Clusters are characterised by two dynamic elements: the rates and types of technological learning, and the nature and intensity of networking. Firms in early industrialisation are largely imitative innovators drawing on a variety of formal and informal sources such as licensing and reverse engineering. There is, therefore, a significant correlation between firm-level technological capabilities and external knowledge networks. We define a knowledge network as a structure of interlinked actors that facilitate the process of learning in firms and institutions in the process of innovation. This paper identifies emerging knowledge networks in African clusters, illustrating with new empirical data front clusters in Nigeria.
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