Embrace technologies in health, AU urges States
The African Union (AU) Commission has asked its member States to put in place strategies that will promote the adoption of emerging and modern technologies in the health sector.
Speaking during the Regional Dialogue on Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Improve Healthcare Delivery Systems in Africa at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe last week, science adviser to the commission’s chairperson, Gaokgakala Lemmenyane, said the member States need to move with speed.
“Countries should move fast to develop these strategies in order to benefit from the use of developing technologies such as AI [Artificial Intelligence],” he said.
Lemmenyane said the commission has already developed its strategy on developing technologies which will be launched in 2025.
AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies chairperson Yaye Kene Gassama urged local health authorities to place the youth at the centre of technology development to improve technology adoption and use in their respective countries.
She said: “Emerging technologies are here to stay and the whole world is striving to be the first. Africa cannot afford to be left behind and it is the youth who need to be tasked with the responsibility to take this forward.”
In his remarks, African Institute for Development Policy (Afidep) executive director Elia Zulu called on national governments to exercise caution and conduct their due diligence to ensure that they are safe before use.
“You know governments also shouldn’t just adopt technologies that are not properly tested and tried. They should be tested for performance, effectiveness, and their value,” he said.
Representing Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Secretary for Health Samson Mndolo acknowledged the need for the government to continue investing in the development of technology and adopting emerging technology to fully realise the potential of digital health. The two-day conference was co-organised by Afidep in partnership with the AU Development Agency. It brought together health professionals and technocrats from across the continent.
