Image: GovernmentZA [CC BY-ND 2.0], via Flickr
Ten-year plan seeks to improve take-up and financial sustainability of continental STI programmes
African heads of state are set to endorse a new 10-year continental science, technology and innovation strategy in February that aims to address previous implementation challenges and drive development.
The African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (Stisa-2034) was adopted on 7 November by the African Union’s Special Technical Committee on Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Stisa-2034 articulates its vision as “an integrated, prosperous, peaceful Africa, where science, technology and innovation are drivers of sustainable socio-economic growth”.
The document acknowledges the shortcomings of its predecessor, Stisa-2024, which suffered from inadequate funding, poor coordination and limited research outputs.
As a result, “ensuring African ownership and visibility”, and a “focus on initiatives that are financially sound and sustainable”, are two of its guiding principles.
‘Agile’ approach
The strategy prioritises five sectors—agriculture, health, information and communication technologies, energy and the environment—with specific activities proposed for each, such as bolstering genetic disease surveillance.
It also mentions priorities that cut across sectors, including boosting industry R&D, reforming intellectual property regulations, training researchers, modernising research infrastructure and developing technology foresight capabilities.
The plan also emphasises strengthening science diplomacy and creating inclusive policies to dismantle gender biases in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The implementation strategy will follow an “agile, phased approach” designed to manage complexity, resources, risks and stakeholder engagement, the strategy says. A drafting team is being assembled, with its first meeting likely to take place in mid-January 2025.
Implementation will be a collaborative effort involving African Union offices, agencies, regional economic communities and various science and technology stakeholders. The African Union Commission’s education, science, technology and innovation directorate, and the Auda-Nepad, the AU’s development agency, will lead coordination efforts.