STI Secretariat Embarks on Innovation-Led Journey for Growth
Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, minister of the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat (STI-S) shares insights with World Business Journal about Uganda’s substantial strides in fostering collaboration with the nation’s most talented and innovative individuals, guiding them on the path to entrepreneurial success.
What does the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat (STI-S) do?
The STI-S coordinates and mobilises scientific efforts across all industry sectors. We also provide oversight and policy guidance to scientists, stakeholders, ministries, research institutions, local governments and the private sector. Our national goals are enhanced productivity, import substitution and increased export of knowledge-based products and services.
Currently, we bring together multiple agencies in innovation, technology and research as part of the Innovation, Technology Development and Transfer programme. We try to promote coordination across ministries to support entrepreneurs, bring products to market and build new, stable companies, ultimately supporting Uganda’s economic development. We have created an educational four-phase Journey programme which defines the concept and activities of STI-S for successful product, company and brand development. The comprehensive approach guides our efforts to bridge the gap between science and the economy.
How does this process improve product development?
We found that 90% of projects were stuck at the idea phase. Innovators incorrectly assumed that their prototypes were market-ready. Laboratory innovation was not translating into tangible economic outcomes. STI-S hasn’t launched any profitable enterprises so far. Nevertheless, progress has been made. For example, the Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre has developed numerous products that are transitioning to phase two.
What are the challenges in progressing from phase two to phase three and ultimately reaching phase four in the Journey programme?
Uganda lacks a private sector that readily accepts enterprises born from innovation. Additionally, many innovators are young and lack funding, business experience and established markets for their products. Regardless of whether innovators understand how to advance in their projects following phase one, funding remains an obstacle. The Innovation Fund mostly supports phase-one projects. Phase-two funding is more stringently allocated and inadequately structured to meet the demands of this phase. We are currently in discussions with the Uganda Development Bank to design finance products which offer long-term capital, affordability and a well-structured approach to support phase-two innovation effectively.
How does the Innovation Fund work?
The Innovation Fund promotes STI-S projects in universities and private sector entities and at any stage. A notable success story is the Electric Trike (3-in-1) from Kiira Motors (KMC) which also acts as a farm tool capable of carrying products, pumping water for irrigation and powering homes and small factories. The product entered phase two on Independence Day, October 9, 2023. We are exploring mass production possibilities given the rapid development from initial concept to field testing in just 12 months. The next funded phase is monitoring its performance over 30,000 km. We are also conducting various value-addition research projects for indigenous crops like cassava, sweet potato and shea butter, with the goal of making these products industry-ready.
What are STI-S’s current priorities?
We have identified eight key areas of focus, with five falling under the banner of ‘the new economy’ in which we are actively developing the capacity to excel. The remaining three areas involve expanding within existing health, plant, animal and human sectors. For example, we view malaria as a natural resource for which we can produce our own malarial drugs and vaccines. We have already worked on vaccine development for both humans and animals with Alfasan Uganda including a tick and Covid-19 vaccine.
These ‘pathfinders’ help us build knowledge, infrastructure and expertise on the way to RNA, inactivated viral, unit and vectored vaccines targeting various diseases. We currently have three human vaccines ready to start clinical trials and are building a government-funded pilot plant addressing key shortfalls. Recent success in animal vaccines has paved the way for contract manufacturing and further research. We are also actively involved in therapeutic drug development with one drug having successfully completed clinical trials, two more currently ongoing, and seven further scheduled to enter trials soon.
Another part of the story is establishing a robust supply chain. In electric mobility, for instance, we have been working with KMC to offer support for other players. We are supporting Microfuse, which has designed a small desktop computer that costs only Shs400,000 ($106). We design locally, but manufacturing is still done in China. However, we shall soon have the capacity to manufacture locally. In addition to promoting local manufacturing, where possible, we are establishing a suitable manufacturing facility that reduces costs. We are building a talent pool by establishing training programmes in collaboration with universities including an entity targeting Industry 4.0. It will focus on manufacturing, design and the development of electronics, encompassing both hardware and software technology. We aim to launch a smart electronics production facility in the third quarter of 2024.
