Science, Technology and Innovation Coalition for Africa

The Coalition on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Africa’s Development (STI Coalition for Africa) is a multi-stakeholder initiative designed on the premise that collaborative efforts, including various forms of partnerships, are crucial for making STI more responsive to African realities. Co-founded by South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, and Morocco—each representing one of the five African regions—and supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the initiative aims to create a pathway for African countries to develop, deploy and expand the use of STI in the context of achieving the SDGs and the AU Agenda 2063.

Launched on 2 May 2023, in New York, the STI Coalition for Africa is intended to serve as a global go-to-place and platform to identify, refine and incubate scalable international action and cooperation on STI for the SDGs in Africa. Amongst the priorities of the Coalition is to focus on the Youth, and African diaspora as key drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship and a force for sustained development, as well as manufacturing industries and agricultural sectors.

Role of Future Africa

As a pan-African platform, Future Africa plays a key role in providing technical support for the development of the STI Coalition. Alongside the founding member countries, UNECA and UNDESA, Future Africa is instrumental in advancing the coalition's objectives.

In 2024, Future Africa, along with the Coalition founding member countries, UNECA, and UNDESA, will co-host a side event during the 9th Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This side event aims to:

• Take stock of the Coalition’s first year, evaluating progress and strategising future directions.
• Catalyse the role of the African diaspora in supporting Africa’s development agenda, focusing on capacity building and enhancing STI capabilities.
• Empower youth and capitalise on Africa's youth dividend to drive sustained development.