Addis Ababa, 4 October 2017 (ECA) – African experts should go out of their way to convince policymakers on the continent that investments in research infrastructures represent good value for money, Kasirim Nwuke, Chief of New Technologies and Innovation in the Economic Commission for Africa’s Special Initiatives Division, said today.
Addressing a two-day expert group meeting on ‘Building Research Infrastructure Capacity to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Africa’, Mr. Nwuke said in addition to skilled human resources, research infrastructure makes scientific and technological research possible, bringing solutions to most of the continent’s problems.
“Deficiencies and or inadequacies in the provision of this infrastructure in any country, firm or organization make cutting edge research almost impossible, if not impossible,” he said, adding trying to influence policymakers on the importance of building research infrastructure was not always easy, especially in countries with scarce resources and a multitude of competing needs.
African governments, he said, do recognize the critical role of STI in their efforts to achieve the targets of the SDGs and realize the aspirations of the Agenda 2063 with many making unprecedented investments in building research infrastructure capacity, particularly through the expansion of the higher education sector and new areas such as in biotechnology and space.
But more needs to be done in countries that are hamstrung by the shortage of resources.
Mr. Nwuke said international cooperation in building research infrastructure capacity could be one way out if African countries are to undertake the research needed to create knowledge, technologies and innovation to achieve the SDGs.
He said most, if not all of the challenges facing the continent, captured in the SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, were amenable to STI solutions.
“Indeed, there is probably no other continent where the social returns to STI is high as in Africa. But Africa lags in carrying out research required to create new knowledge or adapt existing knowledge to produce innovations to deal with these challenges due to the inadequacy, and in some countries, total lack of research infrastructures,” the NTIS Chief said.
Research infrastructure, he said, can be a source of competitive advantage for countries that build and maintain them.
“They can confer first-mover advantage in the search for new products and solutions and creation of new markets on countries that have them. Countries that have some research infrastructure attract additional infrastructure because of network effects and externalities (complementarity) and serve as centres or hubs of research and development activities; countries that don't have them suffer and are uncompetitive,” Mr. Nwuke said.
The international community, in designing the SDGs, and identifying STI as one of the means of implementation of Agenda 2030, recognized that science, technology and innovation were important drivers of development, he said.
Participants, ranging from member State representatives to STI experts, will during the two days discuss various issues, including the state of research and infrastructure in Africa, the role of research in efforts to achieve the SDGs, international collaboration, space science for Africa’s development, national research infrastructure policies and share country experiences.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org