Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · 7 November 2024 — The African Union's Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (STC-EST) adopted the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034) on 7 November 2024, charting a ten-year course for the continent's research and innovation agenda. The strategy succeeds STISA-2024 and is designed to align with the African Union's Agenda 2063, specifically the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan covering 2024–2033.
STISA-2034 arrives at a pivotal moment. Its predecessor, STISA-2024, succeeded in elevating science and technology on continental policy agendas and strengthening regional collaboration, but was hampered by limited stakeholder engagement, weak monitoring mechanisms, and constrained funding. The new strategy explicitly addresses these shortcomings through stronger governance, improved coordination, and sustainable financing mechanisms.
Five Priority Sectors
The strategy focuses on five main sectors where science, technology, and innovation are expected to drive the greatest socio-economic impact:
| Priority Sector | Focus Areas |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Food security, climate-smart agriculture, agricultural biotechnology |
| Health | Public health R&D, medical technologies, health systems strengthening |
| ICT | Digital transformation, AI, connectivity infrastructure |
| Energy | Renewable energy, energy access, clean technology |
| Environment | Climate adaptation, biodiversity, natural resource management |
Six Cross-Cutting Priorities
Beyond the five sectors, STISA-2034 identifies six cross-cutting areas essential to building a functional continental innovation ecosystem:
- Industrialisation — Moving from raw material extraction to value-added manufacturing
- Human capital development — Building the next generation of African researchers and innovators
- Frontier technologies — Positioning Africa in emerging fields such as AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology
- Science diplomacy — Leveraging international cooperation for domestic capacity building
- Private sector engagement — Mobilising industry as a co-investor in R&D
- Youth and gender empowerment — Ensuring inclusive participation in the STI enterprise
A Phased Implementation Approach
The implementation plan unfolds in two phases:
Phase 1 (First 5 years): Focuses on building ownership among Member States, launching flagship programmes, and operationalising the African Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Fund (AESTIF). This phase emphasises institutional strengthening, evidence-based policy development, and the establishment of monitoring and evaluation frameworks. A mid-term review is scheduled for 2029 to assess progress and recalibrate as needed.
Phase 2 (Subsequent 5 years): Involves the full rollout of flagship programmes at national, regional, and continental levels, scaling successful pilot initiatives and deepening cross-border research collaboration.
The Role of Science Granting Councils
A critical development in the STISA-2034 implementation architecture is the elevated role of Africa's Science Granting Councils (SGCs). As the institutions that fund and shape national research agendas, SGCs are positioned as the primary mechanism for translating continental priorities into national action.
The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), which supports councils across 20 Sub-Saharan African countries, has launched the SGCI Alliance — a council-led governance and coordination platform under SGCI-3 (2026–2030). The Alliance gives councils direct control over strategic direction, marking a deliberate shift toward African ownership of the research funding agenda.
Through the SGCI, councils are strengthening their capacity to support evidence-based decision-making, mobilise resources, and promote systemic change. Key priorities include advocating for greater domestic investment in R&D, promoting innovative financing models, supporting public-private partnerships, and demonstrating the impact of research and innovation.
The 1% GDP R&D Target
A central aspiration of STISA-2034 — inherited from STISA-2024 and the earlier Lagos Plan of Action — is the commitment by African Union Member States to allocate at least 1% of GDP to research and development. Current data from the African Innovation Outlook IV (AIO-2024) indicates that most African countries spend well below this target, with R&D intensity typically ranging from 0.3% to 0.45% of GDP. Only a handful of countries, including South Africa and Egypt, approach the threshold.
From Strategy to Execution
The strategy emphasises what it calls "agile" execution — a recognition that previous continental frameworks produced ambitious documents but struggled with implementation. Key enablers include clear implementation plans, strengthened monitoring and evaluation, alignment between national and continental STI policies, and sustained resource mobilisation.
Inclusive stakeholder engagement is also foregrounded. The strategy calls for the active involvement of governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society to ensure broad ownership of both the strategy and its outcomes. Equity and inclusion — particularly advancing gender equity, youth engagement, and the participation of diverse groups — are positioned as foundational principles rather than supplementary concerns.
The STISA-2034 Implementation Plan was officially launched during the African Union STI Week 2026, held from 10–12 February 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking the transition from policy adoption to active implementation.
Sources
- African Union, Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2025–2034 (STISA-2034) —
- AUDA-NEPAD, Implementation Plan for STISA-2034 —
- AUDA-NEPAD, STISA-2034 Marks Africa's Shift from Strategy to Execution —
- Science Granting Councils Initiative, STISA 2034: Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa —
- Research Professional News, African leaders to endorse science strategy in February, December 2024 —
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