CODIST II to promote innovation for the industrial development of the continent
The Second Session of the Committee on Development Information Science and Technology (CODIST II) on the theme “Innovation for Africa’s Industrial Development” will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa from 2-5 May.
More than 500 delegates from member States, private sector and exhibitors are expected to discuss and explore the extent to which African countries have harnessed innovation to enhance industrial development on the continent and to advise the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in these areas according to ECA's Information and Communication Service.
Ms. Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director of the ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD) that is organizing the meeting says, “Africa is a continent of immense opportunities, but scientists, institutions and firms need to be encouraged to realize this potential and governments must be supported and advised when it comes to seeding and nurturing innovative industries.”
She adds that CODIST II seeks to generate recommendations that aim to help member States create globally competitive industries as well as viable businesses which can generate millions of jobs in Africa.
A major highlight of CODIST II is the 2011 Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Award ceremony slated for 2 May. The Awards aim to encourage the use of Information and Communication Technologies by African governments in fulfilling their public service delivery obligations. They are designed to recognize outstanding work in developing ICT applications that have been able to revolutionize the life of citizens in fields like health care, education, water, sanitation services or for the use of the business community. The TIGA Awards are assigned by the ECA in collaboration with the Government of Finland and sponsored by several public and private organizations.
Besides the recommendations expected from CODIST II, the meeting will also:
· Raise awareness about the importance of innovation in industrial development;
· Formulate new guidelines to develop and strengthen innovation systems among African countries;
· Promote communication and exchange of knowledge and review the progress achieved on the recommendations and actions of CODIST-I; and
· Provide a forum for several pre-events including: Launching the African Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation; African Technology Development and Transfer
Network for Africa’s industrial development; Innovation Diffusion in Africa through Open Access Publishing; Exploiting Geospatial Data Resources for Planning in Africa and; Legal and Regulatory Frameworks for the Knowledge Economy in Africa.
This article was originally posted on Africa ICT & Telecom Network
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