Professor Calestous Juma Named Chair of African Union Panel on Technology

December 19, 2016

Harvard Kennedy School Professor Calestous Juma, a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for African Studies, will co-chair the African Union Commission’s (AUC) new High Level African Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET). The panel, created by Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will advise the African Union on existing and emerging technologies.

As co-chair, Professor Juma will lead ten experts from diverse professional backgrounds as they make policy recommendations concerning existing and emerging technologies. The panel will offer analysis and advice at the continental, regional, and national level, with a focus on harnessing technology for economic development.

“The adoption of every technology is sometimes associated with controversies bordering on the mix of benefits and potential adverse effects,” said HE Dr. Zuma. “The appointed High Level African Panel on Emerging Technologies shall be used as a resource pool from which AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) can draw expert knowledge and advice.”

Juma is Professor of the Practice of International Development at the Harvard Kennedy School and Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.