As we enter a world in which intellectual capital is fundamental, in which the central activities are no longer those aimed at producing and distributing goods but those that produce and distribute knowledge and information, the challenge for African countries is enormous. They must abandon the traditional systems organised like silos and make their capacities converge in order to create collective intelligence. As their natural assets are insufficient, the construction of a knowledge society is a necessary pathway on condition that compartmentalisation is removed so that their capacities can converge. In the specific field of scientific research, the data gathered in a large survey that we conducted in Algeria reveal the need to create synergy between research and development. It is therefore shown how the adoption of a intersectoral, national and regional pooling system can provide the critical mass required by research teams and help the countries of Africa to join forces in federative projects that address high-priority problems. This is therefore a deep-seated change in the way of thinking and in working methods (cultural and operational aspects) that will generate cross-fertilisation at the level of countries and the region. At the international level, the federating by African countries of their capacities can contribute to strategic debates on energy, climate, sustainable development, food security, etc. that are eminently important for them.