Events Listing

The Executive Director of the Foundation, Prof Ngila attended the UN Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI4SDGs Forum 2024) from 8-10 May 2024. The forum was organized by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

As a Member of the UN-10 Member Group supporting the UN Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (IATT) Prof Ngila and other Members facilitated the STI Form sessions on 9 and 10 May 2024.

The theme for the STI Forum 2024 was, ‘Science, technology and innovation for reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”. This year, the focus was on  selected five SDGs: SDG 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere), SDG 2 ( End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts), SDG 16 (Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels), and SDG 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development).

The Thematic Areas included the following Sessions:

• Ministerial Session under the theme “Harnessing science and technology for the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions.

Chaired by Forum Co-Chairs namely:

*Her Excellency Inga Rhonda King, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations;

*Her Excellency Christina Markus Lassen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations;

Session 1: More and more effective funding and capacity for SDG related research and innovation in all regions (SDG17);

Session 2: Strengthening scientific cooperation, technology and knowledge sharing and accelerating innovation for integrated climate action (SDG13);

Session 3: Bridging the science, technology and innovation divides to eradicate poverty and end hunger (SDGs 1 and 2);

Session 4: Building ecosystems for science, technology and innovation to drive economic growth and sustainable development in Small Island Developing States;

Session 5: Harnessing the power of digital innovation for sustainable peace and resilience in the context of climate change (SDG 16);

Session 6: Advancing sustainable development with women-centered science and technology solutions

Session 7: STI partnerships for accelerating structural transformation in African countries, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries moderated by. Prof Catherine Ngila Executive Director AFoWYESTI

Going Forward the UN 10-Member will embark on the following activities:

• Establish the Global Trends in STI and SDGs -Collaboration between Research Funding Organizations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals Stakeholders, is crucial;

• Enhancing STI Governance – the principles to be adopted before the technologies and innovations are adopted;

• Case Studies on STI for SDGs that have been achieved Globally to be showcased, and in particular the African countries, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries. What are the challenges and lessons to guide future strategies? ;

• Promoting women in STEM and STEM for women- How can we increase women’s participation in STEM, and how can we ensure that STEM prioritizes women;
• The need for alternative materials and models, and to promote circular economy for decarbonizing building materials and urban settlements;
• Decarbonizing Societies- and striving to attain Just Transition. Questions to ask, will the world leave fossil fuels underground- especially the Emerging Economies? ;

On 20th June 2024, Prof Ngila attended an Awards Ceremony for the Engineering Entrepreneurs in East Africa via ASME’s HardTech Social Innovation Accelerator known as the ISHOW. https://thisishardware.org/

 ASME- https://www.asme.org/about-asme, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ vision is to promote the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe. The ISHOW is open to individuals and organizations, taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and environmental impact.

ASME’s Call to Engineers and allied scientists interested in social innovation says that: ‘whether you are selling your product directly to customers or employing a service model to drive accessibility, we want to hear about your idea’.

Applicants for ASME’s ISHOW should have an existing prototype and be interested in receiving financing, technical support and access to industry networks to assist in taking their product to market.

ASME hosted its Annual Regional Event in Nairobi on June 19th-20th at the Hyatt Regency Westlands, Nairobi in Kenya.

Prof Ngila indicated that she was excited to join the ISHOW Awards Ceremony in the evening of June 20^th, 2024, and was extremely happy to see Young Women Engineers winning Awards in Mechanical Engineering contributing to the manufacturing sector.

Organizing team #IanaAranda, Sr. Director, Engineering for Sustainable Development, ASME and President, Engineering for Change LLC; and #ThomasCostabile, The Executive Director/ CEO, ASME.

# LeahPutman; #Jonathan Kemp

The Executive Director of the African Foundation for Women and Youth in Education and STI, Prof Catherine Ngila, was the Keynote Speaker at the STEM Boot Camp of Excellence whose theme was, ‘Unlocking The Potential in Girls in STEM for a Secure & Sustainable Future for All’.  The Camp/ Workshop was organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Kenya National Commission for UNESCO, National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa.

Background

‘The role of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Science Technology and Innovation (STI) in sustainable development cannot be underestimated. STEM continues to register low participation of students, particularly girls. Globally, women account for a minority of the world’s researchers, and this is replicated in many STEM fields where they are underrepresented. This low participation of women in STEM fields automatically leads to fewer women who are involved in scientific research. Africa like other continents is no stranger to the shortage of women in STEM fields.’

‘Many female students shy away from selecting STEM related courses due to a combination of factors some of which are exacerbated by the gender stereotypes,  cultural practices, attitudes, gender biased teaching and learning materials, socio-economic challenges including marginalization and discrimination within the communities which continue to influence the gendered nature of education and hence determines the occupation of women and men.’

