At the opening of CGIAR Science Week, the inaugural session of African leaders, dubbed the Council of the Wise, launched a week of discussions with insightful conversations about the role of science in our communities.
The session explored how we can leverage science to solve problems and advance solutions globally.
In today’s rapidly advancing world, science plays a critical role in tackling challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, and pollution. Scientific innovation accelerates solutions to address the diverse issues humanity faces across different regions.
Africa, with its population growing from approximately 300 million in the 1960s to 1.5 billion today, urgently needs scientific solutions to tackle food insecurity and youth unemployment. Targeted research and collaboration remain essential to ensure sustainable progress in overcoming these challenges.
H.E. Ibrahim A. Mayaki, Former Prime Minister of Niger and African Union Special Envoy for Food Systems, says we are in a crisis that needs a political solution, and this would mean more leaders who are scientists or who believe in science to front these solutions.
The continent, having a larger land mass with a vast part of it still arable, can be relied upon to support job creation and develop the agriculture sector, which amounts to a one-trillion-dollar venture.
According to Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius, women in Africa are heavily involved in agriculture despite inadequate technology and little to no land ownership, yet they are the majority in the sector.
“Women are in the farms, as we see it’s women, even with kids on their backs, tilling and planting in the farm. Women feed Africa,” said Dr. Ameenah. She pointed out that one way of addressing brain drain would be by bringing Africa’s youth into the agriculture sector and enabling them to be drivers of the change we seek.
When taking a look at technology and innovation, it’s apparent that Africa is still behind in terms of technological adoption.
Mr. Mohammed Beavogui, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea, says that climate change has become a major challenge for the continent amid struggles such as access to finance, access to technology, and youth migration in search of opportunities abroad.
He points out that a key issue in addressing food insecurity is policy-making since with gaps in policies, farmers are not adequately reached or involved due to limited inclusion.
The future of Africa’s agricultural production could be deemed successful with investments in technology, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture, and empowering the youth to take roles in the sector, a move that Former President of Nigeria H.E. Goodluck Jonathan emphasizes, saying that to produce food that befits our populace, we must rely on science.
Goodluck adds that it is high time leaders forgo the notion of spending more time thinking about how to stay in power than on delivering results and development for citizens.
