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3RD EAC SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CONFERENCE OPENS IN NAIROBI

Written on 07 March 2024. Posted in Press Release

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th March, 2024: The 3rd
East African Community Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Conference
opened in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday with an appeal to all stakeholders to work
together to enable the Community to tap into and benefit from STI opportunities
and accelerate their diffusion.

Making the appeal, Ms. Hendrina C. Doroba, the Division Manager in charge of
Education and Skills Development at the African Development Bank (AfDB) East
Africa Regional Office said that accelerating development and diffusion of STI
in East Africa will not only lead to the growth of innovative solutions to
regional challenges but also drive commercialisation of such innovations for
industrial development.

Ms. Doroba said that there is still much to be done to harness its full
potential and accelerate socio-economic transformation as outlined in the EAC
Vision 2050 and Agenda 2063 of the Africa we want.

“Today, East Africa’s innovation level is insufficient to reach ambitious levels
of inclusive growth and development due to prevailing technological and
innovation constraints, which include financing, and information asymmetries
that need to be addressed to harness STI full potential fully,” said Ms. Doroba,
adding that the situation had been worsened by the slow global recovery from the
Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war.

“A critical pathway in responding to these challenges and ensuring that STI
works for East Africa is the urgent need to train the next generation of
scientists and innovators, who should take the lead in driving the region’s
development agenda,” she added.

Ms. Doroba, who represented AfDB East Africa Director General Nnenna Lily
Nwabufo at the conference’s opening session, said that any inclusive growth and
sustainable development calls for the growth of innovations to promote the
creation of new enterprises, increase productivity, support new jobs and drive
economic prosperity.

Ms. Doroba observed that the slow progress in building the skilled workforce in
STI has adversely affected the Community’s ability to transform its economies
and increase productivity and competitiveness.

“It is essential to note that the quality of learning at all levels of skills
development, particularly in science, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), is
low compared to other regions. For example, for Africa as a continent, of all
students that graduated from higher education institutions in 2021, those in
STEM fields were on average 21.7 % compared to 25.6 % in other regions,” she
said.

“Addressing this could be made possible by combining our interventions with the
power of science, technology, and innovations through enhancing the capacity of
our high education and research institutions and promoting multi-stakeholder
partnerships for homegrown solutions to our development challenges,” said Ms.
Doroba.

The AfDB official said that harnessing science, technology and innovation
requires deliberate investments in human capital development tailored to the
changing socio-economic development ecosystem.

Ms. Doroba said that to promote STI solutions for a resilient East Africa and
enhance value addition and competitiveness in the region, the Bank is working
with other partners to train scientists and innovators through quality and
relevant STEM skills.

“The Bank has done this through our Skills for Employability and Productivity
for Africa (SEPA) Action Plan (2022-2025) guiding our investments, operations,
and strategic engagements in science and innovation in Africa,” she added.

“The Action Plan aims to develop a skilled and competitive workforce capable of
increasing productivity and spurring innovation for access to decent jobs and
improved quality of life of the people in Africa,” said Ms. Doroba.

Officially opening the conference on behalf of Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for
Education, Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, the Director General of the National Council of
Science and Technology, Prof. Walter Oyawa, called for increased efforts in
science diplomacy and science communication to enhance appreciation of STI by
various stakeholders.

Prof. Oyawa said that there was need for scientists and innovators to
communicate more with politicians on the need to allocate more resources to
investments in STI noting that this would yield immense benefits for the region
as has been the case with developed countries.

Prof. Oyawa observed that mistrust in science and technology had escalated among
members of the public, adding that the reduction in trust was responsible for
rejection of vaccines and genetically modified organisms among other
technologies.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the East African Science and
Technology Commission (EASTECO), Dr. Sylvance Okoth, disclosed that EASTECO has
developed STI policies, strategies and regulations to operationalise various
aspects of various EAC policy instruments in its quest to promote the
development, management and application of science and technology in Partner
States. 

“This STI conference is therefore one of the interventions through which science
and technology promotes the EAC integration agenda, as it accords stakeholders
an opportunity to come together to exchange scientific information, and in the
process, create new linkages and strengthen bonds of collaboration,” said Dr.
Okoth.

“Through these interventions, the commission aims to enhance production,
dissemination and adoption of new and emerging technologies and innovations to
spur social and economic enterprises in the region,” said the Executive
Secretary.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council of East
Africa (IUCEA), Prof. Gaspard Banyamkimbona, urged conference participants to
engage in open dialogue, build new connections and forge collaborations that
will propel scientific advancements and contribute to sustainable development in
the region.

“Let us use this platform to foster cross-disciplinary exchange, challenge
existing paradigms and collectively seek solutions that address the most complex
problems facing our communities,” said Prof. Banyankimbona.

“Together, we can harness the power of science, technology, and innovation to
build a brighter future for East Africa, one where scientific advancements
translate into tangible benefits for our citizens and where collaborative RDI
initiatives pave the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future for
generations to come,” added Prof. Banyankimbona.

On his part, Mr. Bjorn Richter, the EAC GIZ Cluster Coordinator, said that GIZ
had supported STI since the establishment of the Community in 1999, adding that
the aim of this support was to bring innovation to drive intra-regional trade
and economic growth in East Africa.

Mr. Richter further said that Germany aim was to foster a digital skills
innovation ecosystem with universities to develop joint investment pipelines
with the private sector.

Mr. Richter disclosed that his country’s current priority was on digital
transformation and green transition, adding that focus was shifting more towards
digital e-commerce to power trade and GDP growth while mitigating the negative
effects of climate change.

Note to Editors:

The 3rd STI Conference is being hosted collaboratively the East African Science
and Technology Commission (EAsTECO) and the Inter-University Council of East
Africa (IUCEA) together with EAC Partner States and Development Partners.

The theme of the 3rd STI Conference is ‘Accelerating development and diffusion
of STI solutions for a resilient East Africa.’

The subthemes are: Agricultural Productivity, Resilience and Food Security;
Health and Nutrition; Natural Resources Management; and Information
Communication Technology and Digital Economy.

 

Tags: East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO)




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> 🍀 1/2
> 
> EAC SG @SGNduva urges EAC Partner States to minimize requesting stays of
> application on taxes for products readily available in the region, noting that
> this is hindering effective implementation of the CET & promotion of the
> region as an integrated market for investment. pic.twitter.com/zONmJ8vTvb
> 
> — East African Community (@jumuiya) November 6, 2024

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