Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa

Today, I joined fellow African leaders and other stakeholders at the closing panel of the 12th Tana High-Level Forum, in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, where we exchanged perspectives on advancing the geopolitical and economic transformations needed to move our continent forward. For Africa to achieve sustainable growth, economic sovereignty and robust industrialisation that create productive opportunities for our teeming youth, we must deliberately invest in research-intensive universities which serve as factories for producing knowledge. They are special educational institutions, centres of research, innovation and advanced skills where knowledge is transformed into productive enterprise. The experiences of countries such as India, Singapore and South Korea, demonstrate the importance of building strong technological and scientific capabilities to drive industrial development, nurture innovation and create globally competitive economies. Africa must therefore move beyond being primarily a consumer of technology developed elsewhere to becoming a creator, producer and exporter of technology, knowledge and innovation. This requires sustained investment in science, engineering, digital technologies, applied research and the close collaboration of our universities, industries and governments. Our young people must be equipped not merely to participate in the global economy, but to shape it through their ingenuity, enterprise and capacity to develop homegrown solutions to Africa's development challenges. Africa's transformation and economic sovereignty must be built on African knowledge, driven by African ingenuity and sustained by African enterprise. -GEJ