Prof Ngila was invited as Mentor and Role Model to Girls in STEM. She gave a Lecture entitled;

UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF GIRLS IN STEM FOR A SECURE & SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ALL: UNESCO Call to Action , Closing the Gender Gap in Science

Prof Ngila discussed the UNESCO’s key action areas to close the gender gap in science as follows:

• • Dismantling gender stereotypes
  • Opening educational pathways for girls in science
  • Creating safe workplace environments that attract, retain and advance women scientists

The Foundation’s Executive Director, Prof Ngila attended the launch of Kenya National Research Fund (NRF)’s Repository which has been developed in with collaboration with the British Council. This is an online knowledge repository designed to facilitate easy access to information pertaining to Kenya’s research landscape for researchers, policymakers, and the general public. The repository is envisioned as a vital tool for evaluating the impact of research initiatives and integrating innovations into national development strategies. The primary objective of launching the Repository is to raise awareness among researchers, decision-makers, research and innovation funders, and thematic networks regarding its functionalities. It will also serve as a platform for stakeholders to provide feedback and express their expectations for the repository’s utility. The awareness will enhance utilization of the platform within the country; enhance collaborative research nationally and internationally; and improve visibility of Kenya’s research ecosystem.

She indicated that she would be happy to see similar national repository platforms in the whole of Africa as collaboration will be enhanced if researchers are able to access information on  researcher projects and researchers in different countries for ease of  collaborations and intra & inter-institutional partnerships.

The forum was also attended by Youth in Sciences such as  a young Director and Chairperson of the Scientists of Kenya Association (SCOKA) Ms Everlyn Kimanthi and other Network members: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scientists-of-kenya-association-scoka/

The Executive Director, Prof Ngila attended the 3rd East Africa Community Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Conference, 6th -8th March, Nairobi, Kenya, jointly organized by East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) and Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA).

The 3^rd EAC Regional STI Conference was convened under the overarching theme of “Accelerating development and diffusion of Science, technology and Innovation solutions for a green, inclusive and resilient East Africa”.

The biennial Conference builds on the deliberations and success of the 1^st and 2^nd EAC conferences, which were respectively held in Kampala, Uganda in 2019 and Bujumbura, Burundi in 2021. The Conference brought together diverse actors in the STI system, including policy makers, industry players, academicians, researchers, innovators, students and development partners.

The Conference provided a multifaceted platform for the STI players in the EAC region and beyond to share their experiences, best practices and results within the knowledge and technology generation, translation and transfer chain. The Conference consisted of keynote presentations, paper presentations, panel discussions, exhibitions and high-level policymakers interaction sessions.

The conference engagement sessions were structured into four thematic areas, namely: (i) Agricultural Productivity, Resilience and Food Security; (ii) Health and Nutrition; (iii) Natural Resources Management; and (iv) Information Communication Technology and Digital Economy. 

Prof Ngila was a panelist in session 4: Information Communication Technology and Digital Economy. She presented on issues related to supporting women and youth to maximumly participate in STI and digital technologies in the implementation of Sustainable Development  Goals.

The Foundation Executive Director, Prof Ngila attended a STI workshop in line with the African Foundation for women and Youth n Education STI focus areas. The Workshop was organized by Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM) on 19th – 20th February 2024, in Naivasha, Kenya, to share ideas and experiences during the National Water Stakeholders Consultative and Sensitization Workshop.

The importance of quality water to life on Earth cannot be over emphasized, and it’s because of this that it was included in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as Goal no. 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) and its 8 targets.

Water is therefore intricately linked directly or indirectly to almost all the SDGs as it is essential for poverty eradication, gender equality, food security, and the conservation of ecosystems: SDG 2 (Zero hunger) and SDG 6 (Clean and affordable water and sanitation), poverty reduction (SDG 1) and SDG 3 good health).

At present, Kenya is considered a water-scarce country, with surface water pollution and aquifer depletion being a common phenomenon. For water to be provided in sufficient quantities and in good quality, sanitation and treatment costs must be incurred to make it suitable for human consumption, lest it result in high human morbidity and mortality. The water scenario has been further exacerbated by climate change and water variability, making water quality and quantity levels unpredictable.

The development of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme ninth strategy (IHP-IX 2022-2029) is important in guiding member states on priority country-specific interventions in the next eight years. The need to bring everyone on board at a country level is important in prioritizing activities for implementation but also to ensure ease of monitoring and evaluation for purposes of reporting progress. Against this backdrop, it is increasingly vital that interventions leveraging on inter- and transdisciplinary engagement, collaborations and partnerships that we need to bring together all actors and stakeholders involved. The National Water Stakeholders Consultative and Sensitization Workshop, aimed to contribute to the science-policy interphase as ascribed in UNESCO’s water strategy for 2022-2029, entitled-“Science for a Water Secure World in a Changing Environment” (IHP-IX).

The US-Africa Frontiers in Science Symposium 16-18 January 2024 in Rabat, Morocco, was organized by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in partnership with Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology. In line with the first symposium, the symposium convened outstanding early-career scientists within 15 years of their terminal degree who are working on a wide variety of disciplines under the symposium’s overarching themes as follows: (1) Session I: Human-Technology Interaction, (2) Session II: Sensing Technologies, (3) Session III: Green Technologies for Climate Adaptation, (4) Session IV: Vaccine Manufacturing, and (5) Session V: One Health.

The Executive Director of AFoWYESTI , Prof Ngila was a member of the Oversight Committee providing mentorship to Early Career Researchers.

Recognizing International Women in Science by Foundation L’Oreal and UNESCO on 15th June 2023