An Innovation Council comprising eight representatives from member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has been launched to advise on science and technology.
The new body was launched by the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, in Kampala, on Monday.
A statement from the 19-member strong group, which stretches all the way from Egypt to Zimbabwe, and includes Kenya, said: “The Innovation Council represents a landmark move in Africa’s institutional history because it is the first major political recognition of the critical role that technological innovation can play in enhancing Africa’s global competitiveness.”
COMESA also believes the timing of the creation of the Innovation Council is strategic because it gives Africa the chance to transform itself through emerging technologies.
The organisation pointed to Africa’s success in mobile money and potential in digital books and healthcare.
