Technological transformation and sustainability in the MENA region
Allam Ahmed SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research
The Freeman Centre
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QE, UK
E-mail: allam.ahmed@sussex.ac.uk

Today, countries are increasingly judged by whether they are information-rich or information-poor. The rapid expansion of the internet in the West and the speedy transition to electronic publishing will tend to widen the gulf in the levels of science and technology between the developed and the developing countries including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. There is also a growing literature in the MENA region but it is more fragmented, and often restricted to sector applications or to country specific interests. It is therefore difficult for decision-makers in these countries to access systematic information about the potential applications that are being developed and implemented and to consider how they could be applied to meet their own development needs. Equally important, we must also acknowledge that some MENA countries such as United Arab Emirates and Qatar have become regional hubs for innovation and business development....
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