This Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy Review was prepared by UNCTAD at the request of the Ministry of Higher Education of Zambia.
As the focal point in the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and interrelated issues of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, UNCTAD supports member States in these areas through a combination of consensus-building, policy analysis and technical cooperation.
Within this framework, the objective of this Review is to contribute to the development of national capacities for design and implementation of science, technology and innovation policies, plans and programmes. Such activities aim to improve the competitiveness of firms and industries in a global economy in which knowledge is an increasingly important factor.
They also target the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to secure a more inclusive and sustainable development path, in the understanding that science, technology and innovation are critical means of implementation of the Agenda for Sustainable Development embodied by the SDGs.
This review is intended to be a tool for learning and reflection. It is not a rating mechanism but an analytical instrument which examines key elements of the national innovation system from a neutral perspective.
The Review has three fundamental goals.
- Offer Zambia an assessment of activities and institutions that make up its innovation ecosystem.
- Draw attention to important socio-economic development questions for Zambia. Special attention has been placed on four such questions: gender, food, mining and digital transformation.
- Provide recommendations for strengthening STI policy and propose measures that may improve national technological capacities and encourage innovation.
While national partners, counterparts and experts in Zambia have advised on the content of this Review, they may not necessarily concur with the entirety of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Review’s analysis and recommendations.
The data cited in the Review is established by UNCTAD research staff. The assessments, opinions and conclusions expressed in this document are entirely those of the UNCTAD secretariat.
