Business
Africa’s Growth: UNDP Urges More Investment
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has urged governments to invest in African technology innovation to speed up the continent’s growth.
The UNDP Chief Economist and Head of Strategy and Analysis Team for Africa Region, Ayodele Odusola made the call at a news conference shortly after the ninth African Economic Conference (AEC) opened in Addis Ababa, Saturday.
Odusola said that poor technological capability remained a major constraint to Africa’s growth and needed to be scale up for faster growth.
“The pace of skills, technological development and innovation has been slow in Africa because of the absence of critical research institutions and African universities with technology driven manpower and skilled education,’’ he said.
The UNDP, UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank (AfDB) convened the three-day conference with the theme “Knowledge and Innovation for Africa’s Transformation’’.
The conference will hold from November 1 to November 3 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Earlier, while declaring the conference open the Ethiopian Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Demitu Hambissa, advocated for more technology institutions that would compete with their counterparts worldwide.
Hambissa said that the continent was also constraint with lack of quality laboratories and scientific equipment as well as the unavailability of long term finance and weak private sector initiative.
“To sustain the impressive economic growth Africa has experienced over the last decade, policymakers of the region should focus and learn the best practices in fostering technology transfer.
“They should identify critical innovation barriers and gaps to achieve increased productivity and structural transformation of its economies,’’ Hambissa said.
The Tide source reports that the theme of conference “Knowledge and Innovation for Africa’s Transformation was drawn from the AU Agenda 2063 and the African Common Position on its Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The agenda identified science, technology and innovation as key to Africa’s growth and development.
In her address, AU’s Chairperson Dr Dlamini Zuma stressed the need for skills, technology, knowledge and innovation to ensure democratic and responsive governance for delivery of effective public services.
“That will facilitate universal access to basic services such as food and nutrition, water and sanitation, shelter, health and education.’’
Zuma underscored the need to strengthen higher education in universities where enrollment had increased by 16 per cent over the last decade.
“We must all support the universities in line with the effort to scale up development of the continent,’’ she said.
She said that a summit had been planned for Dakar, Senegal, in March next year to evolve a strategy for investing in higher education to prevent the absurdity of graduate unemployment.
“As the continent pursues its agenda of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena, success will depend on adequate accumulation of skills, technology and competences for innovation,’’ she said.
Also, the ECA Executive Secretary, Carlos Lopez said the continent was endowed with capabilities.
“Capacities are not the same as capabilities. We have lots of capabilities; but are in need of capacities,’’ Lopez said.
He emphasised the need to build capacity to transform growth into quality growth on the continent.
He underscored the need to build capacity for strategic decision-making, enhanced productive economic activities and aggressive absorption and generation of knowledge intensive technologies.
The ECA boss noted that Africa’s stock of graduates was skewed toward the humanities and social sciences.
He said that the share of students enrolling in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics was less than 25 per cent.
In his remarks, Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, acting Chief Economist and Vice-President, AfDB, noted that adequate accumulation of skills, technology and competences for innovation were key to Africa’s transformation.
Mugerwa said that most governments recognised the importance of knowledge generation and innovation but failed to implement strategies to address skill deficit in critical areas for realisation of the goal of structural transformation.
“Innovation does not happen by chance or in a vacuum. Innovation cannot be legislated; it takes deliberate policy actions, enablers, positive incentives and entrepreneurship to make it happen.
“To leapfrog and sustain the resurgent, Africa requires smart solutions anchored in knowledge and innovation,’’ e said.
The conference is expected to feature presentations and discussions by prominent academics, policymakers, business actors including emerging technological and digital entrepreneurs.
The sessions will involve in-depth and technical analyses of salient issues arising from the thematic focus of the conference.
The sub-themes will enable a broad range of discussions on the current state of Africa’s transformation capacity and generate valuable insights for improved policy making mechanisms.
The sub-themes include Knowledge Generation for Structural Transformation; Technology for Africa’s Transformation; and Addressing the Skills Deficit.
MoniePoint Inc. a digital financial firm in Nigeria, has said it is empowering community pharmacists across the country with innovative payment solutions to improve access to drugs.
The financial firm said it had also provided loans for pharmacists under the aegis of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) to drive healthcare delivery in the country.
MoniePoint in a release titled, “Inside Nigeria’s community pharmacies: How Moniepoint drives healthcare access with payments and funding”, has reaffirmed its commitment to providing digital payment solutions to improve health outcomes in Nigeria.
