Investing in research and development by African countries will deliver sustainable industrialization and economic diversification on the continent, according to Antonio Pedro, Acting Executive Secretary Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). It will, he added, enable the continent to harness technology for a green, inclusive and resilient Africa. ALSO READ: Africa mulls innovations to reduce reliance on food import Pedro was speaking on February 26 at the opening of the fifth African Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum 2023, a side event ahead of the upcoming ninth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) in Niamey, Niger. The theme of this year’s Forum is “Accelerating development and diffusion of emerging technologies.” “To build on the innovative spirit, we need to strengthen the enabling environment through informed policies, increase investment in the research and development, and harness the support of the private sector more effectively,” he noted, adding that Africa should be at the forefront of a green transformation to accelerate growth, diversify economies and deliver on the SDGs and Agenda 2063. “One key opportunity for us lies in the renewable energy market. The value in this market in 2020 was estimated at $881.7 billion and is projected to reach $1,977.6 billion by 2030.” According to Pedro, ECA and its partners have completed the STI policy design and implementation guide, which countries can use irrespective of the policy implementation cycle. ALSO READ: Technology, innovation, a must to Rwanda’s development – PM Habi Mahamadou, Niger’s Minister for Secondary and Higher Education, Research and Technology, said Science, technology and innovation is a cross cutting theme that depends on policy framework, education, and infrastructure. “The biggest challenge of STI in Africa is the lack of human and technological capacity. Countries need to strengthen their capacity in the field of science, technology and innovation,” Mahamadou said. He said that African governments are still lagging behind in their commitment to STI. Science, technology and innovation, he said, can only be accelerated by human capital infrastructure development. Jean-Paul Adam, ECA Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management, said science and technology are the catalysts of innovation. Therefore, it is important for countries to upscale what they are already doing in science and technology in the context of Africa. “We must have human capital development linked to the diaspora to transform innovation in Africa and leverage the opportunity provided by AfCFTA,” Adam said. “African governments must have clear policies on science and technology, give tax incentives, and have measurable objectives in the development plan for effective transition from a consumer Africa to producer Africa.” Dimitri Sanga, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa, said to have open science in Africa, there is a need to promote open access to publications and to scientific data, transparency of peer review, and participatory science. “UNESCO has developed the recommendation on open science. This recommendation was adopted by Member States in 2021 and we are currently working with Member States for its implementation,” he said. “I am optimistic about the results of our work, which should contribute fully to enable Africa to be a resilient, green and prosperous continent.” The African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohamed Belhocine, said that to address the challenges women face in education, the AUC has a development plan on women education to encourage more girls undertake STEM education. “The Heads of State have agreed to adopt the theme of education as the theme for the 2024 AU summit,” he said. Belhocine noted that digital skills, science and technology are important to build digital transformation in Africa. Rwanda’s Minister for Education, Valentine Uwamariya, provided an update of the ARFSD-8 forum held in Kigali, in 2022. Four countries have joined the Alliance for entrepreneurs’ universities in Africa formed during the last forum, the Minister said. She said: “Rwanda as the last chair of ARFSD has ensured that preparations for the STI forum are done and finalized. The forum is to take place in May. ECA and Rwanda have since the last forum formed an STI collaboration center.” Emma Theophelus, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology in Namibia, said funding for research and development particularly in STI by countries is still low and needs to be strengthened. The results of the two-day STI side event will feed into the work of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development that will be held from February 28 to March 2, in Niamey, Niger. The Ninth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-9) is organized jointly by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of Niger, in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and other entities in the United Nations system. During the session, an in-depth review will be undertaken of progress made in the implementation of five selected Sustainable Development Goals. These are: clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy); industry, innovation, and infrastructure); sustainable cities and communities; and partnerships for the goals in addition to the corresponding goals of Agenda 2063.
