Africa can build a more prosperous, just and sustainable future if countries invest in science, technology and innovation, these are sentiments echoed by African leaders, representatives and experts at the opening of the two-day Sixth African Science, Technology and Innovation ( STI ) Forum in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
Science, innovation and technology, they said, are critical to transforming the continent in agriculture, industry and eradicating poverty.
The STI Forum, held before the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, is a pre-election event organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the African Union Commission and other partners on: “Effective delivery of innovative science and technology solutions to strengthen the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2063 Agenda and eradicate poverty in Africa.”
Belete Molla, Minister of Technology and Innovation, Ethiopia, said that promoting innovation in key sectors such as agriculture, clean energy and healthcare can create jobs, improve livelihoods and lift millions out of poverty in Africa.
He said Ethiopia’s commitment to improve its agricultural sector and ensure food security is a good example for other African countries to emulate.
“Ethiopia has developed a food system transformation roadmap and launched many initiatives focused on enhancing agricultural productivity, achieving self-sufficiency and combating climate change. These initiatives include improving access to fertilizers, seeds and technologies for farmers,” he said.
In addition, Mr. Molla said that Ethiopia has not only created a road map to transform the food system, but has actively implemented many initiatives. These initiatives prioritize strengthening rural resilience, achieving food self-sufficiency and combating climate change.
The country recently amended its Science and Technology policy, placing a strong emphasis on promoting innovation and harnessing the potential of emerging technologies. The country has also enacted a national digital transformation strategy called “Digital Ethiopia 2025”.
For his part, Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary for Program Support at ECA said Africa needs to invest in human capital development, research and development (R&D) and learning how to produce, sell and use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and genomics that are transforming every aspect of life.
“Technology should promote the well-being of millions of households, farmers, fishermen and many others who still use basic tools to get out of extreme poverty,” Mr. Pedro said.
“Science and technology can play an important role in increasing the efficiency of service delivery to the poor, monitoring living conditions, predicting impending crises in crowded or remote areas, and informing decision-making during crises,” said Mr. Pedro.
The STI Forum, he said, is specifically designed to encourage collaboration, the dissemination of technology and innovation, and the scaling up of political and operational efforts to accelerate the contribution of science, technology and innovation to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
According to the ECA Executive Secretary, the STI Forum has evolved over the years to become a leading platform to address the opportunities and challenges presented by science, technology and innovation to promote strategic partnerships and implement scalable and innovative solutions.
He noted that in 2022, the Forum launched the Alliance of Business Universities in Africa. Since then, the Alliance has encouraged Universities and their 19 million students in Africa to nurture startups with the goal of creating 100 million jobs and generating $200 billion in revenue in ten years (that is, by 2033).
Similarly, in 2023, the continental problem-solving and innovation platform called Origin was launched in Niamey, Niger, as the first Origin Research and Innovation Center for East Africa at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) in Kenya. It has registered hundreds of problem solvers, has its own physical space, staff and partners from the private and public sectors.
“ECA’s coding camps for girls and women are an example of how we can empower young women to become the next entrepreneurs and tech innovators. We have trained two thousand young girls and women so far. However, to bring about transformational changes, we need to repeat these examples again and again across the continent,” said Mr. Pedro
Lidia Arthur Brito, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences said that international cooperation in science is an ideal way to promote peace and sustainable development.
“By investing in science and promoting innovation, African societies can empower young people to become drivers not only of economic growth and job creation, but also drivers of solutions to pressing environmental challenges,” said Ms. Brito, adding that when research is connected to society, in local communities, it realizes its full potential for socio-economic development.
He highlighted a critical challenge – financial sustainability – which he said is impacting many African technology hubs. “They rely on grants from development partners and international donors to survive, in the absence of local business angels and seed capital.”
Javier Pérez, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to the African Union and ECA, said that science and technology promote development in societies. If young people and women are empowered to become the next tech entrepreneurs and innovators, they are likely to drive transformational change.
“The European Union is investing €279 million in Africa for research and innovation to support both the SDGs and Agenda 2063 for Africa,” Mr Perez said.
The African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum was established by the Ministerial Conference, in its resolution 961 (LI) of 15 May 2018, to take all necessary measures to organize a regular multilateral forum on science, technology and innovation as a contribution to the work of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
Source: ECA