The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) on Tuesday emphasized the importance of establishing the right metrics for Africa to scale innovation across the continent.
Prof. Brando Okolo, Head of Science, Technology, and Innovation at AUDA-NEPAD, made this point as a panelist at the ongoing Omniverse Africa Summit 3.0 in Lagos.
Okolo highlighted that essential metrics for Africa include policies, capital, and ecosystem development.
She noted that although Africa has a vibrant science, technology, and innovation landscape, it remains disorganized and plagued by corruption, underscoring the need for better coordination to achieve scalability.
She suggested that the solution is to unify the scientific community and innovation agencies across Africa, enabling countries to progress at a similar pace.
Another panelist, Ms. Ngozi Madueke, Platform and Ecosystem Leader at Google, added that Africa possesses talent but faces barriers to global competitiveness, such as limited access to infrastructure, networks, and visibility.
Madueke emphasized that the continent must move beyond merely possessing talent and focus on building solutions to real-world problems to compete internationally.
Mr. Marvelous Eboigbe, General Manager of ProForce Intelligence Systems Ltd., pointed out that while Africa has been dormant, the rest of the world has already set global standards through innovation.
Eboigbe stressed that Africa must now work hard to meet and surpass those standards, emphasizing that excellence, consistency, and competence are what the world rewards.
The Omniverse Africa Summit 3.0 is a platform that addresses challenges faced by African businesses in scaling and adapting, offering tools, infrastructure, funding, and collaboration opportunities for growth and market expansion.
With the theme “Connected Future, Synergy for Impact,” the summit brings together global innovators, designers, and researchers for four days of inspiration, collaboration, and growth.
