by Joseph Ngwawi – SANF 07 No 20
Africa has developed a consolidated action plan on science and technology that integrates the programmes and projects of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) into the structures of the African Union.
Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action articulates Africa’s common objective of socio-economic transformation and full integration into the world economy.
It reaffirms the continent’s commitment to collective action for developing and using science and technology to meet its objectives, and marks the start of an African process to strengthen scientific and technological capacities.
The Consolidated Plan of Action evolved from a series of regional and continental workshops involving a participatory process of consultations by African governments, scientists, policy makers, civil society and international partners.
The plan places emphasis on developing an African system of research and technological innovation by establishing networks of centres of excellence dedicated to research and development, and capacity-building programmes.
Africa has largely adopted a short-term view to human development and has continued to rely on external financial support often targeting short-term activities and solutions.
As a result, the continent has failed to invest in science, technology and innovation as sources and drivers of economic growth and long-term sustainable development.
Other problems affecting Africa’s science, technology and innovation system include weak links between industry and science and technology institutions, and a mismatch between research and development activities and national industrial development strategies and goals.
Research findings from public research institutions do not, therefore, get accessed or used by local industries, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
The overall goals of this consolidated plan are thus to enable Africa to harness and apply science, technology and related innovations to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development; and to ensure that Africa contributes to the global pool of scientific knowledge and technological innovations.
The success of the consolidated plan of action is premised on the implementation of some flagship research and development programmes and projects over the next five years.
The programmes are organised into clusters based on their relationships and potential of establishing inter-related networks of implementing institutions.
The cluster will focus on biodiversity, biotechnology and indigenous knowledge; energy, water and desertification; material sciences, manufacturing, laser and post-harvest technologies; information and communication technologies, and space science and technologies; and mathematical sciences.
The biodiversity cluster programme aims to strengthen Africa’s scientific and technological capacities for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. It focuses on measures to build a strong conservation science foundation and generate sustainable use of technologies.
Special emphasis will be placed on promoting Africa’s indigenous knowledge base, particularly their role in biodiversity conservation and their contribution to food production, fighting HIV and AIDS, and reducing environmental degradation.
An African Conservation Science Training Scheme is being proposed, which will provide financial and technical resources for training in conservation science. It will provide fellowship grants to Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy students to enable them to study at African universities.
The energy, water and desertification cluster will focus on building a sustainable energy base for Africa; securing sustainable water resources; and combating drought and desertification.
The overall objective of this programme is to enlarge Africa’s energy security through the generation and application of scientific knowledge and related technological innovations.
Through the material sciences, manufacturing, laser and post-harvest technologies cluster, Africa aims to build scientific and technical capacity to conduct research in materials required to boost production.
The African Materials Research Society was formed in 2002 in Senegal and is a continental network dedicated to materials science and technology development. It is a relatively young organisation and needs strengthening.
It is planned that, through the information and communication technologies, and space science and technologies cluster, Africa will establish a continental research network on information and communication technologies. This will bring together leading universities and research centres to design and implement projects that generate software with African content.
The cluster programme on mathematical sciences aims to strengthen Africa’s capacity in that regard.
The programmes and projects constitute the first generation of continental and regional activities that were defined and agreed upon at regional consultations.
Additional projects will be designed in the life of the Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action. The initial timeframe for implementing the projects is 2006-2010.
Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action is the instrument for implementing the decisions of the first African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology held in Johannesburg in November 2003.
The plan gives practical meaning to the decision of the Second Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU held in July 2003 in Maputo to integrate the NEPAD programme into AU structures and processes.
