The Sixth Africa Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum (ARSTIF2024) took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from April 21-25, 2024 both in person and online. EURAXESS Africa actively participated in person in one of the significant sessions of the forum titled "Closing Funding Gaps to Accelerate Sustainable Development," which occurred on the afternoon of April 22. This session focused on reviewing strategies to effectively mobilize resources for achieving the objectives outlined in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, with a specific emphasis on addressing funding gaps.
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Day 1 - Sixth Africa Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
Day 2 - Sixth Africa Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
Dr. Laurent Bochereau, the Research and Innovation Counselor at the EU delegation to the African Union, welcomed the attendees and opened this section of the panel discussion. He introduced the afternoon session to both online and in-person participants. The discussion was divided into three sub-sessions:
Sub-session 1: Explored the role of STI4SDGs roadmaps in mobilizing investments to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), discussing collaboration mechanisms and resource utilization.
Sub-session 2: Focused on facilitating access to finance for innovators and promoting sustainable growth, examining the role of the Innovation Agenda in rapidly scaling within dynamic ecosystems. Involved hearing from innovators and entrepreneurs on how they access finance and grow their businesses to become champions at national, continental, and global levels.
Sub-session 3: Specifically explored the strategies employed by innovation funders to leverage the AU-EU Innovation Agenda for identifying bankable projects. Panelists in this sub-section included representatives from ministries, venture capitalists, and banks. They engaged in discussions about the dynamics of innovation funding in complex ecosystems. The primary focus was on aligning funding priorities to maximize impact. The panelists shared insights into the challenges encountered in funding and developing bankable projects, while also highlighting successful examples as illustrations of effective approaches.
Opening speech: Dr. Laurent Bochereau, the Research and Innovation Counselor at the EU delegation to the African Union. He mentioned that the session focused on the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, which was adopted by the Ministers responsible for Research and Innovation from both the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) nine months ago. He added that the AU-EU Innovation Agenda is not a new funding program, but rather a comprehensive framework aimed at stimulating innovation cooperation between researchers and innovators from both continents. It is organized around four thematic objectives: public health, the green transition, horizontal innovation and technologies (including digital), and capacity building for science. Laurent mentioned that a month ago, during the EU Research and Innovation days in Brussels, a similar session was held to showcase the innovation dialogue. The session included the presence of Commissioner H.E. Prof Mohamed Belhocine and the launch of a web portal called the "dashboard of initiatives." This portal provides access to various ongoing program initiatives relevant to boosting innovation cooperation between the AU and the EU, including continent-to-continent, multilateral, and member state-to-member state collaborations.
Dr. Bochereau introduced the three-sub sessions. The first part of the session focused on exploring the role of STI4SDGs roadmaps in mobilizing investments to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), discussing collaboration mechanisms and resource utilization.The second part of the session involved hearing from innovators and entrepreneurs on how they access finance and grow their businesses to become champions at national, continental, and global levels. The third panel focused on innovation funding in complex ecosystems, with participants including representatives from ministries, venture capitalists, and banks. They discussed the challenges of funding and developing bankable projects and shared successful examples.
The first sub-session, moderated by Dr. Victor Konde from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the panelists were introduced. The panel included Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, the acting Director for the Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation Division at the African Union Commission, Dr. Angela Sarcina from the Joint Research Center in Spain and Ms. Lydia Arthur Brito, the Assistant Director-General for UNESCO. They discussed the crucial role of these roadmaps in mobilizing and guiding STI investments at the national level to address the most pressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Representatives from Ghana, Rwanda, and the Seychelles also participated, sharing their experiences in developing or implementing the STI4SDGs roadmaps.
Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, the acting Director for the Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation Division at the African Union Commission, was invited to speak after the introduction. Dr. Tidiane welcomed the audience and conveyed greetings from Commissioner Belhocine of the African Union. He highlighted the importance of science and technology as a cross-cutting matter that can contribute to sustainable socioeconomic development. With Africa's vast resources and growing population, harnessing science and technology is crucial. The African Union's Agenda 2063 recognizes STI as a pillar for achieving its aspirations. However, there are gaps and challenges to address, and it requires collaboration at the policy level. Developing an integrated African STI policy is essential, and stakeholders are invited to contribute to the new STI policy. The AU Innovation Agenda and the High-Level Policy Dialogue are seen as critical for success. Collaboration between continental and national levels is vital, as well as sharing best practices and knowledge. Increasing awareness of the importance of STI and emphasizing investment as an opportunity for valuable returns, rather than insignificant funding, are crucial goals. Dr. Tidiane Ouattara highlighted three important aspects: resource mobilization, access to funding, and aligning scientific efforts with national priorities. He emphasized the commitment of the African Union Commission to actively participate in the process and invited all stakeholders to contribute to the development of STI policy and the implementation of the AU Innovation Agenda.