The release examined how community pharmacies play a crucial role as vital access points for medical care in Nigeria, especially in areas with limited hospital or clinic access.
According to the release, the ACPN National Chairman, Ambrose Igwekwam, highlighted the critical role played by community pharmacies in Nigeria’s healthcare system over the years.
Igwekwam, however, expressed concerns over the challenges confronting the nation’s pharmaceutical industry which he said was hindering access to affordable medicines.
The pharmacist listed poor infrastructural systems, power, transportation, regulatory bottlenecks, importation dependency, and limited research opportunities as major challenges facing the pharmaceutical sector.
He also stressed the need for robust collaborative efforts with institutions like Moniepoint to strengthen the sector.
“As Nigeria continues to grow, improving local pharma manufacturing to meet the demands of this growth presents a key opportunity for us all.
“There is also the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, which is expected to boost our industry, especially when we start producing our drugs locally, which will provide the much needed foreign exchange from exports.
“We are also seeing advancements in digital health and technology which would hopefully deepen the practice of e-prescription in Nigeria”, the ACPN boss said.
Corlins Walter
In order to enhance customer service and streamline operations, the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has called on stakeholders in the insurance industry to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The President of the institute, Yetunde Ilori, made this call at the 2024 Office Representatives Committee (ORC) Workshop, organised by the institute, with the theme “AI and the Future of the Insurance Industry”, in Lagos.
Ilori at the event, emphasised the importance of AI adoption, noting that it was not a threat to jobs but rather a tool to improve efficiency across the insurance sector.
“It is not about AI taking over our jobs, but about us using AI to simplify processes and give maximum satisfaction to all the customers we serve whether as underwriters, brokers, loss adjusters, or in educating our members”, she said.
The workshop, which brought players in the insurance sector together, aimed to address how AI could be leveraged to transform business processes and improve customer interactions.
The Chairman of the ORC, Monica Nwachukwu, underscored the role of AI in modernising the industry, adding, “AI can automate customer and claims processes, allowing insurers to provide faster and more efficient services to their customers”.
She explained how AI could help extract data from legacy systems, enhancing decision-making processes.
“By integrating AI with APIs, insurers can feed valuable data into AI solutions to improve operations and customer service”, she added.
In his address, the Managing Partner of A4S and Training Heights, Orlando Odejide, stressed the need for companies to align their strategies with future technologies like AI, especially as they prepare for 2025.
“Any organisation that wants to grow into the future must have its strategic plan in place. If your strategy for 2025 is not ready, it should be done by October”, he advised.
He encouraged participants to think critically about how AI could be integrated into their business models to ensure they remain competitive.
“The idea is for you to use this workshop as a platform to think about your organization and how AI can help streamline your processes and improve growth”, Odejide noted.
In order to gain global respect and recognition, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has reaffirmed its determination to pursue its goal in ensuring that Nigeria’s space capabilities are recognised on the world stage.
The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to positioning Nigeria as a key player in the global space economy.
In a statement by the Director of Media and Corporate Communications, Dr. Felix Ale, NASRDA revealed that the Director-General of the agency, Matthew Adepoju, emphasised this during recent engagements at the 79th United Nations General Assembly and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Global Alliance Business Association international conference in Michigan, United States.
The statement noted that Adepoju outlined a forward-thinking agenda, stressing the importance of Nigeria’s space programme as a leader in research, exploration, and technological innovation.
“Our goal is to ensure that Nigeria’s space capabilities are recognised on the world stage.
“We must foster collaborations with global space agencies to enhance our satellite capabilities and technological infrastructure”, he stated.
The NASRDA boss said the agency is focusing on enhancing satellite capabilities, expanding international collaborations, and leveraging space science for national development.
He said NASRDA will have no stone unturned in pursuit of excellence, ensuring the agency secures the necessary resources and recognition to propel it forward.
“The relationships we build today will pave the way for tomorrow’s advancements in space science.
“Innovation and progress thrive in an environment built on collaboration and inclusivity”, he stated.
He emphasised that with the support of the government, international partners, and a dedicated team, NASRDA is poised to make significant strides in the evolving global space landscape.
“We are on the brink of a new era for Nigeria’s space agency. Together, we will ensure our nation stands out in the global space economy”, he said.
Corlins Walter