AOSTI has been invited to facilitate a regional consultation for the promotion of science, technology and innovation through Foreign Direct Investments, on 24-25 October 2016 in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting was organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, the OECD and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Senegal.
The consultation has brought together Ministers of Higher Education and Research, Industry, Trade and National Planning from several countries in West and Central Africa (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Togo and Benin), as well as representatives of regional and international organizations and the private sector. The overall objective of this consultation was to understand how FDI can be successfully attracted and used to strengthen capacity in Science, Education and Technical and Vocational Training. It was an opportunity for participants to: (i) share information on public policy instruments to improve the impact of FDI on the knowledge; (ii) Address common challenges and use lessons learned to increase the capacity of African countries to attract more intensive knowledge investment and maximize their positive impact on the economy.