Opening Statement by the Conference Convener
Dr. Inga Koryagina
International Multidisciplinary Conference 2025
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates and Diplomats,
Esteemed Researchers and Innovators,
Leaders of Industry, Academia, and Civil Society,
Partners and Friends from Across the Globe,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
On behalf of the Organizing, Scientific, and Review Committees, it is my distinct privilege to stand before you and to extend a formal and heartfelt welcome to the 2025 International Multi-Disciplinary Conference.
We gather here in Lusaka under a theme that is not merely a topic for discussion, but a critical imperative for our time: “Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Innovation Competitiveness for Production-Enabled Development.”
But before we delve into the what and the how of this conference, we must first confront the why.
We are living in the dawn of Industry 5.0; an era defined not just by smart machines, but by the symbiotic partnership between human creativity and technological power. In this new frontier, a nation’s greatest asset is no longer its natural resources alone. It is its Human Operating System.
What is the Human OS? It is the core software of a nation’s future. It is the collective mindset, skills, and innovative capacity of its people. Today, I issue an urgent call: Zambia and Africa must perform a critical system update. We must shift from being users of imported technology to becoming creators of sovereign solutions. We must patch our systems with critical thinking and adaptability, and we must integrate green code and sustainable skills as the fundamental program for strategic survival and leadership.
Why is this urgent? Because without a sovereign Human OS, nations risk remaining perpetual data suppliers in a global digital economy. Importing technology without cultivating the underlying logic and innovative capacity means, ultimately, importing someone else’s future.
This is why IMDC2025 is more than a conference. It is a global platform for the next generation of solution architects. It is modelled on the spirit of collaboration we foster at platforms like the World Youth Festival, to build not just memories, but sustainable networks. It embodies the principle of the “Woman-Leader BRICS+” initiative to strengthen civilizational identity through shared values and a multipolar world order of knowledge.
Therefore, my call today, especially to the vibrant minds of Zambia and Russia, is to adopt a developer’s mindset.
- See Problems as APIs – open interfaces where your unique solution can connect and create value.
- Your Network is your Open-Source Library – collaborate, do not just compete. The most powerful code is written by a community.
- Launch, Iterate, Scale – perfection is the enemy of progress. Actionable, imperfect progress beats theoretical perfection every time.
This conference, hosted by the visionary Zambia Research and Development Centre, is designed as that collaborative coding environment. Through plenary sessions, panels, and exhibitions, we will bridge disciplines and borders.
We are here to write new code together. Code for sustainable mineral beneficiation. Code for climate-smart agriculture. Code for digital inclusion and health-tech sovereignty.
Russia, with its deep scientific heritage, spacefaring ambition, and advanced institutes like the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, a beacon for intercultural dialogue, stands ready as a strategic partner in this development. Zambia, with its dynamic youth, rich resources, and forward-looking leadership, is the ideal creator and testing ground.
Let us use these three days to forge the alliances that will compile this new future. Let us move from sharing knowledge to co-creating the executable programs for production-enabled development.
I invite you all to engage boldly. Network strategically. And leave here not just with ideas, but with active collaborators and a clear commit log for action.
Together, let us build a Human OS that drives not just national growth, but sets a new standard for equitable, sovereign, and sustainable development.
Welcome to IMDC2025. The terminal is open. Let us begin.
Thank you.
