The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has a project promoting technology assessment (TA) in the energy and agricultural sectors in Africa to accelerate progress in science, technology and innovation.

TA is gaining currency among academics, technocrats and policymakers as a powerful tool for making strategic choices about the procurement, development, introduction, and governance of new technologies. It entails critical and participatory evaluation of the social, economic and environmental benefits and risks of a particular technology.

The first step in TA is to set up a governance and steering structure. The design of a sound and inclusive governance structure is a fundamental step to organise and implement an effective TA exercise. In this regard, UNCTAD is organizing a training workshop regarding the establishment of a Steering Committee (SC) and an Expert Group (EG) for assessments of one or more technologies used in energy and/or agriculture. The training will follow UNCTAD’s Methodology for Technology Assessment in combination with case studies.

Participants from the three beneficiary countries, namely Seychelles, South Africa and Zambia will obtain practical knowledge of the methodological and operational elements of establishing a solid TA governance structure. The workshop will also familiarise potential or selected members of SCs and EGs with practical case studies on the operationalisation of both the SC and EG. The participants include members or potential members of each beneficiary country’s SCs and EGs, as well as decision makers of relevant agencies in the beneficiary countries.