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Harnessing Science for Society: further partnerships

Harnessing Science for Society: further partnerships. Global Science for African Development Dr Khotso Mokhele, NRF, South Africa Venice/Italy, March 2005. A Perspective from an Impatient Optimist who turns 50 years old in September 2005.

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Harnessing Science for Society: further partnerships

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  1. Harnessing Science for Society: further partnerships Global Science for African Development Dr Khotso Mokhele, NRF, South Africa Venice/Italy, March 2005

  2. A Perspective from an Impatient Optimist who turns 50 years old in September 2005

  3. How ready was Africa in 1999 to respond to the challenges posed by the Science Agenda that came out of the WCS?

  4. The African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NePAD):The first NePAD Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology took place in November 2003The establishment of the NePAD Council of Ministers of Science and TechnologyThe establishment of a Science and Technology Desk in the NePAD Secretariat

  5. Continental Challenges: • Peace and security: Zimbabwe, DRC, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Togo, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan • Good governance: all of the above

  6. Africa and the African Diaspora:Meeting in Dakar, Senegal (October, 2004)Meeting to be held in Kingston, Jamaica in March 2005

  7. The UK inspired Commission for Africa: Science and Technology is central to Africa’s development

  8. Mindful of the current groundswell of goodwill towards African sustainable & equitable development challenges; mindful, too, of the plethora of African and international initiatives in the domain of R&D / S&T, we wish to stress the urgent need for COHERENCE, CONVERGENCE, COORDINATION, TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY of these initiatives, programmes and projects – preferably through an African ‘Agency’,

  9. That which is ‘known’: • outdated science and technology policies in most countries • relatively low or limited public and private sector expenditure on research and development (R&D) • weak links between science institutions and private sector • weak and thinly spread R&D institutions or centres • limited public understanding of science and technology • ‘brain drain’ associated with African scientists, engineers and technicians leaving the continent to work in other regions of the world; and

  10. That which is ‘happening’, albeit fragmented: WCS report-back to UNESCO by individual countries Millennium Development Goals – national initiatives; coordinated? NEPAD (Commissions and S&T Forum) – coordinated WSSD – CSD Interventions and follow-up programmes – related to MDG’s? ICSU – Regional Office for Africa – prospects? TWAS, TWNSO, WTEO? ISSC? ISA? ….

  11. Global Science for African Development • Continental Challenges: • Weak support & policy-making infrastructure in most of the continent • Fragmented / “unreported” interventions, e.g. by international agencies & foundations • Unconnected to UN, NEPAD interventions • Loose associations between local research and international programmes to national “needs” • Continued “brain-drain”, esp. to the ‘North’

  12. Global Science for African Development • Continental Challenges (contd.): • Fractured higher education, research & training systems – mainly under-funded! • Limited UNESCO, AAU, ICSU & TWAS “impact” • Decreasing private sector R&D spend, given decreasing domestic and foreign direct investments – into • Infrastructure, capacity / resources and ‘new ventures’

  13. Global Science for African Development • Continental Challenges (contd.): • Food security • Water • Health – HIV / AIDS, TBC, Malaria • Sanitation • Desertification / deforestation • Global warming / environmental degradation • Disaster management • Infrastructure

  14. Global Science for African Development • Partnerships for Development: • Coordination – coherence – convergence • Policies, programmes, processes • Empowerment – capacitation of governments, policy- & decision-makers • Inter-departmental budgetary appropriations – via Presidency? Ministry of Planning & Development?

  15. Global Science for African Development • Partnerships for Development: • (Sub-) Regional Interventions • (Re-) Capitalisation of Infrastructure • Research management & administration • capacities, systems and resources • Strategic and business planning

  16. Global Science for African Development • Partnerships for Development: • Bilateral, (sub-) regional, multilateral arrangements • Government, business, civil society, research community • Institutional & individual capacitation of higher education institutions

  17. Dr Khotso MokhelePresident / CEONational Research FoundationP.O. Box 2600Pretoria0001 South Africakhotso@nrf.ac.za

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