Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo has called for urgency in leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), drones and blockchain in efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.
She was speaking on Friday during the launch of the Monograph on Leveraging Research Prioritisation and Emerging Technologies to Strengthen Healthcare Delivery in Africa held on the sidelines of the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The monograph is a comprehensive analysis of the landscape of emerging technologies for better healthcare delivery in Africa and has been developed in collaboration between the African Institute for Development Policy (Afidep), African Union Development Agency and the African High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies.
The minister called for the right investments, partnerships and policies that would enable the African continent to advance socio-economic development, and build resilient health care systems.
She observed that while Africa has made some development progress, it is evident that the progress has been slow and inadequate to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2063 development aspirations.
Said Tembo: “For the continent to turn its growing youthful population into quality human capital to steer the development efforts of our governments, there is a great need to increase investment in education and skills development, and make science, technology and innovation the bedrock of our overall development agenda.”
In his remarks, Afidep executive director Dr Eliya Zulu stressed that Africa’s growing population of 1.5 billion presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
“If we make the right investments in this human capital, that’s what will make us transform the continent and attain the Agenda 2063 goals. To harness its demographic dividend, Africa must prioritise science, technology, and innovation, ensuring policies and decisions are backed by evidence-based research,” he observed.
The launch of the monograph brought together leaders and experts committed to transforming health systems in Africa through science, technology, and innovation products poised to help the accelerated achievement of the Agenda 2063 development aspirations.
