Africa Urged to Bridge Technological Gap, Step up Dialogue around Innovation

Addis Ababa (ENA) February 28/2023 Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) urged Africa to bridge its technological gaps by initiating a conversation between countries in the priority areas of intervention and strengthening scientific and technological research.

The remark was made on Monday at the fifth African Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum High-level policy dialogue on emerging energy technologies along with a panel of African and UN experts. 

The participants called for a deep overhaul of Africa’s approach to energy issues to break the vicious cycle of outdated technologies, respond more efficiently to electricity needs and speed up economic development. 

UNESCO Regional Director and Representative for Southern Africa, Lidia Brito said to increase Africa’s energy production capacity, policy makers will have to act at multiple levels.  

The director stressed the need for policy makers to ensure their countries have enough know-how for the use of renewables; set up special mechanisms to attract investments in renewable energies and create capacity for research.  

They will also need to take the social context into account as energy poverty means that some communities do not have the energy to start projects in the first place, Brito said.  

ECA Senior Environmental Affairs Officer, Linus Mofor urged Africa to bridge its technological gaps by initiating a conversation between countries in the priority areas of intervention and strengthening scientific and technological research. 

ECA Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management, Jean Paul Adam said “We also need to consider how we finance innovation: while we need to challenge African governments to invest themselves.” 

According to the director, energy access can increase incomes by up to 39 percent.  

Held in Niamey over the past two days ahead of the 9th African Forum on Sustainable Development, the Fifth African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum was jointly organized by ECA, UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa.  

Discussions aimed to consider how science, technology and innovation can support African efforts to achieve an inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.