Dr. Angela Sarcina, Team leader at the Joint Research Centre, presented on how STI roadmaps can help mobilize investments towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She highlighted the experience of developing place-based innovation strategies in Europe and the need to adapt them to the specific challenges of each place, including countries in Africa. The approach involves stakeholder engagement and a consultative process to identify challenges, assess the STI potential, analyze policy frameworks, and triangulate the information to identify investment opportunities. The roadmaps aim to provide actionable policy frameworks with STI investment priorities and specific projects that can be implemented. The roadmaps are informed by evidence and engage a wide range of stakeholders including government, investors, academia, and society at large. The ultimate goal is to align STI investments with the SDGs and contribute to sustainable development.
Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General at UNESCO, expressed gratitude for UNESCO's involvement in developing STI policies for sustainable development. UNESCO's importance as a partner was highlighted due to its existing networks with countries and organizations, the need for shared human resources, and its collaboration with other UN agencies. She emphasized the significance of science in addressing global challenges and achieving the SDGs. Ghana's experience in utilizing UNESCO's guidebook for developing STI roadmaps was mentioned, highlighting the prioritization of SDGs, baseline establishment, and capacity building efforts. Overall, the speech focused on the importance of collaboration and the role of science in driving transformation.
Wilhemina Quaye, the Director of CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute in Ghana, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for their assistance in developing STI policies for sustainable development. Ghana utilized the UNESCO guidebook, which provided a step-by-step approach to developing STI roadmaps for the SDGs. They conducted a situation analysis to prioritize the SDGs, identified capability gaps, and costed the implementation activities. The roadmap aligned with Ghana's national, regional, and global development plans. Ghana also activated the UNESCO recommendation on Science and Scientific Research and utilized the Global Observatory for tracking STI policies. They emphasized a multi-disciplinary approach, localization, and domestic dissemination of the STI framework, conducting regional and high-level meetings to engage relevant ministries.
Mr. Louis Sibomana, Head of Science, Technology Development and Outreach Department at National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), Rwanda, mentioned that various stakeholders were involved in developing their STI guidebooks and policies for sustainable development. He highlighted the importance of engaging government agencies, academia, the private sector, and civil society at different levels. The next step for Rwanda would involve further engagement with stakeholders to validate and provide input on the draft roadmap.
Cynthia Alexander, Director General of the Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship, and Industrial Science of Seychelles, emphasized the significance of collaboration, partnerships, and access to higher education for their country's innovation and entrepreneurship efforts. Seychelles faces challenges in accessing higher education and relies on scholarships and partnerships with other countries to advance their initiatives. The STI roadmap is seen as a crucial tool in realizing national development strategies and addressing challenges such as digitalization, economic diversification, and climate change. Integration of STI and research into projects is highlighted as a means to expand the economy and develop innovative solutions. The roadmap is expected to support government initiatives and encourage entrepreneurial ventures that enhance the self-capacity and innovative capabilities of Seychelles.
Dr. Chux Daniels, Director of Transformative Innovation Africa Hub, emphasized the role of STI in mobilizing investment and promoting implementation for SDG Roadmaps. The roadmap approach focuses on specific systems and prioritizes key areas for investment, enabling resources to be directed towards projects with development impact. It recognizes that STI is cross-cutting and provides entry points into various systems, allowing for a multi-systems approach. During the session, participants raised questions about the selection process of countries for the roadmap and monitoring progress. Angela explained that country teams collaborate to identify needs and challenges, initiate the roadmap with pilot challenges, and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Another question addressed the facilitation of mobility for students and researchers across African countries, with the African Union Commission acting as a facilitator, bringing together stakeholders and collaborating with organizations to overcome barriers and promote STI in Africa.
The second sub-session, moderated by Dr. Taibou Ba, Thematic Expert at the GMES & Africa Program ESTID at African Union Commission. The panel included Mandry Ntshani, the Director for Africa Multilateral Cooperation at the Department of Science and Innovation, Republic of South Africa, Mélanie Mwangi, Officer at ENRICH in Africa Center, Mr Dimma Mawejje Muhammed, Founder of Mawejje Creations, Edma Lawer, Founder of YEWGlobal, Mr Darlington Akogo, Founder and CEO minoHealth AI Labs, and Charlette N’Guessan, Co-founder and CEO of BACE Group. The mentioned that the discussion in this sub-session focused on how the innovation agenda can assist individuals in accessing financing and growing their activities in a sustainable manner. The session was considered highly contextual and strategic, given the agenda's relevance to Africa's development. The discussion touched on the importance of collaboration and removing existing barriers to promote technological advancements and national policies.
