Calestous Juma Executive Dialogue kicks off in Johannesburg

The Calestous Juma Executive Dialogue on Innovation and Emerging Technologies (CJEDIET) has kicked off in Sandton, Johannesburg. The 3-day gathering is in honour of the late great academic Calestous Juma who touched many a lives through STEM education and philosophy.

Background Information

• The Calestous Juma Executive Dialogue on Innovation and Emerging Technologies (CJEDIET) was established by the NEPAD Agency in honour of Prof. Calestous Juma who was the co-chair of the African Union High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies and a pioneer of science and technology in Africa.
• CJEDIET is designed to lay a solid foundation for senior policy and decision makers who have strategic and leadership responsibilities. The programme is aimed at providing a good opportunity for learning and exchange of knowledge, networking, experiencing diversity and building mutually beneficial relationships with a focus on emerging technologies in the 21st century.
• The Dialogue is relevant in addressing the challenges and opportunities that African countries face on this continent, by providing participants with a deep understanding of the complexities of harnessing emerging technologies in Africa within a global context. CJEDIET aims to graduate leaders who think critically about emerging technologies. Hence institutional strengthening will be an added benefit as institutions and organizations gain a critical mass of inspired and knowledgeable professionals who have a broad and holistic perspective on innovation and emerging technologies.

Main Objective

• The Executive Dialogue aims to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of African executives, senior officials, decision and policy makers, researchers and academia on innovation and emerging technologies.
• CJEDIET aims at strengthening the capacity of senior policy and decision-makers to provide technical advice to governments in assessing and harnessing emerging technologies in their respective institutions and organisations.
• The Executive Dialogue will further enable them to provide evidence-based policy choices for African leaders in making informed decisions in harnessing emerging technologies.