Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorokor Botchwey and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a handshake
The UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has appointed
Israel and Ghana to co-chair the Council’s Science, Technology and Innovation
forum. The two countries will together lead discussions, take part in the
selection of speakers and prepare receptions on promoting innovation in the world.
Neither of countries has previously led the forum. The senior appointment also
makes Ghana the first African nation to hold the post.
The ambassadors of Ghana and Israel to the UN met recently
at the UN headquarters to coordinate their plans for the forum’s activities in
2020, deciding to focus on advancing women in science and technology; using
agricultural technologies; and environmental innovation for the coming year.
Their joint selection was in recognition of Israel and
Ghana’s numerous collaborations in economic transformation, food innovation,
agricultural technologies and all areas that advance the UN’s development
goals.
The collaboration between Israel and Ghana in the field of
innovation and startups is a major part of the Israeli policy in Ghana. The
cooperation consists of activities that promote innovation in sectors such as
agriculture, health and cyber security among others.
In the coming months, the Israeli Innovation Authority will
support collaboration between start-ups in Ghana and Israel, working together
to find solutions to issues in the fields of agriculture and health.
Currently, the Embassy of Israel in Ghana has begun a
trilateral cooperation between the Israeli Development Agency, MASHAV, the
German Development agency GIZ and the Government of Ghana, on developing the
innovation ecosystem in Ghana. The embassy held its maiden Israeli Green
Innovation Competition in partnership with the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement
in which the Ghanaian startup “Coologi” won a three-day study tour to Israel,
in order to find investment opportunities.
Earlier this year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), the embassy of Israel held two innovation workshops – one for the government sector and the other for the startup ecosystem. A third workshop was held for the private sector, in order to encourage innovation by commercial companies.
