Africa’s vital role in advancing sustainable development

This article is promoted by Stellenbosch University.

Africa has a rich diversity of languages, music, art and traditions – the threads that weave together the vibrant tapestry of African identity. The continent also boasts an abundance of natural resources, including minerals that are essential for renewable energy and sustainable technology.

Africa’s potential for innovation and entrepreneurship makes it a key player in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include advancing the green transition economy. Africa has the potential to influence policy and international agreements on global issues of climate change, sustainable development and inclusive growth.

To unearth and utilise this potential, different sectors – including higher education – must work together and rededicate themselves to the task of building a better Africa – an Africa where every child has access to education, where every woman is empowered to reach her full potential, and where every person can live in dignity and peace.

To build a better Africa, we will have to find innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the continent, including but not limited to education, health, climate change, governance and systemic sustainability.

AU-EU Innovation Agenda

One mechanism that could be helpful in this regard is the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Innovation Agenda. Adopted jointly by the AU and the EU in July 2023, the Innovation Agenda is acknowledged as a means to support “scientific cooperation between researchers to develop knowledge together, as well as sharing technology and expertise”.

It offers a transformative framework for collaboration between the EU and the AU to increase the innovative capacities and achievements of European and African researchers and innovators into tangible outputs, including products, services, jobs and businesses.

A key priority is to strengthen research and innovation cooperation between the AU and the EU as research and innovation contributes to sustainable and inclusive development, economic growth and job generation, thereby reducing poverty and inequalities.

As Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for ‘A Europe Fit for the Digital Age’, stated: “The Innovation Agenda will represent the backbone of our cooperation supporting research and innovation actions with Africa. It aims to create a tangible positive impact on the ground, such as tools for agricultural use, climate services and food systems transformation. Alongside cutting-edge medicines, biotechnologies and diagnostics.”

Furthermore, research and innovation should be translated into tangible products, services, enterprises and employment opportunities, thus establishing a sustainable long-term cooperation model between the AU and EU, and creating a prosperous future for millions of Africans.



The four priority areas of the Innovation Agenda, namely public health, green transitions (which I suggest must be broader given the African context), innovation and technology, and increased capacity for science, are of immense importance in the sustainable development of the African continent.

Role of universities in developing AU-EU relations

According to the Innovation Agenda, the development of “sustainable, long-lasting and mutually beneficial higher education, research and innovation partnerships between the AU and the EU countries is seen as the foundation for resilient knowledge economies and societies, preventing or mitigating, among others, the effects of major crises”.

Munyaradzi Makoni argues in University World News that the Innovation Agenda places universities in a central role in the development of AU-EU relations. Considering this, the Innovation Agenda received support from the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), a network of 22 of the region’s leading universities (with Stellenbosch University being one of them), and the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities (the Guild), which has 21 members.

ARUA and the Guild expressed that they share the concerns of the Innovation Agenda that there is a need to address the brain drain of young, skilled African researchers and create opportunities for these African researchers to apply their skills and expertise within the African continent.

Furthermore, ARUA and the Guild welcomed the proposals in the Innovation Agenda, particularly the following:

• The development and strengthening of Clusters of Research Excellence, which can strengthen South-South as well as North-South science collaboration, and foster research excellence by supporting highly talented young researchers, as well as more senior researchers through the establishment of ‘advanced study institutes’;

• The strengthening of inclusive and accessible world-class research and innovation infrastructures in the EU and AU;

• The promotion of joint African-European masters and doctoral degree programmes.

In light of these ambitions of the AU and EU to improve the role and importance of research, higher education and innovation in the Innovation Agenda as part of their overall collaboration agreement, ARUA and the Guild have now launched 20 joint Clusters of Research Excellence (CoREs).

The CoREs hold promise for significantly contributing to achieving the ambitious objectives outlined in the new AU-EU collaboration agreement, which include “a strong, inclusive, green and digital recovery and transformation”, focusing on sustainable investments in key areas, from infrastructure and health to education and the environment.

By collaborating to address shared societal issues, the prominent universities in Africa and Europe involved in the CoRE initiative aim to transform the landscape of collaborative research, emphasising equitable and responsible partnerships as a prerequisite for outstanding and impactful research. Each cluster of the initiative tackles a significant societal challenge outlined in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda.

The Innovation Agenda underscores Africa’s critical role in advancing innovation and sustainable development and emphasises the collaboration between the EU and AU to address common challenges and explore opportunities for mutual benefit.

As higher education institutions, we must recommit ourselves to utilise Africa’s potential to build a better continent through innovation. We must stand in solidarity with everyone across the continent, as we strive together towards a brighter future for all Africans.

Professor Hester Klopper is deputy vice-chancellor: strategy, global and corporate affairs at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. This is an abridged version of a speech she delivered recently at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, United Kingdom.

This article is promoted by Stellenbosch University.