• IASP Africa Division President Hauwa Yabani on Wednesday said technology has continued to emerge and the adaption of digital solutions is more important now than ever.
• She said such development is not only important for Kenya and Africa but also for the rest of the world.
Image: SHUTTERS STOCK
Kenya has been urged to adopt digital solutions towards achieving economic recovery from the impacts of the Coronavirus Disease.
International Association of Science Parks and Areas (IASP) Africa Division President Hauwa Yabani on Wednesday said technology has continued to emerge and the adaption of digital solutions is more important now than ever.
She said such development is not only important for Kenya and Africa but also for the rest of the world.
Yabani who doubles up as the CEO of Abuja Technology Village FZ Co in Nigeria said Kenya must utilise technology and innovation in the search of solutions to challenges it is facing.
She spoke during a webinar organized by Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) on the International Association of Science Parks and Areas (IASP).
“The pandemic has shown us the importance of digitally enhanced solutions in mitigating crisis as a way of living especially for a continent with a population of over 1.3 billion," she said.
"Digital transformation presents an opportunity for African countries like Kenya to provide value in new ways thereby leapfrogging the continent’s developing trajectories and accelerating its social and economic advancements."
Yabani said the Covid-19 pandemic has been reported to have caused failure to about 30 per cent of small businesses, thereby begging for answers to the question of how to leverage innovation to survive.
She said it is only through innovation-led approaches that Kenya will recover from the pandemic.
While reiterating the IASP Africa Division’s support towards supporting innovation, she stressed the need for utilising rising and existing start-ups in the continent which are critical in advancing the continent’s Free Trade Agreement for the benefit of all Africans.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) created by Africa Union (AU) in 2018 formed a single continent-wide market for goods and services that aims to promote the movement of capital and natural persons in the continent.
IASP global CEO Ebba Lund said African Countries should enhance collaborations and make use of available knowledge to advance their economies amidst the pandemic.
“There is an urgent need for the enhancement of collaboration between companies and research institutions and the support of both new and existing start-ups. We should utilise the science parks and create more favourable policies for advancing our knowledge-based economy. This is very important for both organisations and governments,” Lund said.
Her sentiments were echoed by NEPAD CEO Amb Samori Okwiya who said the Africa Union has created a committee to deepen the continent’s education on science which remains vital in its development.
“It is important to note that the AU has enacted a people-centred long term agenda 2063 which strives to articulate Africa’s sustained growth, competitiveness and economic transformation in new technologies and all developing sectors. To effectively execute this agenda, science, technology and innovation strategy is one of our pillars to make this happen," he said.
Okwiya said governments and organisations need to focus on developing the infrastructure to make innovation competitive.
“Currently, we have 409 projects ranging from ICT, roads, power, ports among others being implemented. These projects will create opportunities in innovations as well as several sectors,” he said.
KoTDA’s CEO John Tanui in his remarks cited innovation as a key enabler in driving economic development among Africa nations and urged participating members to build on innovation infrastructure while bringing together more research stakeholders during the pandemic.
“When we look at the Africa Free Trade, we see the opportunity of opening up connectivity among us and so we need to create more interconnection so that we open our trade. This is a great opportunity for Africa and this is what we see as Konza,” Tanui said.