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Africa Institute of South Africa

AISA is a statutory body producing research for Africa's socio-economic progress. Learn about their mission, values, and achievements in delivering on their mandate.

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Africa Institute of South Africa

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  1. Africa Institute of South Africa Presentation to the Science and Technology Portfolio Committee, Parliament, Cape Town 17 October 2011 by Prof Phindile Lukhele-Olorunju Acting Chief Executive Officer

  2. Research Geographical Spread for 2011/12

  3. AISA’s Vision and Mission • Vision • An indispensable African voice on African Affairs. • Mission • To produce relevant research products aimed at informing sustainable political and socio-economic development in Africa. • Position Statement • Development Through Knowledge • Brand Promise • Africa's knowledge resource 3

  4. AISA’s Values • AISA’s Corporate Values are entrenched in the acronym PRIDE: • Participation; • Responsibility; • Integrity; • Development; and • Excellence 4

  5. Introduction • AISA is an organ of state governed mainly by: • AISA Act (Act 68 of 2001) • Public Finance Management Act (Act 1 of 1999) • AISA’s Current Research Agenda • Seeking Solutions for Africa’s Developmental Challenges- 2011-2015 5

  6. AISA’s Mandate • AISA’s mandate is derived from the AISA act (Act 68 of 2001), which • establishes it as a statutory body aimed to: • Provide research and policy development support in its pursuit of • programmes that contribute to the development of the African • continent; • Conduct research and embark on training programmes that foster • continental patriotism and that promote increased awareness • and understanding of the African continent among the peoples of • South Africa and across the globe; and • Establish and participate in and maintain networks in Africa and • globally which will contribute to the peace development and • prosperity of the continent. 6

  7. AISA’s Objectives The institute pursues three objectives: • Promote knowledge and understanding of African affairs through • leading social scientists acting in concert and across various disciplines • and through training and education on African affairs; • Collect, process and disseminate information on African Affairs, give • effective advice and facilitate appropriate action in relation to the • collective needs, opportunities and challenges of the continent and • Promoteawareness and consciousness of Africa at grassroots level. 7

  8. Divisions within AISA • Research: Structured into 5 units, namely; • Peace and Security • Sustainable Development • Governance and Democracy • Science and Technology, and • Knowledge Transfer and Skills Development • Publications • Library and Documentation • Outreach and International Liaison • Corporate Affairs • Finance, Administration and Information Technology • Human Resources 8

  9. AISA Management • Dr Matlotleng Matlou – Chief Executive Officer • Prof Phindile Lukhele-Olorunju – Director Research: Natural Sciences • Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller – Director Research: Social Sciences • Mr Solani Ngobeni – Director Publications • Mrs Elsie Maritz – Chief Financial Officer • Mrs Ingrid Canham – HR Manager • Ms Cecilia Sililo-Tshishonga /Ms- Yvette Francis - Corporate Affairs Manager 9

  10. AISA’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN DELIVERING ON ITS MANDATE FOR 2011/12 10

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  12. Research Overview AISA RESERCH AGENDA KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER & SKILL DEVELOPMENT PEACE & SECURITY GORVENANCE & DEMOCRACY GIS & CATOGRAPHY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL PROJECTS 12

  13. Research Publications 2011/12 13

  14. Research Summary of Targets, Outputs and Outcomes 14

  15. Research Summary of Targets, Outputs and Outcomes Continues 15

  16. Governance and Democracy The unit seeks to study and monitordemocracy and governance in Africa as a requirement for Africa’s sustainable development. It has done this in collaboration with partners that include: • Namibia • China • Canada • Venezuela • Russia • DIRCO –PRAU (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) • IGD (Institute for Global Dialogue • USA 16

  17. Governance and Democracy • Research undertaken in 2011/2013 focused on: • Investigating if Southern African Customs Union or Southern African Development • Community is the best choice for South Africa foreign policy option towards trade • and development in the region; and • Assessing the impacts of Strategies for Special Economic Zones in China with the • aim of supporting industrial growth strategy for South Africa. • Research Outputs: • 8 Journal articles, 1 Book Chapter and 13 policy briefs. • Research Impact: • Together with the Department of Trade and Industry the unit held a seminar that was • intended to make a direct contribution to the DIT’s SEZ Bill; and • The unit submitted a report to DIRCO on Russia’s BRICS foreign policy. 17

  18. Peace and Security The unit seeks to monitor Africa’s Peace and Security developments, in view of South Africa’s role in peace and security in Africa. 18

