EAC member states urged to invest more in technology

A new report by a Kampala based think-tank has revealed that East African Community partner states have invested modestly in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The report dubbed, Governance of Science and Technology in the EAC, by Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), says lack of such investment is likely to impact negatively on the region’s economic development.The reports indicates that though under the African Union, African countries committed to allocate 1% of their national budget to research and development, no EAC member state has hit the target.Speaking at the launch of the report in Kigali yesterday, the co-author of the report, Dr John Ouma Mugabe, a professor of science and innovation policy at the Pretoria University, South Africa urged regional political leaders to focus on science, technology and innovations as the main drivers of economic development. “We spend much money on importing drugs from all over the world yet we have the capacity to manufacture them,” he said.“We have seen leaders convening to commission roads in the region yet we have never seen them meeting to discuss the funding of science and technology.”He said that countries focus much on strengthening bilateral relationships with the developed countries on trade, adding that it would be better to balance and divert to sharing knowledge on science, technology and innovation.“EAC needs to emulate China, India and Brazil, where governments have injected a lot into science and technology education.”He suggested there was a need for establishing a regional STI fund. Over 90 per cent of science and technology initiatives in the region operate on external support.In an interview with The New Times, Director General of Science, Technology and Research in the Ministry of Education, Dr Marie Christine Gasingirwa said although African countries had not hit the 1 per cent budget to research and development it was prudent for the countries to share knowledge.We discovered that it’s always better to share the knowledge and experience.”She noted the issue of funding the sector was in the process, adding that government was committed to continue considering the sector as key to economic development.The report underscores the importance of governance and political leadership in accelerating the pace of science and technology and innovation in the community and called upon the summit of Heads of State take actions to ensure full implementation of the EAC Treaty commitments on STI.Uganda’s Member of Parliament, Dennis Obua, challenged regional national parliaments and the media to take the lead in advocating for science and technology. “We need to re-orient our thinking ...the debates on science and technologies in our parliaments are limited, people are not interested and even the media attached to parliaments focus on politics too much”Rwanda was selected to host the East African Community Science and Technology Commission.The report is the first on the governance of science, technology and innovations in the EAC region.

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EAC member states urged to invest more in technology