The African Union Commission (AUC) through the department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST), and the country’s Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) have jointly emphasized the need for Africa’s head of states and government to embrace science, technology and innovation in a bid to eradicate hunger and achieving food security.
The development comes barely two month after The Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET), a grouping of local and international organization made similar call during its annual conference which was held on July 29-30, 2015 in the capital Lilongwe.
Luanar through Regional University Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), AUC-HRST ,NEPAD, Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) are implementation Plan for Priority Area 1 of the Science, Technology And Innovation Strategy For Africa (STISA) whose priority being eradication of hunger and achieving food security by 2024.
STISA was developed in 2014 to ensure the centrality of science in strategies for enhancing technologies innovation as the underpinning for economic development in Africa whose four conditions for success pillars and prerequisite for its achievement including upgrading and
building research infrastructure, enhancing technical and professional competencies, innovation and entrepreneurship, and providing an enabling environment for science technology and innovation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Maravi Post in the on-going two days (September 15-16, 2015) follow-up conference on STISA currently underway in the capital Lilongwe, Dr Martial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology Africa Union Commission called upon African leaders to embrace innovations if the continent is to be freed from hunger.
“In June 2014, the 23rd Ordinary Session of African Union Heads of State and government Summit adapted STISA-2024 and is part of the long-term people centered AU Agenda 2063 which underpinned by science, technology and innovation as multi-function tools and enablers.
“In pursing this vision, AU emphasizes the importance of building our universities as centre of excellence through training, research by involving head and states, private sector, civil society,
parliamentarians and the Diaspora to embrace science, technology and innovation to increase production.
“African leaders must put deliberate policies on agriculture which will fast truck adaptation modern technologies in enhancing production while eradication hunger. This is the reason we are following up commitments and share experiences for improvement and transformation”
said Dr Ikounga.
Echoing on the same, Professor George Kanyama Phiri, Lunar’s Vice Chancellor who is also the newly elected vice chairperson for consortium of 45 Universities in Africa said the country’s leadership must be conversant with modern technology which will vividly translated into practice among smallholder farmers for maximum production.
“Malawi as an agricultural-based economy, science, technology and innovation must be embraced for maximizing production in a bid to reduce the perennial hunger. This will be achieved if the country’s leadership is on forefront adapting technologies through formidable
policies. Luanar being academic institution will continue helping smallholder farmers with innovation for increasing production”, assures Professor Kanyama Phiri.
Statistics shows that perennial food insecurity directly affects 239 million Africans with 30% to 40% of children under the age of five years continuing to suffer from chronic under-nutrition at critical stage for both survival and cognitive and physical development.
