India Africa Business Forum’s talks of strong ecosystem in Africa

New Delhi, Oct 29 : The speakers at the India Africa Business Forum session highlighted keys on ‘Empowering Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Africa by leveraging Indian Innovation, Science and Technology’.

Addressing the forum, key speakers said that the Indian innovation ecosystem has developed significantly over the last two decades fuelled by an enabling infrastructure provided by the Indian government as well as the private sector.

As a result, India is today seen as a top destination for innovation and technology development. Given that India and Africa face similar development challenges, both sides can benefit through knowledge and technology sharing.

India can play a critical role in building an analogous innovation led entrepreneurial culture in Africa. Through an institutional mechanism, Indian innovations can be transferred to African entrepreneurs and capacities can be built within these entrepreneurs to set-up businesses around the transferred innovations.

Dr. Arabinda Mitra, Adviser and Head, International Cooperation (Bilateral), Government of India laid emphasis on ‘incremental innovation’ through a process of adaptation and adoption of affordable, accessible and available innovation for the benefit of the African people.

He said since the problems afflicting the people of India and Africa were similar as per an Indian model that seeks a balance between discovery science and applied science and reaches out innovation to large sections of the population was best suited for Africa.

“India has great inspiring entrepreneurs like Tata’s, Ambani’s, and the Adani’s. As a result, India is today seen as a top destination for innovation and technology development,” said Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.

The economic advisor of the Namibian president, Dr. John Steytler, said that the ‘New’ Africa was ready to innovate and it now has systems and institutions in place that act as a fertile breeding ground for innovations to flourish.

However, the region is challenged by a skls deficit, particularly on the technical front. (ANI)