AbstractA review is made of various approaches to the analysis of science and technology in developing countries, and the light they cast on the situation in Africa.Part of the problem of S and T in African development is an inadequate understanding of the problem itself. In particular it is argued that the parameters used to define the problem have been too narrow, and there is a need to put S and T within a broader political and economic framework, with an emphasis on the role and structure of the state in the process of industrialization.