The African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Prof Sarah Anyang Agbor, is calling for concerted efforts among African leaders to decolonize the continent’s science, technology and innovation (STI) for economic development.
She said the AU has put in place systems to ensure the continent has better experience in STI, but without proper implementation, the policies and programs put together will not be realized.
She mentioned this at this year’s Science Forum South Africa in Pretoria, where GHOne TV’s Alice Aryeetey and 14 other journalists from across Africa, won grants from South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology as international media representatives to cover and participate in the forum.
Africa’s foremost scientists and other experts from across the world, policy makers, students and other stakeholders came together to hold conversations around science and how useful it is in achieving the global goals.
At the opening session, speakers underscored the role science plays in the socioeconomic development of every country, with many calling on African leaders to ensure scientists are given the needed assistance to operate and move freely from one country to the other without challenges.
Speaking on Africa and the fourth industrial revolution, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, hinted that a great deal of work is to be done by machines, hence the need for African countries to create their own databases to fully enjoy the 4th industrial revolution.
The three-day forum saw experts discuss critical subjects in various plenary sessions.Topics such as “Sex, drugs and R&D: finding Africa’s harm reduction balance, wise policies and investment: evidence use in decision making, malaria: how close are we to eliminating”, and a host of others were discussed by experts.
A display of science inventions and various science related products, programs and services was done during the forum, where many people including the youth exhibited their knowledge and interest in science and technology.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Alice Aryeetey
