Online Reporter
Online Correspondent
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister, Professor Paul Mavima, has challenged African countries to harness engineering, innovation and home-grown technological solutions to accelerate sustainable development and transform the continent’s economies.
Speaking at the 12th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week and 10th Africa Engineering Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Tuesday, Prof Mavima said Africa possesses numerous development blueprints and policy frameworks, but the key challenge has remained translating those aspirations into tangible outcomes that improve people’s lives.
The conference was held under the theme: “Engineering Africa’s inclusive, innovative and sustainable future.”
Prof Mavima said engineering was the critical link between policy ambitions and practical development, stressing that Africa must strengthen the connection between policy formulation, engineering, investment and implementation.
“Africa has no shortage of ambitious frameworks and aspirations,” he said. “From the Sustainable Development Goals to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, we have a clear vision of the future we seek.
“The challenge before us is implementation. Policy alone does not deliver development.
“We need to connect policy to engineering, engineering to investment, investment to implementation and implementation to measurable development outcomes.”
Prof Mavima said engineering had a pivotal role to play in addressing some of the continent’s most pressing development challenges, including housing delivery, energy access, water and sanitation infrastructure, transport systems, climate resilience and sustainable urbanisation.
“Engineering is the bridge between policy ambition and physical development,” he said.
“It is the profession that transforms ideas into infrastructure, innovation into industry and investment into tangible improvements in people’s lives.”
Prof Mavima encouraged African countries to reduce dependence on imported technologies and instead build local innovation ecosystems capable of developing solutions tailored to the continent’s unique circumstances.
“Africa cannot afford to remain primarily a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere. Africa must also become a creator, a manufacturer and an exporter of solutions,” he said.
Prof Mavima called for stronger collaboration among governments, universities, research institutions, professional engineering bodies and the private sector to unlock the continent’s engineering potential and drive industrialisation.
According to Prof Mavima, investments in engineering education, research and skills development are essential if Africa is to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.
He emphasised the need to empower young engineers and expand opportunities for women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
“We cannot speak of engineering skills shortages while leaving significant portions of Africa’s human capital outside the engineering economy,” he said.
Prof Mavima said Africa’s growing population, rapid urbanisation and expanding infrastructure needs presented significant opportunities for engineers to contribute to the continent’s transformation.
He encouraged governments and development partners to prioritise policies and investments that strengthen engineering institutions and support innovation-driven growth.
Prof Mavima called on the African Union, UNESCO, the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), universities, industry and financial institutions to work together in building a robust engineering ecosystem across the continent.
He outlined what he described as a practical pathway towards sustainable development.
“We must move from policy to engineering; from engineering education to engineering capacity; from capacity to innovation; from innovation to enterprise; and from enterprise to infrastructure and sustainable development,” he said.
Prof Mavima said Africa’s future prosperity would depend on its ability to generate home-grown solutions and develop the skills needed to compete in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
He called for greater African ownership of the continent’s development agenda and technological future.
“The future of Africa should not be engineered elsewhere,” said Prof Mavima. “It must be engineered here, by Africans, for Africans, with the world as our partner.”
The UNESCO Africa Engineering Week and Africa Engineering Conference bring together policymakers, engineers, academics, industry leaders and development partners from across the continent to explore ways of leveraging engineering and innovation to advance sustainable development and economic transformation.
