On November 26, 2025, Dr. Lidia Brito, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, sent an official letter to the ANSO Secretariat confirming that the ANSO Africa Hub of Science & Innovation (AAHSI) has been approved as a Programme under the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024–2033, IDSSD).

To support the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science and the G20 Initiative on International Cooperation in Open Science, and to advance the integration of science, technology, and industrial innovation in Africa, AAHSI will serve as an emerging platform for science and innovation. It will facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, technology transfer, and the adoption of digital and AI tools. AAHSI will focus on capacity building, joint research, best-practice sharing, and people-to-people exchanges, while promoting open science and knowledge sharing. Through targeted projects, AAHSI will strengthen collaboration with ANSO members and mobilize resources at both regional and international levels. Aligned with ANSO’s mission and the framework of Agenda 2063, AAHSI will prioritize areas such as food security, computer science and artificial intelligence, clean energy, and public health. It aims to enhance Africa’s innovation and sustainable development capacity from a science-for-development perspective and address key regional development challenges.

The IDSSD was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on August 25, 2023, with UNESCO serving as the lead implementing agency.