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The 3rd annual African Regional Science Technology and Innovation Forum was officially opened on 25 February in Brazzaville, Congo, by the Minister for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation for Congo, Parfait Aimé Coussoud Mavoungou. The Forum which seeks to highlight the role and importance of science, technology and innovation (STI), for sustainable development of Africa, is running under the theme “Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”

The Forum serves as a platform to identify and examine technology needs and institutional voids and gaps that should be addressed to enable African countries to fully harness and deploy science, technology and innovation to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This was further echoed by the opening speakers including the UNESCO Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences, Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, who pointed out the need to collaboratively work together to close the capacity gap in STI. She also stressed the need for open science, referencing its massive application in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outgoing Chair of the 2nd African Regional Science Technology and Innovation Forum, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development in Zimbabwe, Professor Amon Murwira, called for the continent to redesign its respective STI education systems, noting that the ultimate goal must always be industrialisation and modernisation of Africa, by provision of services and goods, that meet human needs.

The Forum has drawn over 130 participants and will continue until the 26th of February 2021. The key messages from the STI forum will be presented and incorporated in to the deliberations at the Seventh Session of the African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development, which starts on 1 March 2021.