2nd statutory meeting of the African Union High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) July 25 to 29, 2022, Savoy Hotel   |29 July 2022

Delegates and guests in a souvenir photograph after the opening ceremony on Tuesday (Photo: Patrick Joubert)

Key stakeholders review progress, ongoing work in education, science, innovation, emerging technologies

Key stakeholders in science and technology from the African Union member states including Seychelles and representatives of the African Union Development Agency- New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) have been meeting here this week to review progress in ongoing work in education, science, innovation, emerging technologies.

The 2nd statutory meeting of the African Union High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) was organised here for the first time by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) through the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and it took place at the Savoy Hotel.

Its aim is also to review and assess APET’s progress, deliberate on outstanding issues and form strategies to enhance the role of APET.

It was officially launched on Tuesday this week by the director general for the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Xavier Estico.

In his opening remarks Mr Estico said Seychelles is well-known for its beautiful and pristine environment that tourists crave to enjoy but noted that even paradise needs science, technology and innovation (STI) for prosperity, inclusive growth and development in a sustainable manner.

He noted that since the launch of the STI Policy in 2016, Seychelles has tried to achieve the set milestones by putting a great emphasis on emerging technologies.

“No member can escape the fast changing environment in our quest for sustainable development,” Mr  Estico stated while pointing out that the only way to achieve the strategic objectives of the AU Agenda 2063 states have to ensure they do what they set out to do in their determined time frame.

He also mentioned that it was important to recognise that science, technology and innovation are important in many different sectors but not just in one.

For her part the chairperson of APET, Professor Yaye Kene Gassame, remarked that this collaboration between concerned stakeholders will allow for better understanding and support for emerging technologies in all African countries.

 “We have opportunities during this meeting and subsequent ones, to discuss more ineptly around the strategy to have more innovation ecosystems in Africa,” Professor Gassame pointed out.

She acknowledged that Africa has the potential to achieve great successful innovations but is often left behind and is lacking when it comes to development because it does not take the right path.

The principal scientific officer of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Monica Ebele Idinoba, stressed on the importance of the meeting and how its outcome and recommendation that came out will be used to make further decisions.

 “The commission is happy with the progress made so far. They are very much aware of the work of APET and we want to move faster in the development of emerging technologies and to ensure the wider dissemination of knowledge already generated by APET,” she remarked.

Also during the first day of the meeting a progress report and review of action points from the first statutory meeting was presented followed by another presentation on APET’s knowledge products analysis. The delegates also had and further discussions about enhancing the continental and global role of APET.  

Sylia Ah-Time