AfDB Organises the First Africa Forum on Science Technology and Innovations (STI), for Youth Employment, Human Capital Development and Inclusive Growth
The first Africa forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) will be held in Nairobi, Kenya on April 1-3. The forum will be hosted the Kenyan government and organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union (AU), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).
The forum will be hosted by the Kenyan Government, through the Ministry of Higher Science and Technology.
STI is a key component of sustainable growth and development of a country. The capacity of African countries to compete in the global market depends more and more on their ability to innovate and apply the relevant technology to industries and productive sectors. Investments in STI and the integration of STI into education, economic and industrial policies can increase global market competitiveness, create employment and increase productivity.
Decision-makers face the challenge of developing and implementing STI policies and the quality of their decision-making is largely contingent on the work done by experts. It is therefore important to create a platform that brings together decision-makers and experts. The vision of the forum is to facilitate the sharing of experiences and analysis of best practices in strengthening STI mechanisms, designing policy measures for the promotion of innovation, entrepreneurship, youth employment, harnessing the role of innovation in the informal sector, and increasing the participation of women and youth in STI.
Through this regional forum of exchange of knowledge and ideas in STI we hope to achieve the following: