UNFPA Wants African Countries to Invest More on Female Education

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has called on African countries to invest more on female education to increase the number of female scientists on the continent.

The Executive Director, UNFPA, Dr. Natalia Kanem, made the call on Tuesday at the 15th Bi-Annual General Assembly and Scientific Conference of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) holding in Abuja themed: “Empowering and Advancing Africa’s Scientific Enterprise”.

Kanem, represented by the UNFPA Secretary in Nigeria, Nathaniel Nau, stated that Africa needed to invest more on the girl-child education so as to have more female scientists.

She said: “We need urgent investment in education, particularly girl education, access to healthcare, youth employment, entrepreneurship, and we believe that AAS can contribute greatly to that.

 “From its humble beginning in the 1980s, the African Academy of Science has grown into a leading pan-African institution, nurturing the next generation of African scientists.

“Its fellows and researchers are at the forefront of groundbreaking research and innovation, addressing critical issues such as climate change, behavioral sciences, governance, data, demographic transition, youth empowerment, vaccine development, and maternal sexual and reproductive health.

“The AAS has established itself as a vital community of science and scholars whose work align with and significantly contribute to key aspects of UNFPA mission, that is to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth, that pregnancies remain a choice, not a chance, and that there is no gender-based violence to women and girls.

“UNFPA is proud to be a partner and sponsor of this General Assembly and we assure you of our steadfast support as you continue this noble mission.”

President Bola Tinubu while declaring the conference open urged African countries to harness the power of technology to transform the continent.

The President was represented by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji. Tinubu said, “Let us harness the power of science to transform our society, uplift our economies, and improve the quality of life for all Africans.

“Together, we can build a future where scientific excellence is the hallmark of Africa’s development.”

In her remarks, the President of AAS, Prof. Lise Korsten, said the desires of the Academy were to see to the birth of Africa’s sustainable development through Science Technology and Innovation (STI).

She said: “At the heart of our Academy lies a profound commitment to accelerating Africa’s sustainable development through science and innovation.

“Since 2015, the AAS, with a mandate from the African Union, has been working with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and other partners to drive sustainable development in Africa through STI.

“A recent review of the STISA 2024 noted that Africa has made commendable progress in scientific productivity, recording a 135% increase in number of scientific publications from 73,055 in 2014 to 171,576 in 2022.

“However, Africa’s scientific outputs in 2022 accounted for only 3.6% of the global output with most of the publications produced through collaborations with researchers in the global north.

“These statistics highlight the need for more commitments and investments, not just to sustain the gains made but also to help bring Africa closer to the rest of the world in capacities for research and Innovation.

“As Africa embarks on the next 10-year implementation period of its STI strategy (STISA-2034), the AAS avails itself of this opportunity to consolidate the gains made to continue advancing Africa’s research and innovation agenda.”

She pledged that AAS will work to   strengthen intra-Africa and international Science Technology and Innovation (STI), partnerships to build African capacities for STI diplomacy and leadership with scientific productivity.