Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024

Aggrey AmbaliAU/NEPAD Science Technology and Innovation Hub (NSTIH)

First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference

United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

Presentation Outline

• Review of the CPA• Strategic directions of the STI strategy• NSTIH Focus on Agriculture• Key priority programmatic areas • Expected results

CPA• In 2005 the Africa’s Science and Technology

Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) was adopted as a common framework for the implementation of the decisions of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government on science, technology and innovation (STI)

Why Review• There was provision for the CPA to be

reviewed after five years of implementation, in order to focus on long-term sources of economic growth with a view to enable Africa to meet the challenges of the 21st century

Vision• A competitive, socio-economically developed

and integrated Africa based on a robust STI foundation.

• The vision will be achieved through three strategic directions:– build better infrastructure, – enhance technical competence, – enhance entrepreneurship

Build better Infrastructure• Result: – Increased African leadership and participation in

infrastructure design and development

• Targets:– Increased capacity for infrastructure design and

development– Increased % of national and regional labour and

materials in all developmental infrastructure

Enhance technical competence• Result:– Increased human and institutional capacity for STI

• Targets:– Increased STI research output at national and

regional levels– Increased Human Capacity for STI– Research-intensive Universities and other

specialized research centres established

Stimulate Entrepreneurship• Results:– Greater availability of products and services from

STI that contribute to the improvement of the lives of African people

• Targets:– Increased number of added value products &

services to market– Effective innovation and technology transfer support

programs – Emergence and commercialization of several leap-

frog technologies

Enabling environment for STI • Result:– Member States & RECs have policies and

programmes that encourage STI development – Member States & RECs policy and programme

development is informed by STI–generated evidence

– Countries have Innovation Funds

Focus of NSTIH in Agriculture

• Support member states and RECs to develop systems of innovation within agriculture – Anchoring agricultural research and innovation

within • Existing CAADP compacts and investment plans

• Policy priorities within the STI sector (CPA)

• Policy priorities in the Agricultural sector (CAADP).

NSTIH programmes for supporting research and innovation in agriculture

Four key programmatic areas:1. Advocacy for Pro-STI investment policies2. Promotion of policy harmonization and

regulation3. Stimulating entrepreneurship4. Supporting the development and

implementation of regional agricultural research networks

Advocacy for Pro-STI investment policies

Aim:• Support RECs and Member States (MS) create the context, legal

frameworks and supportive infrastructure to incentivize investment in research and entrepreneurship

• Support RECs and MS to develop Regional and National Agricultural Research and Innovation Investment Plans

Activities 1. Convene multi-stakeholder/ inter-ministerial platforms at regional level

aimed at aligning agricultural research and STI policy priorities. 2. Supporting member states and RECs to articulate development plans for

agricultural research within the CAADP framework3. Developing and monitoring indicators for measuring progress in the

implementation of the national and regional Agricultural R&D investment plans

Promotion of policy harmonization and regulation

AIM• Supporting member states and RECs to build functional

regulatory systems for sustainable and safe application of agricultural biotechnology

Activities 1. Empowering African regulators with science-based biosafety

information2. Training and education3. Technical assistance 4. Provide other relevant biosafety capacity building programs

Stimulating entrepreneurshipAIM• Facilitate the engagement of the private sector in African Agricultural

research and innovation systems• Facilitate the movement of agricultural research products to the

market Activities1. Within the CAADP and CPA frameworks, convene Public and Private

Sector Platforms on Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation 2. Support creation and expansion of agricultural research clusters by

linking private sector to the existing regional networks of centers of excellence.

3. Support the establishment of technology transfer and commercialization programmes in agricultural research institutions and universities in partnership with existing initiatives such as BioInnovate

Supporting regional agricultural research networks

AIM• Enabling African countries to harness biological applications in

agriculture for food and nutrition security through the coordination of African Biosciences Initiative (ABI)

Activities 1. Coordination and supervision of the networks while ensuring

independent network management structures at hub and node hosting institutions for sustainability

2. Provide policy guidelines and facilitate the alignment of the network programmes to the CAADP priorities

3. Monitor and evaluate the activities of the networks and their contribution to the achievement of continental targets in Agriculture and food security

Expected results1. National and regional agricultural science, technology and

innovation priorities clearly articulated within the CAADP investment plans

2. Agricultural research actions at national and regional level properly coordinated and anchored within priorities set in the investment plans

3. A monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment system for the shared impact of agricultural research on 6% productivity growth implemented

4. Functional regulatory systems at national and regional levels 5. Strengthened linkages between public, research and private

sectors6. Increase in the number of agricultural research products

reaching the market

Thank you!