When face-to-face interactions came to a halt, technology becomes the only way to keep up with school, businesses, and daily life operations. Introducing innovations to foster economic recovery has become a priority.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande together with the European Union Research and Innovation ministers had a meeting session on Friday to “introduce the discussion on cooperation between Africa and Europe to foster economic recovery through science and innovation”.

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on economies and societies.

“The responsibility is therefore incumbent on us, ministers responsible for research and innovation, to ensure that our innovation ecosystems are not only protected during these challenging times but also provided with adequate resources, to play critical roles as engines for growth and development”, said the Minister Nzimande.

Plans have to be put in action to figure out how to open new economic growth trajectories post-COVID.

These were the plans put forward in the meeting:

“Firstly, we need to adopt a broader conceptualisation of innovation beyond R&D, as social innovation also has an equally important role to play. To this end, we need to adopt a whole-of-society approach to innovation, which must include, but go beyond our traditional research and technology organisations – but include civil society and grassroots organisations as actors and not only beneficiaries”

“Secondly, we must use our very response to COVID 19 as a platform for industrialization, especially in Africa. In South Africa, in a partnership between our Science Councils and the private automotive industry, we have already come up with South African produced ventilators. We are also seeking to position ourselves in the manufacturing and production of a COVID 19 vaccine once it is found, thus further building our pharmaceutical industry:

“Thirdly, support for and collaboration with the business sector is crucial, including granting economic relief measures and incentives for enterprises and entrepreneurs, and launching ambitious public-private partnerships as with examples mentioned above. In South Africa, we have decided to establish a sovereign national Innovation Fund to strengthen and grow our national system of innovation”

“Fourthly, we need to address demographic, spatial and other imbalances, which hamper our ability to draw on the full potential of our innovation ecosystems, by providing dedicated support to women, youth, grassroots innovators and indigenous knowledge systems”

“Fifthly and perhaps most importantly, governments need to be strategic enablers of innovation, by not only increasing funding for R&D but also taking measures such as using public procurement as a vehicle for innovation”

Ministers acknowledge that there is still a need for continued engagement in order to grow, redefine and recover economies with new and existing technologies.