Consultative workshop for South African stakeholders on the UNCTAD technology assessment project on energy and agriculture

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has a project promoting technology assessment in the energy and agricultural sectors in Africa to accelerate progress in science, technology and innovation.

The Department of Science and Innovation cordially invites you to participate in a two-day workshop to prepare for South Africa's participation in the UNCTAD project.

Technology assessment (TA) is gaining currency among academics, technocrats and policymakers as a powerful tool for making strategic choices about the procurement, development, introduction, and governance of new technologies. It entails critical and participatory evaluation of the social, economic and environmental benefits and risks of a particular technology. While TA is still in its infancy in Africa, there have been various TA-like initiatives in the health, energy, water and agriculture sectors, and some related to biotechnology and nanotechnology.

The UNCTAD project will seek to strengthen the capacities of science, technology and innovation policymakers and other stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa, and propose policies and mechanisms to support the learning, diffusion and adoption of technologies in the energy and agricultural sectors. This is particularly important to build resilience and facilitate recovery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objectives of the workshop are as follows:

• To help coordinate South Africa's participation in the project.
• To put together a team to participate in the project.
• To identify gaps in TA, especially in agriculture and energy.
• To identify priority areas for TA in energy and agriculture for South Africa.
• To develop a workplan for South Africa's participation in the UNCTAD project.
• To design South Africa's TA methodology in partnership with UNCTAD.
• To mobilise existing TA capabilities in South Africa.
• To improve understanding of the concept of TA.

The workshop is open to South African stakeholders.