Office of the Special Adviser on Africa - Agenda 2063

African women in STEM: using drone technology to boost development in Africa.

KDISWAI1 — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:46:00 +0000

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Ruth Mtuwa, STEM, Drone Technology

[Ruth Mtuwa teaching secondary school students at Providence Secondary School, Malawi, the basics of electronics under the FemEng collaboration.© Photo: Ruth Mtuwa]

Ruth Mtuwa (23 years old) is an engineer and entrepreneur from Malawi with experience in the technology industry. She is a biomedical engineering graduate from Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and is a licensed drone pilot with a Trusted Operator Program (TOP) certificate levels 1 and 2 in drone and data technology.

In 2021, Ruth co-founded and became the Managing Director of DroneX Technologies, a company leveraging drone technology to develop solutions to sustainable development challenges affecting her community. Through innovation, Ruth’s company aims to produce actionable intelligence and collaborate with innovators to move beyond data and build localized solutions to socio-economic challenges affecting people’s lives.

DroneX Technologies focuses on three main work areas: data, agriculture, health and environment/climate change and waste management. In agriculture, the company developed a hybrid drone for precision agriculture to optimize output; in health, a cholera geo-database that could be utilized for contact tracing; in waste management, a partnership with EcoAges Waste Solutions, which is a startup company that deals with waste management to provide insight on landfill management.

In addition to her work with DroneX, Ruth also served as a biomedical engineering consultant for the California Polytechnic State University Oxygen Generator Project, an initiative to develop an easy-to-use oxygen generation system powered by clean, renewable energy. Ruth’s passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has inspired her to take on leadership roles within the industry, where she is an avid advocate for STEM education for young people, including female engineers in Africa.

There is a growing interest in STEM education among young girls and women in Africa. This is evident in the celebration of women scientists and young women scientists across the continent. However, women remain underrepresented in STEM, both globally and across the continent.

To reduce the gender gap in STEM education on the continent, African countries must take initiatives early to demystify STEM and get girls interested in the field. Programmes encouraging girls and women to pursue STEM education with various academic options, including online education courses, should be introduced to increase accessibility for young women.

Reflecting on her start, Ruth says her passion for STEM was ignited as a secondary school student in Malawi. She visited the Polytechnic University (now the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences) and its mechanical engineering workshops. “I saw how the engineers were making machines [produced locally] that were ‘low cost,’ and that served the same purpose as the imported ones. When I learned that we had many non-functioning machines in hospitals, I saw an opportunity. I thought there must be a way to have the machines in the hospitals made in Malawi.”

She is immensely proud of her work as a trainer with FemEng, a programme that aims to encourage more girls in high school to take up engineering through simple STEM projects. “The response from the girls we worked with was truly phenomenal. It sparked my own interest in becoming a passionate advocate for STEM education. I now run social projects and teach STEM to children, especially through drone technology, and this experience has also shaped my approach to business,” she said.

Ruth takes pride in mentoring young talent in STEM fields in the hopes of helping to shape the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. “Through all these efforts, I hope to inspire more young people, especially girls, to explore the world of STEM and to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. I believe in the power of mentorship and how small actions can make a significant impact.”

Her biggest challenge has been limited access to financial resources. When starting her company, she teamed up with local business partners to increase access to capital, and together, they leveraged their existing partnerships to achieve their goals. Ruth said her company also faced a challenge when the innovative technologies they produced initially received a slow reception. “This has required a lot of patience and perseverance in educating and convincing others about the benefits of the technology. Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic about the future and the potential for growth in the STEM field in Africa.”

Ruth believes STEM has immense potential and could be leveraged in tackling systemic challenges, such as the impact of climate change and overpopulation. “There are tremendous opportunities in STEM across the continent. These initiatives are incredibly important as they provide access to resources and technologies that were previously unavailable in many communities.” She believes that by encouraging young people to pursue STEM education, Africa can ensure it has the talent and skills it needs to compete in the global economy.

As women comprise half of the world’s population, getting girls and women into STEM is a matter of human rights and smart economics. Adopting gender inclusion in STEM increases creativity and provides gender-sensitive perspectives during product development. Ruth says, “With the rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing need for innovative solutions, there has never been a better time for young Africans to pursue STEM fields and make a meaningful impact on their communities.”

Ruth’s work in Malawi highlights how STEM education contributes to accelerating progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. Her actions make it clear that there are enormous opportunities in leveraging innovation to tackle pressing issues impacting the continent, harnessing skills and resources already available locally. 

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Breaking the silos in Africa’s approach to development

Anonymous — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 02:27:00 +0000

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In efforts to help build the capacity of policy makers from African Member States to design and implement policies that promote inter-linkages between peace, security, human rights, humanitarian affairs and development to accelerate sustainable development on the continent, the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) held two virtual sub-regional workshops in June.

