Assessing the role of innovation clusters in sustainable development: a comparative case study of Japan and South Korea, and implications for Nigeria

Poverty remains a complex issue, in the global south - particularly in Nigeria. Many countries have successfully transformed their economies from developing to developed economies through the development of innovation clusters in various areas of their countries. However, there is a paucity of research providing empirical evidence and real-life case analyses in this transformative process. This study presents itself as one of the earliest studies to provide empirical evidence to support the relevance of innovation clusters to sustainable development - through an analysis of the performance of innovation clusters in South Korea and Japan. The results of this study show that the ultimate goal of innovation clusters is to foster sustainable development and eradicate poverty. The findings underscore the importance of innovation clusters in achieving these objectives, highlighting the government's leadership role in fostering collaboration amongst various stakeholders within an innovation cluster to maximise the developmental efforts of the government.