Second Science with Africa Conference Sets out Innovation as a Centerpiece of the Development Agenda

ECA Press Release No. 50/2010

Addis Ababa, 28 June 2010 (ECA) - The Second Science with Africa Conference (SWA II) ended 25th  June 2010, after three days of intense discussions, with the adoption of a set of groundbreaking recommendations on how African countries can leverage science and technology to carry their development agenda forward.

The SWA II charted concrete steps towards improving the living conditions of Africans, through innovative ideas based on science and technology. The Conference was convened by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC), UNESCO and  other partners under the theme: “Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship”.

The launch of the African Science, Technology and Innovation Endowment Fund (ASTIF) is one of the major outcomes of the Second Science with Africa Conference. The ASTIF-the first of its kind- is designed to support individuals as well as research and development centres to bring their research outputs to the market. It is intended to bridge the existing gap between researchers and the private sector.  

Discussions highlighted the lack of adequate financial resources as a serious impediment to research and development in Africa. Financing constraints inhibit the growth of entrepreneurs by preventing them from transforming the results of research into viable commercial products. Participants therefore made an appeal to African business communities, urging them to endow the newly set up Fund with resources.

The Second Science with Africa Conference also launched the first-ever African Technology Development and Transfer Network. This new initiative is aimed at generating economic and social value from research and development outputs, by facilitating technology adaptation and the commercialization of outputs.

In his closing remarks, the Minister of Science and Technology Development of Zimbabwe, Mr. Henry Dzinotyiwei stated that: “Science with Africa Conference is an ideal setting”. He added that: “I couldn’t have expected more” as he was reviewing the bold recommendations made by nearly five hundreds scientist, engineers, technologists, inventors, entrepreneurs and policy makers who attended the Conference.

Key recommendations featured in the outcome document stress the need for ECA and AUC and their partners to promote the development of a critical mass of science journalists in Africa to help raise the understanding of the nexus between science and development in the public.

Investing in educating women and youth in science and technology was also identified as an area of focus. According to the outcome document, concrete steps should be taken to reduce the transaction costs in registering and commercializing innovation outputs.

Participants to the SWA II also urged African countries to speed up the process of ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
More significantly, the Conference has instructed the Network of African Science Academies to prepare a report on the Science and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Africa, by mid-July 2010. This report will assist African leaders in shaping their positions during the post-Copenhagen Conference on climate change, to be held in Mexico in December 2010.

Background

“Science with Africa” is an ECA/AUC initiative which aims at providing a framework to promote the use of science and technology in economic development of Africa.

The first Conference (SWA I) outlined the roadmap for advancing science and technology development on the African continent. It laid the foundation for the establishment of the African Science Technology Endowment Funds (ASTIF).

Science with Africa Conferences are unique opportunities to enhance North-South and South-South cooperation, foster technology transfer and to increase synergies between regional and international science based organizations. The Government of Finland is one of the major partners for the Science with Africa Conference. Other partners include: the International Development Research Centre, UNESCO, International Council of Science-Regional Office for Africa, the African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO), Organisation Africaine de la Proprieté Intellectuelle (OAPI) and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI).

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