The workshops for Southern and East Africa were held on 8 and 9 June, and for Central, North and West African sub-regions from 10 to 11 June. Participants included officials from Government Ministries, the diplomatic community, the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities, representatives of African think tanks and Civil Society Organizations, academia and �山��entities.

Introducing the workshops, Said Adejumobi, Director, Strategic Planning, Oversight and Results Division (SPORD) at the �山��Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) stressed that the inter-linkages between peace, security, humanitarian action and development could not be over-emphasized as “peace is the foundation of development. Yet, peace remains fragile and elusive in many African countries.”

He added that conflicts continued to impose a heavy toll on Africa, with humanitarian consequences of internally displaced persons, refugees, disruption of livelihood for millions of people and the exacerbation of poverty and inequality. For instance, he said, in 2019, there were at least 15 countries with active armed conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, eight of which were low intensity, subnational armed conflicts, while seven were high intensity armed conflicts.

This was echoed by David Hamam, Director at OSAA, who stated that the both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063 Aspirations recognize that development, peace, security, humanitarian and human rights efforts are complementary and need to reinforce each other to promote inclusive and sustainable development on the continent.

“Promoting the nexus approach will contribute towards breaking the silos and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic, while further accelerating the implementation of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063,” he added.

Speakers at the workshops highlighted the significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had reversed some of Africa’s socio-economic development gains. For example, Mr. Adejumobi said, an estimated 32 million people were pushed into poverty in 2020, a number that is likely to increase to 39 million in 2021. Fiscal revenue loss for African countries was estimated at about 20-30 per cent – roughly $500 billion, while Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by no less than 5 per cent in 2020, over 20 million jobs were lost and foreign direct investment declined by about 15 per cent.

Given this scenario and that 40 of the 91 countries that constitute Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), are in Africa and face unique challenges in achieving long-term sustainable development, it was important to strengthen the nexus approach to achieve sustainable development, said Erdenebileg Sandagdorj, High Representative and Chief, Policy Development, Coordination and Reporting Service for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS at the �山��Office of High Representative on Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

“These vulnerable countries face unique developmental challenges. LDCs face structural constraints that inhibit their ability to attain sustainable development. LLDCs are characterized by lack of territorial access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from world markets. SIDS are also far away from world markets and face an existential threat because of climate change,” he said, adding that violent conflict was an additional challenge to countries already facing other vulnerabilities.

During the workshops, participants reviewed and validated the baseline assessment study conducted by OSAA on the nexus and a training manual aimed at promoting synergies between the pillars of peace and security, humanitarian work, development and human rights to accelerate sustainable development. They sought ways to address the fragmented and siloed approach to achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063.

The workshops included breakout sessions, where participants from each sub-region discussed specificities and realities of implementing the nexus approach in their contexts. Discussions in these sessions confirmed some initial gaps identified in the assessment study, such as weak institutional systems and lack of national coordination mechanisms, lack of a coherent financing framework or mechanism at national and international level, and the silos between actors. Although COVID-19 was identified as a major impediment in progress towards implementing the interlinkages, participants also highlighted the opportunities it presented to promote the use of the nexus approach and to build back better at the national level.

In their recommendations, participants stressed the pivotal role of governance for the practical outcomes of policy implementation and service delivery. They recommended an integrated approach to national priorities and development, with strong national ownership and leadership, supported by solid partnerships. The participants also stressed the need to promote localization and decentralization as key strategies for the successful implementation of the nexus and highlighted human rights as a cross cutting pillar. They emphasized the importance of a comprehensive training manual on practical steps towards synergistic policies and efforts on operating under the situational four-pillar interlinkages. The training manual on the nexus approach developed by OSAA will serve this purpose.

“No one knows Africa better than Africans themselves. International partners should continue to support African countries in seeking African solutions for African problems and respect their right to take the lead. With a better understanding of the nexus between peace, humanitarian, and development in their national context, each African country will have a better chance to properly integrate the nexus into its national strategy that suits its own conditions,” said Zhiqiang Sun, Counselor and Political Coordinator Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations. He added that the study had also shown that African countries had many best practices and successful stories to share.

Recommendations from the workshops will feed into the baseline assessment study and training manual, while the manual will also contribute to resource materials for an online training course being developed by OSAA and the ECA’s African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP).

In line with OSAA’s mandate and work on global advocacy for Africa’s development, peace and security, the workshops are part of a project to strengthen the capacity of African countries to design and implement policies that promote the interlinkages among humanitarian, development, peace and security to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The project is funded by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund, with financial support from the government of China. The workshops were organized in partnership with the ECA and UN-OHRLLS.

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