By Milliam Murigi
African international locations have been urged to improve funding in science, analysis and innovation, warning that with out stronger scientific capability and innovation ecosystems, the continent will stay depending on international applied sciences.
Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak, Principal Secretary, Kenya’s State Department for Science, Research and Innovation (SDSRI), referred to as on African international locations to transfer past being shoppers of applied sciences developed elsewhere and grow to be creators, house owners and exporters of home-grown improvements.
“We must become creators, producers, owners and exporters of technology. We must move from consuming knowledge to generating it and from importing finished technologies to developing and commercializing African solutions,” he mentioned in a speech learn on his behalf by Stella Lang’at, Secretary Administration on the division through the launch of the Africa Technology Leadership Conference (ATLC) 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Prof. Abdulrazak famous that regardless of rising demand for innovation, Sub-Saharan Africa invests solely 0.38 p.c of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in analysis and growth, in contrast to the worldwide common of 1.92 p.c.
The area additionally has solely 88 researchers per a million folks, far beneath the worldwide common of 1,486 researchers per million, limiting its capability to develop new medicines, enhance agricultural productiveness and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
According to him, Africa’s problem extends past increasing web entry. Estimates by the International Telecommunication Union, solely 36 p.c of Africans have been utilizing the web in 2025, which means almost two-thirds of the continent remained offline.
However, he argued that connectivity alone is inadequate if Africa doesn’t management the digital infrastructure, platforms, knowledge and applied sciences shaping its future.
“This is not merely another technology conference,” Prof. Abdulrazak mentioned. “The defining question is how Africa converts its science, research and technology ambitions into sustained economic, diplomatic and strategic advantage.”
While highlighting Kenya’s strengths as one among Africa’s main innovation hubs, the Principal Secretary pointed to areas requiring pressing enchancment.
He famous that Kenya’s economic system grew by 4.6 p.c in 2025, whereas the knowledge and communication sector expanded by 4.8 p.c, demonstrating expertise’s rising contribution to financial progress. Kenya additionally ranks nineteenth globally in ICT providers exports and twenty seventh in enterprise capital offers relative to the dimensions of its economic system.
However, the nation ranks 124th globally in human capital and analysis, underscoring the necessity to strengthen scientific functionality alongside entrepreneurship.
Prof. Abdulrazak mentioned expertise has grow to be greater than a scientific subject, describing it as a matter of international coverage, commerce, funding and nationwide safety.
“Use research and innovation diplomacy to attract investment, strengthen scientific institutions, expand international research partnerships and enable the continent to participate in shaping global standards on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cyber security and data governance,” he mentioned.
The Permanent Secretary additionally challenged universities and analysis establishments to be certain that analysis strikes past tutorial publications into commercially viable services and products.
He mentioned many promising improvements fail to attain {the marketplace} due to weak hyperlinks between researchers, business, buyers and policymakers. To bridge this hole, he referred to as for elevated assist for mental property safety, expertise switch, affected person capital and stronger collaboration between universities and the personal sector.
Speaking on the identical occasion, Dr. Kenneth Rotich, Chief Executive Officer of INVIGENCE Ltd, mentioned the convention marks a deliberate shift from technique to implementation, bringing collectively leaders who finance, govern, construct and deploy science, analysis, innovation and expertise to guarantee concepts transfer past coverage paperwork into establishments, investments and tangible outcomes that enhance lives throughout Africa.
“The conference will provide a high-level platform for governments, development finance institutions, academia, research institutions, industry leaders and investors to develop practical partnerships that accelerate technology deployment, commercialize research and strengthen Africa’s position in shaping global technology governance,” Dr. Rotich added.
ATLC 2026 is scheduled for October 22–23, 2026 in Nairobi. It is predicted to convey collectively greater than 3,500 leaders from authorities, academia, analysis establishments, business, growth finance and diplomacy to discover how science and expertise can drive Africa’s financial progress and international competitiveness.
It will give attention to 4 strategic pillars: expertise diplomacy and management; funding and expertise infrastructure; institutional functionality for implementation and belief, knowledge governance and expertise resilience. These pillars are supposed to assist African international locations construct resilient expertise ecosystems able to supporting sustainable growth.
“Africa is not waiting for its technological future to be designed elsewhere. Africa is ready to help design that future,” he mentioned, urging stakeholders to transfer “from ambition to execution, from research to enterprise, and from innovation to measurable impact.”