download logoIf countries invest in science, technology and innovation, Africa can build a more prosperous, just and sustainable future. This was the sentiment echoed by African leaders, delegates and experts at the opening ceremony of the two-day 6th Africa Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). ) Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Science, innovation and technology are essential to the continent’s transformation in agriculture, industry and poverty eradication, they said.
The STI Forum, which precedes the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, is a pre-event organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the African Union Commission and other partners. The theme is “effective provision of services.” Science and technology solutions to strengthen the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 and eradicate poverty in Africa. ”
Belete Mora, Ethiopia’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, said that by fostering innovation in key sectors such as agriculture, clean energy and healthcare, Africa will create jobs, improve livelihoods and lift millions of people out of poverty. He said it could be rescued from.
He said Ethiopia’s efforts to improve its agricultural sector and ensure food security are a good example for other African countries to follow.
“Ethiopia has developed a food system transformation roadmap and launched several initiatives focused on increasing agricultural productivity, achieving self-sufficiency and combating climate change. These initiatives include “This includes improving access to fertilizers, seeds and technology,” he said.
Additionally, Mora said that Ethiopia has not only developed a roadmap for food system transformation, but is also actively implementing a number of initiatives. These efforts prioritize increasing agricultural resilience, achieving food self-sufficiency and combating climate change.
The country recently revised its science and technology policy to focus on promoting innovation and harnessing the potential of emerging technologies. The country has also established a national digital transformation strategy called “Digital Ethiopia 2025”.
Antonio Pedro, ECA’s Deputy Executive Director for Program Support, said Africa needs to invest in developing human capital, research and development (R&D), and learning how to produce, market and use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and genomics. He said that there is. It is changing every aspect of life.
“Technology must advance the well-being of millions of households, farmers, fishermen and many others who still use basic tools to lift themselves out of extreme poverty,” Pedro said. .
“Science and technology are critical to increasing the efficiency of service delivery to the poor, monitoring living conditions, predicting impending crises in crowded and remote areas, and informing decision-making during crises.” “We can play a vital role,” Pedro said.
He said the STI Forum is specifically designed to foster cooperation, dissemination of technology and innovation, and scale-up of policy and operational initiatives to accelerate the contribution of science, technology and innovation to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. He said there was.
According to the ECA Director-General, the STI Forum has over the years become the leading platform for fostering strategic partnerships and addressing the opportunities and challenges offered by science, technology and innovation to introduce scalable and innovative solutions. It is said that he has grown.
He noted that in 2022, the Forum launched the African Entrepreneurial Universities Alliance. Since then, the alliance has aimed to stimulate African universities and their 19 million students, create 100 million jobs and generate $200 billion in revenue over 10 years (i.e. by 2033). He has encouraged the development of new companies.
Similarly, in 2023, a continental problem-solving and innovation platform called Origin was launched in Niamey, Niger as East Africa’s first Origin Research and Innovation Hub, Kenya’s Dedan Kimachi University of Technology (DeKUT). The company has hundreds of problem solvers on its roster, its own physical space, staff, and private and public sector partners.
“ECA’s coding camps for girls and women are an example of how we empower young women to become the next technology entrepreneurs and innovators. We have trained 2,000 young girls and women to date. But these examples need to be repeated over and over again across the continent to bring about change,” Pedro said.
Lydia Arthur Brito, UNESCO Under-Secretary-General for Natural Sciences, said international cooperation in science is an ideal way to promote peace and sustainable development.
“By investing in science and fostering innovation, African societies can ensure that young people are not only the drivers of economic growth and job creation, but also the drivers of solutions to pressing environmental challenges.” Brito She said, adding that when research is connected to society, We contribute to local communities and demonstrate our full potential for social and economic development.
She highlighted the key challenge of financial sustainability, which she said affects many African technology hubs. She said: “In the near absence of local business angels and seed capital, they rely on grants from development partners and international donors to survive.”
Javier Pérez, Ambassador of the African Union and ECA Delegation to the European Union, said science and technology foster the development of societies. Young people and women can be transformative if they are empowered to become the next technology entrepreneurs and innovators.
“The European Union is investing €279 million in Africa for research and innovation in support of both the SDGs and Agenda 2063 for Africa,” Perez said.
The African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum was established by the Council of Ministers in resolution 961 (LI) of 15 May 2018 to provide the necessary support to organize regular multi-stakeholder forums on science, technology and innovation as inputs. We are taking all possible measures. Participated in the activities of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
