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Key experts from across Africa are meeting in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, for a pivotal three-day conference to establish a strategic partnership aimed at transforming the continent’s STEM ecosystem.

The event taking place from 26th–28th November, organised by UNESCO and the African Union Commission, is aimed at tackling the root causes of challenges hindering STEM education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aiming to develop effective strategies to unlock the continent’s full development potential.

The conference’s main agenda is built on the African Union’s (AU) 2024 theme, “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century,” which will forge a continent-wide strategic partnership to build a transformative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) ecosystem.

According to UNESCO, Africa is poised for a transformative leap, driven by its youthful population—the largest in the world. With over 400 million youth aged 15 to 35, young Africans are projected to make up 42 per cent of the global youth population by 2030. This demographic dividend offers immense potential, but a significant skills gap poses a challenge. Millions of young people across the continent need essential STEM skills to thrive in the 21st-century workforce and drive sustainable development.

Speaking at the conference on Tuesday, Dr Julius Ecuru, Manager, Rsif Regional Coordination Unit, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) pointed out that Africa desires socioeconomic transformation to lift the majority of the people out of subsistence farming into the money economy and improve its human development index (including income levels from low to middle to high income status).

“Industry or private sector development is the driver, while scientific research and innovation is the engine. Building STEM capacity is crucial, & bridging skills gap in applied sciences & engineering are essential for growth,” Dr Ecuru emphasized, adding that we should act now and continue learning as we act.

He called for scaling of science and innovation initiatives and models that are already working, as we think of new ones besides collaborating regionally and internationally, even as we develop national science & innovation systems.

He also mentioned how this is being made real through Rsif by strengthening the institutional capacity for quality doctoral training, research, and innovation in transformative technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Through Rsif, we are creating a stock of highly skilled scientists, professionals, and innovators in ASET fields. Rsif is also addressing imbalances in the number of women and disadvantaged groups in ASET fields in Africa besides building African universities’ capacity to provide relevant ASET training,” Dr Ecuru stated.

Dr Emmanuel Efah, one of the Rsif Alumni in AI and machine learning, was also present at the conference. Dr Efah shared his inspiring story of how Rsif scholarship and support has raised him as an academic mentor, researcher, and innovator in Ghana. Dr Effah, who is also a senior lecturer at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana, has been actively involved in capacity building in IoT, robotics, and AI for several students in his home country.

As these experts meet in Addis Ababa, Africans remain hopeful that this conference will be a catalyst for transformative action—one that mobilizes resources, fosters partnerships, and drives strategic investments in STEM. Now is the time to build an inclusive, dynamic STEM ecosystem that positions Africa as a global leader in research and innovation.