I am pleased to welcome you to the East African Science and Technology New Website.
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) is an Institution of the East African Community (EAC). The Development Objective of EASTECO is to promote & coordinate the development, management and application of Science & Technology to support regional integration & socio-economic development.
EASTECO is implementing its first Strategic Plan (2017/18 – 2021/22) and I am delighted to provide progress registered so far on the main strategic Priorities:
1. Support for evidence based policies:
The East African Regional Policies for Science, Technology and Innovation and that for Intellectual Property have been developed through a highly participatory process. The EAC STI Policy aims to create an enabling environment for increased investment in STI as well as their application to support sustainable development. The EAC Policy for Intellectual Property aims to encourage technical innovation and to promote the industrial and commercial use of technical inventions and innovations in order to contribute to the social, economic, industrial and technological development of the EAC. Both policies are awaiting approval by the EAC Council of Ministers.
The development of an Innovation-led Bioeconomy Strategy for Eastern Africa” with Support from Bioinnovate Africa is in final stages of completion.
2. Promotion of STI knowledge and innovation:
In consultation with regional stakeholders, EASTECO has developed a Regional Research Agenda and Management Framework for the EAC to provide an agreed research direction that responds to development priorities and shared social-economic aspirations of the region.
The East African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation (EAJSTI) was launched on 22nd October 2019. EAJSTI is a peer-reviewed, open access and multidisciplinary low-cost scientific journal whose main objective is to enhance, advance and disseminate scientific, technological and innovative knowledge that supports regional socio-economic development. The journal focuses on publishing new knowledge from research.
In collaboration with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the EAC science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum has been established to provide a platform for information sharing and reference on knowledge and technology development processes for selected themes and sectors of the regional (EAC) economies.
The Forum comprises the East African Journal on STI (EAJSTI) and a biennial STI conference. The overall objective of the EAC STI Forum is to provide a platform for information sharing and reference on knowledge and technology development processes.
EAC Regional multidisciplinary Collaborative Research was launched with a first call for research proposals. The aim of the call was to operationalize a funding facility to support research and innovation in the manufacturing sector.
3. Application of STI for socio-economic Development:
A Regional Network for Research and Technology Development Organisations (RTOs) was established research institutions and the National Commissions/Councils for Science and Technology in the region were facilitated to sign a MOU on the establishment of the EAC Network of Industrial Technologies and Research Organisation (EANITRO) with the main aim of contributing to the EAC broader development goals of industrialization. The industrial A regional interactive on-line platform for the available technologies and innovations in the EAC region has been developed and data collection to populate the online database is ongoing.
I invite you to learn more about EASTECO and to partner with the Commission to drive science, technology and innovation development efforts in the EAC region.
Dr. Sylvance Okoth
Executive Secretary