The ministerial session of the first African Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) opened this morning in Nairobi (Kenya), in the presence of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and several ministers or their representatives about twenty-five African countries.

Group President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, was present, and the Director General of UNESCO, Bokova and representatives of the Economic Commission of the African Union Commission and United Nations Economic for Africa (UNECA). In his speech, President Kibaki thanked "the African Development Bank and other institutions of support for this Forum and assistance to African countries in the field of ITS."

Through the funding and organization of this Forum, ADB has demonstrated its support for African countries in the field of ITS. In his speech at the Ministerial Meeting, the President Kaberuka gave the reasons which prompted the ADB to invest today in ITS. "The main reason is that Africa is moving." Donald Kaberuka said that "Africa has the youngest population in the world". The challenge is that African countries take advantage of this youth. So how to educate the youth? Many challenges are faced in the field of ITS. The President stressed that ADB will continue to work more than ever on ITS, noting that "higher education, science and technology are among the four pillars of strategic activities of the African Development Bank".

For three days, the Forum is working on ways to strengthen science, technology and Innovation in Africa. Experts and scientists around the world are exploring ways to design and implement programs to advance scientific research and technology in Africa. The last day of the Forum is dedicated to the ministerial session.