Science, Technology and Innovation Can No Longer be Ignored in Africa

Innovation is increasingly becoming an important element in economic growth, and a key driver for the emerging knowledge economy. UNECA is mindful of the fact that for innovation to occur in African countries, scientific collaborative R&D projects need to be strengthened to support technology transfer to Africa and involve African researchers in localising innovation. For example, an ECA-supported ICT R&D project, known as the VarsityNet initiative in partnership with the Department of Computer Science, Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia saw the development of an e-government platform based in the Amharic local language for web-based, multilingual and multi-alphabet, customizable document exchange platform to be used by local and central governments in the country. This research initiative led to the growth of the Ethiopian Open Source Community and the creation of the Ethiopia Free and Open Source Network. This environment also saw a marked increase in open source localisation projects in many other Ethiopian colleges, but contributed to the research capacities of the Department in no small measure with respect to software development. Similarly, the AAU also devised a prototype to enable medical practitioners to enter clinical data using mobile devices as well as to access patients’ records using the same devices. These serve as an innovation tool for medical institutions, once adopted. This example shows how important innovation is to the African development process and how ICTs can become innovative agents as well. ICTs also offer the power for unleashing and supporting African technological innovation.

ICTs can assist African scientific communities gain better access to scientific knowledge, which would not only be a source of innovation in itself but another way of fostering an innovative environment for scientists. Through ICTs scientists could participate in international projects related to climate change, biodiversity, desertification and other issues of critical importance to Africa. UNECA has launched the “Access to Scientific Knowledge in Africa (ASKIA)” initiative to support and promote access to scientific knowledge by the African scientists, decision makers, students and researchers. It will mainly provide a mechanism for African scientists to tap into global scientific knowledge as well as the production of indigenously owned knowledge that supports economic and industrial growth. Therefore, access to infrastructure, such as broadband access for African universities should become a priority.

According to a recent UNECA report commissioned by the ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD), entitled Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development in Africa, written by Prof. Mohamed Hassan, President of the Third World Academy of Sciences, “Africa does not have the scientific and technological capacity to effectively address the challenges that it confronts. Equally important, it lacks the innovative capacity to devise solutions to overcome these challenges”. This is the reason why STI has become an area that Africa cannot continue to ignore any longer, and the rationale for the creation of the ICT, Science and Technology Division of UNECA to address these challenges in African development.

Source: Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD), UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).