BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in the opening plenary of the Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit.
At the onset, she highlighted the global connectivity challenge as a pressing social need – one that invites science and innovation to pioneer new solutions.
ITU estimates that around 89 million people remain unconnected in Europe, and in Africa, the figure is almost 10 times higher, with 800 million people still offline.
Noting that ICTs can be powerful engines of growth, Ms Bogdan-Martin underscored the role of digital technologies in enabling Africa's Agenda 2063 to transform the continent into a powerhouse of the future.
She encouraged further scientific research related to digital connectivity in the nations of Africa, to foster solutions that are best suited to varying local conditions.
She also noted that ''in today's complex and challenging environment, creating the toolbox or the 'laboratory' to solve chronic connectivity challenges cannot be done alone.''
In this regard, Ms Bogdan-Martin emphasized the importance of multistakeholder cooperation in achieving innovative solutions for inclusive digital connectivity.
''I am confident that our discussions will help further pave the way to important knowledge-exchange between both continents so that, together, we can leverage to tremendous power of science and innovation to connect the unconnected, and ensure that no-one is left behind, by making certain that no-one, anywhere, is left offline,'' she concluded.
Find the BDT Director's full address here.
