Addis Ababa, 2 March 2022 (ECA) -The 4th Africa Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum closed with a commitment from stakeholders to bridge the gap between research in academia and the private sector businesses in need of the knowledge. The two-day event under the theme, “Strengthening STI Institutional Arrangements to Advance Full Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Africa”, was held on the sidelines of the 8th Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) in Kigali, Rwanda. Drawing participants from public and private institutions across Africa.
Climate Change, Natural Resource Management and Technology Director, at the ECA, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, praised the outcomes of the forum that will contribute to policy implementation, and improve funding mechanisms for R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa.“We launched the Alliance of Entrepreneurial Universities and the Science and Technology Development and Transfer Network which are institutional arrangements that can improve the African STI landscape,” Mr. Adam said.
Representatives of various African institutions also agreed on the need to establish regional networks and platforms for exchanging information on funding, innovations and institutions, to accelerate technology transfer and collaboration amongst key STI partners. The CEO of the Rwandan ICT Chamber, Alex Ntale, underscored the importance of public and private partnerships in STI. “ Since 2011, we have worked on structured R&D as part of the Rwandan government’s national digitalisation efforts. We also continue to work with local and international universities as well as others in the private sector to help start around 200 businesses,” he noted.
Others in attendance were UNESCO, East African Regional Director, Hubert Gijzen, Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI), Executive Director, Charles Kwesiga, and Rwanda National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA), Director, Christian Sekomo.
This ARFRSD is an annual multi-stakeholder platform organized by the ECA and the host government, this year, Rwanda, in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and other entities of the United Nations Systems. This year’s main event will be held from March 3 to March 5, 2022 on the theme ‘Building forward better: A green, inclusive and resilient Africa poised to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.’
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