Koladé Josué Azandégbey, deputy chief of staff at Benin’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, has expressed his pride and enthusiasm at the prospect of Benin hosting the 2nd African Forum for Research and Innovation (FARI) in 2025.

Speaking at the opening, on Monday 17 March 2025 in Cotonou, Benin, of the meeting of the Scientific Committee and the session of the Jury of Start-ups for the 2nd edition of FARI, Mr Azandégbey said that this major event should reveal to the world the immensity of the talents of young people and the depth of research in science, technology and innovation in the West African region.

As chairman of the FARI-2025 National Organising Committee, he reiterated Benin’s commitment to doing everything possible to ensure the success of the event, whose central theme is ‘African youth, innovation and entrepreneurship: building a sustainable future’.

For the resident representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Benin, Amadou Diongue, it is time for Africa to stop being satisfied with the science of others, but to produce its own, and African youth is in a position to do so.

‘The potential of our young people is there for all to see. Youth is a very important human capital that we need to prepare today to better face the future of Africa tomorrow. Development can only come from people. And these people need science and technology’, declared Mr Diongue.

On behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Oumar Alieu Touray, and the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, he noted that the success of FARI-2025 will only be possible if we succeed in harnessing the potential of Africa’s youth.

Mr Diongue said that FARI-2025 in Benin should be one of positioning, of taking off, and of making a mark through innovation.

To achieve this, he urged participants to finalise the work programme and make it easier to understand the topics for discussion.

The Chairman of the Scientific Committee, Prof. Saliou Touré, and the Chairman of the Jury for the FARI-2025 start-up session, Abbas Miezan, who is also Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed the importance of FARI, and expressed their support for ecowas in setting it up.

As a reminder, it was on 9 December 2018, in Cotonou, that the 3 rd meeting of ECOWAS ministers in charge of Science, Technology and Innovation adopted the recommendation on the creation of the African Research and Innovation Forum (FARI).

FARI is the ECOWAS forum dedicated to science, technology and innovation. It stems from strategic axis 5 of the Action Plan of the regional organisation’s science, technology and innovation policy.

When the FARI was set up, it was recommended that a jury and a scientific committee be set up.

The role of the Scientific Committee, which is responsible for organising the Forum, is also to prepare the scientific, technical and financial phases, and to propose the Forum’s central theme and discussion panels.

As for the jury, its role is to select the three best start-ups from each member state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a view to their participation in the FARI. The jury will meet during the Forum to select the three start-ups for FARI 2025.

According to the acting Director of Education, Science and Culture at the Ecowas Commission, Dr Roland Kouakou, the purpose of this meeting is to finalise the terms of reference for the various panels, the work programme and to select the three start-ups per country.

The meeting will be divided into two sub-committees: the Scientific Committee sub-committee, on the one hand, and the Jury for the start-up session, on the other.