  19. Peace and Security • Research undertaken in 2011/2012 focused on: • Investigating the nation building initiatives in post-conflict Great Lakes region – using • Rwanda as a case study • How to achieve peace in the midst of conflict. The research studied local peace • building in South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. • Research Outputs: • 3 journal articles and 5 policy briefs • Research Impacts: • The unit made presentations at UNITAR workshop, which was organised by DIRCO titled • “Working methods of the united Nations security Council”. • It also presented lectures at South African National War College and National Defence • Force College. 19

  20. Sustainable Development The Unit seeks to generate research products that are informative to South Africa’s sustainable development policy and its African partners: With a global call for climate smart agriculture and the resuscitation of the agrarian debate in climate change negotiations it was necessary for the unit to look at forms of alternative agriculture that may be considered as sustainable and an alternative to the agro-industrial type of agriculture in Africa. 20

  21. Sustainable Development • Research undertaken in 2011/2012 focused on: • Investigating the main drivers for organic agricultural expansion in Uganda with • special focus on the role of the National Organic Agricultural Movement (NOGAMU) • and its development partners Uganda. • Research Outputs: • 1 Journal articles, 2 book chapters and presentations at national and international • conferences/seminars. • Research Impact • The unit made a presentation to the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Green • Economy Model. 21

  22. Science and Technology Guided by the South Africa’s National System of Innovation the Science and technology Unit seeks to promote South Africa’s influence in Africa through the development and advancement of Africa’s Science and Technological platforms as a mode for sustainable development . The unit seeks to achieve this through: • Supporting initiatives that intend to promote the development of centres of • excellence in science and technology in Africa; • Promoting the development of frameworks for protection of intellectual property that • has been developed in Africa, particularly the Pan African Organization of Intellectual • Property; • Facilitating frameworks for technology sharing, transfer and adaptation among and • across African countries, and • Monitoring the implementation of Science and Technology strategies and agreements • that exist between South Africa and other African countries. 22

  23. Science and Technology • Research Undertaken during 2011/2012 focused on : • Assessment of the application of food safety standards (ISO 22000 and HACCP) by small and • medium enterprises of South Africa and Mozambique; • Determining the strength of hydropower potential in relation to climate change within the SADC • Region; • Comparative assessment of food retail and food purchasing patterns in urban centres of • Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. • Research Outputs: • 1 Book + 15 book chapters, 4 Policy briefs and presentations at three international conferences. • Research Impacts • The Unit participated at COP17; • The Unit made substantive input during National consultative seminar on climate change that was • held in parliament;. • The book “Energy transition in Africa has been made available to the parliament library and is now • used as reference by some parliamentarians. 23

  24. Knowledge Transfer and Skills Development The unit study trends and models of knowledge transfer and skills development in Africa. This is done in line with the Department of Science and Technology’s Human Resource Development Strategy 24

  25. Knowledge Transfer and Skills Development • Research Undertaken during 2011/2012 focused on : • Investigating the Educational Philosophy of Nyerere- Curriculum and Content Lessons for South Africa from Tanzania • Challenges facing women with regard to the production of research outputs in South African Universities • Research output • 2 Journal articles and 5 Policy briefs • Research Impact • Together with the Embassy of Jamaica the unit held a seminar on cultural implications of reggae music in promoting self identity. • The unit also assisted the universities of Cape town and Fort Hare on the African Studies debates. 25

  26. GIS & Cartography Unit • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Cartography is a cross cutting unit. • It plays a pivotal role in the support of knowledge creation and understanding of • African affairs. • The adoption of computational analysis as a research tool has inevitably • witnessed the identification of the increasing influence of GIS and Remote • Sensing technologies in monitoring and interpreting the dynamics of different • systems. • The unit is AISA’s research laboratory earmarked to provide a kit of tools for data • collection, collation and analysis in implementing AISA’s Research Agenda. • The unit’s strategic vision is to become an innovative geospatial hub for promoting • excellence, in the production and dissemination of spatial information on Africa. 26

