Johannesburg, April 25, 2022 - The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has appointed two eminent experts to serve on the AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET).  The High-Level Panel was constituted in recognition of the need of African Union Member States to harness both existing and emerging technologies for Africa's socio-economic development. The announcement was made during the first statutory meeting of APET in 2022, held in Johannesburg from 25 to 29 April 2022.

The objectives of the statutory meeting were to discuss strategies for a strengthened APET structure within the AU system and deliberate on strategies for the optimisation of the work of the Panel through engaging global and continental experts and platforms. The Panel also considered sustainable resource avenues for its secretariat through securing steady support for the next 10-20 years. Lastly, APET paid a courtesy visit to the outgoing CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki.

In her opening remarks, the chair of the Panel, Prof. Yaye Kène-Gassama, indicated that the work of APET is commendable, even in the face of a global pandemic. She emphasised the need to prioritise enhancing the role and visibility of APET continentally and in global spaces.  Madam Chair stated that the great work of the Panel needs to be publicised on a larger scale so as to impact all relevant stakeholders.  She emphasized that science, innovation and emerging technologies will lead to enhanced quality of life for African citizens through interventions such as improved water quality, health, and economic growth.

Mr Amine Idriss Adoum, the Director of the Programme Delivery and Coordination Directorate, welcomed Panel Members to their statutory meeting. In his virtual remarks, he noted that the development of Africa must be driven by technology. "We must intensify engagements within member states on innovation and emerging technologies. STISA was developed to accelerate development growth in Africa, and the AUDA-NEPAD mandate is to implement the strategy in its five thematic areas," said Mr Adoum. He also looked forward to the discussions on how emerging technologies being championed by APET can accelerate development on the continent.

A highlight of the opening session was the welcoming of the newly appointed members of APET and the presentation of their Letters of Appointment and Terms of Reference. The newly appointed members are Dr William Wasswa of Uganda (representing East Africa) and Prof Aboubacar Sani Sambo of Nigeria (representing West Africa). This follows the unfortunate and sad passing of the East and West African representatives on the Panel.

Dr William Wasswa is a senior lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering. He is also the head of the department of biomedical sciences and engineering, and leads the Advanced Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence Lab in the department. Dr Wasswa is an AfyaBora Global Health Leader Postdoctoral Fellow, an innovator and recipient of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Innovation 2020

Prof Abubakar Sani Sambo is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering who has worked in various capacities spanning several years, including being the Vice-Chancellor of a University of Technology for many years. He was also a Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Energy, Vice Chairman of the World Energy Council for Africa and former Director-General for the Energy Commission of Nigeria for 8 years. He is an Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON.

Apart from offering technical advice to the AU and its Member States on harnessing emerging technologies for economic development, APET makes recommendations on the nature of regional institutional arrangements that are required to promote and sustain common regulatory approaches to the application and use of, and propose strategies and policies on emerging technologies in Africa. Thus, APET members, led by the chair, welcomed the new members of the Panel and are optimistic about the benefits of sharing in their rich experiences and added value to the work of APET.

APET further agreed the following endorsements during its statutory meetings:

1. The Panel endorsed the methodology for research, drafting and validation of the APET Gene Drive Supplementary report.

2. APET endorsed scaling up the West Africa IVM Platform into a continental one to be called Africa IVM platform, and further scaling up the research on Gene drive technology to other African regions through demands from AU Member States.

3. The Panel endorsed the APET Genome Editing Policy Document, subject to incorporation of feedback provided.

End.

For more information, please contact:

Justina Dugbazah

Senior Programme Officer for Education and Social Development,

and Coordinator: APET and CJED

African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD)

Email: Justinad@nepad.org