With the support of the UN, the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) has been invited by the Coalition on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Africa’s Development (the Coalition) to join as a Friend. In the development and application of digital technologies, CBAS will work together with other Friends of the Coalition to support the African Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Coalition was launched in May 2023 in New York during the first science, technology, and innovation (STI) in Africa Day, held on the margin of the 8th STI Forum. The Coalition addresses the aspirations of the African Agenda 2063 of the African Union and its science, technology, and innovation strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024), as well as the Technology Facilitation Mechanism established by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to support the STI.
The main objectives of the Coalition are to empower Africa’s youth, enable the contribution of the African Diaspora, leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), and build diversified supply and value chains for Africa’s industrial development. It was co-founded by South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, and Morocco, representing the five African regions, with support from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Its working network includes 12 Friends of the Coalition such as African Academy of Sciences, International Science Council, European Union Delegation to the UN as well as CBAS.
At the founding ceremony of the Coalition, Prof. Guo Huadong, CBAS Director-General expressed his commitment to supporting the Coalition in utilizing digital technologies for the implementation of SDGs during his trip to the UN STI Forum. In Nov. 2023, Guo and the CBAS delegation presented a detailed solution program to the Coalition, which received high praise at a capacity building seminar held by the Coalition in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.