Abstract
The dataset covers the determinants of adaptation innovation in the water sector in Africa over the period 1990-2016. The data is collected from secondary sources; namely the World Bank, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development databases and the University of Notre Dame's Global Adaptation Initiative. The data is focused on susceptibility to water stress caused by climate change and the public response in the form of technology development. The analysis performed on the data focused on the degree to which exposure to the risk of water insecurity is a motivating factor in the public response. In the analysis, an econometric model was specified for a relationship between a measure of water stress induced by climate change and adaptation innovation, along with a series of socio-economic and socio-political indicators as controls. Sustainable development practitioners, environmental and social scientists with research and teaching interests on Africa will find the dataset very useful. Sustainable development practitioners can use the data to chart simple trends and for other summative purposes. The data can also be used to make regional or geopolitical comparisons on the same subject of our analysis. Furthermore, with similar technology innovation data on other sectors exposed to climate change risks, comparisons of public responses can be undertaken to understand relative effectiveness of climate change adaptation responses. Crucially, the simple format of the data makes it a very convenient teaching tool in a statistics or econometrics class.