Mandry Ntshani, the Director for Africa Multilateral Cooperation at the Department of Science and Innovation, Republic of South Africa, delivered a keynote introduction to the AU-EU Innovation Agenda. She mentioned that the objective of the agenda is to translate innovation into products and services that positively impact people's lives. Implementation requires collaboration from various stakeholders, including government, research institutions, the private sector, and NGOs. The session also highlighted the importance of implementing the agenda and the endorsement it has received from ministers responsible for science and innovation in both Africa and Europe. Challenges such as funding and risk were discussed, and the role of government and the private sector in supporting innovation was emphasized. The Department of Science and Innovation in South Africa is actively involved in implementing the agenda and has established funding instruments to support innovation. Collaboration with regional and European partners is seen as essential, and various projects and programs are in place to strengthen innovation ecosystems and support innovators.
Mélanie Mwangi, Officer at ENRICH in Africa Center, Enrich in Africa is a project that is funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program. The center's main objective is to foster collaboration between the EU and AU regions in terms of innovation ecosystems. They aim to bring together stakeholders such as innovators, incubators, researchers, and investors to collaborate on a single platform. Currently, they are working on the SID Project, which focuses on research institutions in both regions and aims to help bring their inventions to the market. The Enrich in Africa Center facilitates last-mile connectivity and access to information, as they recognize that information within innovation ecosystems is often fragmented. They analyze the operational capacity of these organizations and provide assistance in areas such as grant writing. They have released a report called "Exploring the Funding Landscape of Africa's Technology Support Ecosystem" that examines the funding flow in Africa and the intermediaries involved. The center also conducts tuning programs, where innovators, researchers, and incubators from both regions come together to co-create projects and gain access to funding.
Mr Dimma Mawejje Muhammed, Founder of Mawejje Creations, which focuses on revolutionizing the fashion industry using textile plant best practices. He highlighted the challenges they face, such as accessing finance and creating awareness about their innovative products. To overcome these challenges, they employ strategies like selling products to generate funds, applying for programs and competitions, and implementing marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness.
Edma Lawer, Founder of YEWGlobal, shared her insights on the energy sector and how young entrepreneurs can leverage the AU Innovation Agenda for funding and sustainable growth. She emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge exchange between African and European institutions, which can provide access to expertise and resources. She also highlighted the need for funding opportunities and suggested that the agenda can connect African innovators with European funding sources. She emphasized the importance of policy frameworks, regulatory harmonization, and facilitating market access to enable entrepreneurship and innovation in the energy sector. The talk focused on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in accessing finance and creating awareness, as well as the potential solutions and opportunities provided by the AU Innovation Agenda in promoting collaboration, funding, capacity building, sustainable energy solutions, supportive ecosystems, policy frameworks, and market access.
Mr Darlington Akogo, Founder and CEO minoHealth AI Labs. His company focuses on building AI solutions for healthcare, including radiology, microscopy, and generative AI for health. He discusses the challenges they have faced, such as the lack of credibility as a new startup and the high cost of building large AI systems. To overcome these challenges, they formed consortiums with reputable institutions and secured funding from development agencies. However, the speaker highlights the need for reevaluating the financing of AI in Africa, as the current funding levels do not match the advancements in AI technology. He proposes the creation of an AI research fund and an investment fund, totaling $1 billion and $3 billion respectively, to support African innovators in leveraging AI to solve key challenges in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and energy. The speaker emphasizes the importance of partnerships and calls for the African Union to play a role in establishing these funds to address the funding gap in AI development in Africa.
Charlette N’Guessan, Co-founder and CEO of BACE Group, discussed her experience working in Africa and the challenges faced by startups in the AI industry. She emphasizes three main challenges: infrastructure, patents and regulations, and access to human capital. Regarding infrastructure, she mentions the need for grants or partnerships to improve access to cloud services or local servers for African innovators. Concerning patents and regulations, she highlights the lack of clarity and transparency for startups regarding compliance and protecting their software. She suggests the establishment of a platform that provides guidance on compliance and regulations. The third challenge is access to human capital, particularly the high cost of hiring AI talent and the tendency for African AI engineers to seek opportunities abroad. She proposes initiatives such as connecting innovators with talent abroad, offering scholarships for local talent, and promoting AI education in African universities. Lastly, she mentioned the difficulty in accessing investment for African startups, especially in the AI sector, and calls for stimulating the local investment market and closing the financial gap. She also emphasizes the importance of encouraging local consumption of African AI products for sustainability.
The third sub-session, moderated by Dr. Amina Jama, the senior research advisor at the Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa. The sub-session discussed on how innovation funders can utilize the AU-EU innovation agenda to identify viable and innovative projects. She briefly discusses Sweden's approach to collaboration in the field of STI. Sweden's strategy emphasizes knowledge-based innovation, strengthening the innovative capacity of industries, promoting innovative public investments, and stimulating entrepreneurship. The strategy aims to foster collaboration between the research community, the public sector, industry, and trade unions to transform knowledge into goods and services. The panel included Professor Mutar Selami, the Director of STI in the National Council of Scientific Research and Technologies in Algeria, Dr. Robert Karanja, Co-Founder of Villgro Africa, a biomedical scientist and development entrepreneur, Mr. Jonas Dila, the country director for the German Development Bank (KFW) in Ethiopia and the African Union, Dr. Francis Mangani, the Advisor for Economic Integration at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and Ben White, founder of VC4A.
