Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Omar Hilale, was appointed co-chair of the new Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Coalition for Africa.
Launched on Tuesday, May 2, in New York by South Africa as part of Africa Day, which was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Science and Technology Forum, the Coalition is also chaired by the ambassadors of Ghana and Ethiopia, with the support of the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
The appointment of Morocco as a co-chair of this initiative is a testament to the Kingdom’s leading role in favor of Africa in several fields and a recognition of the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for Africa.
The Coalition aims to set a roadmap for African states to develop, deploy and expand the use of Science, Technology, and Innovation in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 United Nations (UN) Agenda and the 2063 African Union (AU) Agenda.
The Coalition also seeks to build on the potential of African innovators, especially the youth and the diaspora, and expand financial and educational opportunities to reach feasible and sustainable Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) solutions for African countries.
In addition, the Coalition intends to take advantage of the Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), by involving African financial institutions and the growing industrial base on the continent in strengthening investment in research and development and promoting infrastructure dedicated to Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI).
The Coalition also focuses on developing Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) roadmaps at the national, regional, and sub-national levels and implementing relevant capacity-building activities for African countries and their stakeholders, in addition to boosting the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) agenda for Africa in the United Nations (UN) processes and mechanisms.
The Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Coalition for Africa is an informal multi-stakeholder interest group that allows United Nations (UN) Member States seeking to exchange expertise and resources to address common challenges to propose new initiatives to benefit national and global Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) capacities, and accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their national settings.