  27. GIS & Cartography Data collection and collation to support the production of AISA’s flagship publications 27

  28. Special Projects and Initiatives • AISA’s Flagship Research Projects (also refered to as co-hosted events) • First Scramble for Africa Conference and Africa Day Expo • May 2011 – in partnership with DST, TUT, NRF, Statistics South Africa. • Keynote by late Dani Nabudere, with presenters from SA, African countries as • well as Europe, North America and Asia. (Book published) • AISA’s Young Graduate and Scholars Programme • March 2012 – in partnership with UNIVEN and the Guggenheim Foundation. • This is a platform for emerging African scholars to engage and exchange insights • in the debates pertaining to the challenges faced by African societies. • Theme Governance and Youth in Africa: Assessing Service Delivery, • Unemployment and Sustainable Development for the 21st Century. Participants • came from across • Sub-Saharan Africa, including Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, • Uganda, Zimbabwe and from the University of East Anglia. • (Proceedings being published) 28

  29. Special Projects and Initiatives • Archie Mafeje Memorial Lecture • March 2012 – in partnership with AMRI (Unisa), with speakers Mininister Naledi • Pandor; Prof Mamokgheti Setati; Prof Francis Wilson; Prof Puleng Lenka Bula; • Dr Hlope Bam (Papers being published) • Campus Lecture Series • University of Limpopo; UNW (Mafikeng); UNIVEN; UFH; WITS and DOD • AISA – Private Sector Cooperation • 14 Seminar Presentations • (see Page 205 Annual Report) 29

  30. Publications Introduction The Publications Division is a conduit through which AISA’s research outputs are disseminated. However it needs to be noted that the division not only publishes internally generated research outputs but those from external stakeholders such as South African and African universities and from the Diaspora. We also co-publish with other like-minded research institutions such as the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD). The Publications Division publishes books, monographs, policy briefs, occasional papers, as well as an International Bibliography of Social Sciences (IBSS) listed and South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) accredited journal, Africa Insight. 30

  31. Publications outputs for the 2011/12 31

  32. Publications outputs for the 2011/12 32

  33. Publications Results Books 33

  34. Publications Results Africa Insight Journal • 41(1) June 2011 – published • 41(2) September 2011 – published • 41(3) December 2011 – published • 41(4) March 2010 – published 34

  35. Publications Results Occasional Papers • The path to long-term stability in Sierra Leone by Hany Besada and Ariane Goetz • Kwame Nkrumah and the complex African continental agenda: a critical analysis by Sehlare Makgetlaneng • South Africa’s strategic partnership with the EU: illusion or reality by Chris Landsberg 35

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  37. Publications Results Monographs • Archie Mafeje: Scholar, Activist and Thinker by Dani Nabudere 37

  38. Publications Results Lecture series • Archie Mafeje: A Pedagogy for Developmental and Liberation Education in South African Universities • Archie Mafeje: The Challenge of Agrarian Transformation 38

  39. Library and Documentation Services (LDS) Unit Introduction The Library and Documentation Services (LDS) Unit is committed to fulfilling the mandate of the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA). This is done through the collection, processing, value adding and preservation of information materials on Africa, in various formats such as hard copy, electronic, digital and multimedia such as visual and audio. LDS set the following objectives for the 2011/12 financial year: • Provide efficient and effective services to clients; • Create increased awareness of the AISA mandate; • Expand the LDS holdings; and • Create knowledge, dissemination and preservation of information. 39

  40. Library and Documentation Services (LDS)Outputs for the 2011/12 40

  41. Library and Documentation Services (LDS)Outputs for the 2011/12 continues 41

  42. Library and Documentation Services (LDS)Outputs for the 2011/12 continues 42

  43. Library and Documentation Services (LDS)Outputs for the 2011/12 continues 43

  44. Library Users 44

  45. Corporate Affairs, Outreach and International Liaison (OIL) Introduction Corporate Affairs is responsible for governance, compliance, branding and communications issues, whilst being a vital link between the Office of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and various stakeholders of the institution. The Outreach and International Liaison (OIL), Unit promotes the mandate of AISA to various stakeholders by forming strategic linkages with government, science councils, academic institutions, the diplomatic community, business, media and civil society. 45

  46. Corporate Affairs, Outreach and International Liaison (OIL) 46

  47. Corporate Affairs, Outreach and International Liaison (OIL) 47

  48. Corporate Affairs, Outreach and International Liaison (OIL) Number of Appearances by AISA Staff in the Media 48

  49. Corporate Affairs, Outreach and International Liaison (OIL) 49

  50. Human Resources Introduction The Human Resources Division aims to be a value driven division across the organisation. The strength of AISA is bound to the strength of its employees. The following aspects in relation to HR functions were covered in the Annual Report: • Organisational building • Employee mix • Diversity, recruitment and retention • Capacity building • Staff development and training • Performance feedback tool and performance awards • Labour matters • Administration 50

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