Concept note: Expert Group Meeting building research infrastructure capacity in Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Science, technology and innovation (STI) are identified as a means of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The degree to which STI fulfils this role in Africa depends on the ability of national institutions to undertake research that spurs scientific and technological innovations to address challenges in national and regional development. The preceding outlines the motivation of the Expert Group Meeting. The meeting and the background analytical report will explore the research infrastructure landscape in Africa and the surface issues for the attention of policymakers and researchers. More precisely, the meeting will explore the potential role of international cooperation and collaboration to attenuate the constraints of capacity, which enables African countries to undertake the research critical for spurring innovations to achieve the 2030 Agenda, in addition to realizing the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.