By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.
Africa is set to witness a major technological innovation in health, agriculture, education, and the energy ecosystem, with Nigeria and Ghana as the pilot countries, as the Sankore Project launches on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Abuja.
At the Sankore Project coordination meeting, held on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, ahead of the official launch, stakeholders gathered to brainstorm on critical workstream challenges. The meeting aimed to strengthen the UK, West Africa Science, Technology, and Innovation Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Key discussions focused on policy and partnership, chaired by Rob Floyd, Director of the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET); commercialization, chaired by Tom Feeny of Results for Development (R4D); and helpdesks, chaired by Jessica Lowdeen. Participants were divided into groups to review the alignment and overlap of these workstreams.
Earlier, Tom Feeny and Kormelia Tzinova set the tone for group discussions with an overview of the Sankore Project, which is structured in collaboration with its partners, including UNESCO, FCDO, ACET, UKGCC, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, and IITA.
Results for Development (R4D), which Tom Feeny described as part of the International Development Innovations Alliance (IDIA), works with initiatives such as the Millions of Lives Collective, EdTech Hub, Research Innovation System Africa (RISA), Frontier Tech Hub, and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, among others.
According to the Standard-Times, the Sankore Project coordination meeting was highlighted by Mrs. Enang Effiom Moma, an administrator and professional in science. She emphasized the need for commercialization efforts, lessons from past initiatives, and how the project would benefit Nigeria and Ghana. “I am happy that we are bringing you into this first session of the conversation,” she stated.
Standard-Times also reports that key challenges surrounding commercialization were addressed, including science and innovation collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana, demand-driven innovation, and problem-solving strategies. The discussions also covered the role of private partnerships, the need for policy reviews, state funding challenges, and the importance of advocacy and sensitization efforts. Participants called on the Ministry of Innovation to provide a framework to support other sectoral ministries in research.
Sankore is also exploring how to operationalize national research funds and the National Research Innovations Council, which is a major objective of the project.
Additionally, Sankore aims to be a strong government partner, providing research, data, evidence, and financial and technical expertise to enhance decision-making in project delivery.
The official launch on Thursday will be divided into two sessions: the formal launch, followed by a ceremonial session featuring speeches, feedback, and high-level presentations on the project’s goals and expected impact.