Professor Mutar Selami, the director of science, technology, and innovation in the National Council of Scientific Research and Technologies in Algeria, discusses the importance of identifying viable and innovative projects to leverage the AUEU innovation agenda. He highlights the need to mobilize resources and support researchers and innovators while considering factors such as scalability, long-term sustainability, and market demand. He provides examples of successful projects launched under the AU partnership, including the FNHF project focused on food, nutrition, security, justice, agriculture, and the Libre project on long European-African partnership in renewable energy. These projects involve multiple countries and receive funding from the European Commission, contributing to the development of African teams. Professor Selami emphasizes the opportunity for collaboration and development of projects, particularly in the field of renewable energy, and mentions the recent news of the World Bank and African Bank's efforts to provide electricity to over 300 million people in Africa. He concludes by encouraging African researchers to participate in clustering efforts and highlights the potential for startups and researchers in this context.
Dr. Robert Karanja, Co-Founder of Villgro Africa, a biomedical scientist and development entrepreneur, shared his experiences with Villgro Africa, a venture capital firm focusing on early-stage investments in the health and life sciences sector. He discussed their goal of bridging the gap between prototypes and product launches through customized incubation programs. Dr. Karanja emphasized the importance of STEM experts learning the language of finance and business to attract investors and develop viable business models. He highlighted the market failure in Africa's health and life sciences sector and how Bill Groove Africa addresses this by providing seed capital, de-risking innovations, fostering linkages between academia and industry, and building the innovation ecosystem.
Mr. Jonas Dila, the country director for the German Development Bank (KFW), discussed making development projects bankable by providing feasibility studies, technical assistance, and guidance on financial viability. He emphasized collaboration and dialogue with stakeholders to understand their needs.
Dr. Francis Mangani, Advisor for Economic Integration at AfCFTA, highlighted the role of AfCFTA in driving policy changes for innovation and promoting scale and inclusiveness. He discussed the implementation of AfCFTA, policy reforms, technology transfer, financing investments, and the importance of creating an enabling ecosystem.
Ben White, founder of VC4A, shared their mission to support high-growth, high-impact ventures in Africa, focusing on key sectors and providing access to capital, resources, and mentorship through their online platform and programs. The speaker expressed gratitude for the invitation and acknowledged the challenge of finding opportunities in the discussed field.
In closing of the session, Dr. Taibou Ba expressed heartfelt gratitude towards the organizers, panelists, participants, and institutes involved in the session titled "Closing Funding Gaps to Accelerate Sustainable Development." He also acknowledged the stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of STI4SDGs roadmaps. Dr. Ba recognized their valuable contributions and emphasized the challenges faced, particularly in capacity development and knowledge gaps. Furthermore, Dr. Ba underscored the crucial role of technology in achieving excellence in the fields of innovation and sustainable development. He emphasized the importance of reviewing strategies to effectively mobilize resources for the AU-EU Innovation Agenda's objectives. Specifically, the session focused on addressing funding gaps, which are critical for driving progress in the implementation of the agenda. Overall, Dr. Ba's closing remarks highlighted the commitment to collaboration and resource mobilization in order to accelerate sustainable development and promote innovation in the AU-EU context.
In the closing ceremony of the Sixth STI forum, moderated by Lukovi Seke from AUDA-NEPAD, Rita Bissoonauth, Head of UNESCO Liaison Office to the AUC and ECA, and Representative to Ethiopia, delivered the closing remarks. Rita expressed her gratitude for the success of the Sixth African Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of AU Member States, the European Union Delegation to the African Union, the African Union Commission, UNECA, and all partners involved in organizing the well-organized event. She extended her thanks to the ministers, ambassadors, esteemed experts, development partners, and colleagues from the UN agencies for their valuable contributions. Rita highlighted the immense potential within the continent for science, technology, and innovation (STI) and emphasized the need for collaboration, resource mobilization, bridging funding gaps, and embracing emerging technologies to advance Africa's scientific and technological advancements. She also emphasized the importance of STEM education, empowering innovators, and promoting women in STEM fields. Rita pledged UNESCO's continued support for Africa's journey towards a sustainable future through science education, capacity building, and international scientific collaboration.
In conclusion, Rita Bissoonauth expressed gratitude to all participants and partners and officially declared the forum closed. She expressed anticipation for measuring the progress made during the forum and looked forward to the next year's forum as a platform to continue advancing Africa's scientific and technological landscape.