Technology, innovation vital to solve world challenges – Chakwera

President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has described the use and promotion of technology and innovation as the sure way of curbing global challenges such as climate change.

President Chakwera made the remarks Tuesday evening during the closing ceremony of the Fifth Global Sustainable Technology and Innovation Community (G-STIC) Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He emphasized on the need to innovate and adopt clean technologies for the survival of species saying if that is not done then none of the technologies the world is advancing in other causes would matter.

Chakwera, who joins the other world leaders for the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference COP26 next week, said there is no single cause where innovation and technology are needed as a matter of urgency than the cause of climate change.

“If there is an issue in which technology and innovation are desperately needed, in which progress is being hindered by old and stale ideas and harmful technologies, in which justice is being obstructed by the most developed and powerful nations, it is this one.

“G-STIC needs to assert itself as a leading voice for advancing new methods and technologies for achieving the set targets for financing, mitigation, and adaptation,” said the President.

The President also called on the promotion of simplest technology and innovation and not always look for big and complex ones.

“Sometimes the greatest innovations are the simplest. Think of the simple discovery of penicillin and its impact on our war against bacteria. Think of the simple act of using a mosquito net and its ability to save millions of infants from Malaria.

“Think of the simple act of wearing a seatbelt and the number of people who didn’t die in a road accident because of it. These are all simple innovations, and yet their impact has stood the test of time,” he said.

In his keynote address during the first day of the conference, President Chakwera called on world leaders to face challenges of Covid-19, poverty and climate change as a team saying they cannot be addressed by one nation alone.

The G-STIC conference is one of the world’s largest conferences and key meeting place where real-life examples of innovative technological solutions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are discussed focusing on breakthrough innovations for nine societal challenges of climate, water, energy, health, oceans, education, circular economy, ICT and youth.

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