the study aimed at investigating how the transfer of technological innovation from research institutions to SMEs could enable SMEs to thrive and improve the socio-economic development of the Ghanaian economy. A mixed methods research approach was used for the study. The study applied a stratified sampling technique to select 432 CEOs of SMEs from a total population of 481CEOs which represents all CEOs of SMEs in the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) database in Accra, Ghana as of December 2018. A purposive sampling technique was also used to select ten (10) directors of research institutions from a total number of nineteen (19) research institutions, (including the CSIRs and public tertiary educational institutions), based in Accra, Ghana. The study site, Accra, Ghana, was chosen because of its thriving SME populations and world-class research institutions. While a probit regression model was used to address only the objective three (3) of the research objectives, a descriptive statistical analysis was used via the usage of the SPSS software to generate the mean, standard deviation and percentages on the trend and distribution of the study variables among the study population. However, thematic analysis which enables the examination of the data to identify common themes was used on the qualitative data. The empirical results from the study indicated that technological innovation received from research institutions did not address SMEs' needs and did not result in products and services needed by the Ghanaian community. The study found low collaboration between research institutions and SMEs; and indicated that policy direction towards research institutions and SMEs' collaboration was the essential factor in boosting the efforts to drive collaborations. The study has made a valuable contribution to knowledge by showcasing a framework for successfully transferring technological innovation from research institutions to iii SMEs. The study also contributes to the Helix and triple helix models of innovation by indicating that the successful transfer of technological innovation goes beyond the production of basic research by research institutions and the adoption of basic research by SMEs. Thus, successful technological innovation transfer hinges mainly on effective collaboration between the parties involved. In this regard, the study also contributes to theory, as it is one of the first studies to directly address the problem concerning how the transfer of technological innovation from research institutions to SMEs could enable SMEs thrive and improve the socio-economic development of the Ghanaian economy. The study could enable policymakers/governments to understand the existing gap between research institutions and SMEs and how they can work together to harness technological innovation for the betterment of socio-economic development in Ghana. It also generates new empirical knowledge on research and SMEs. The new knowledge in technological innovations could shape theory and policy decision-making, resulting in enhanced sustainable socio-economic development in Ghana.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202