2nd Science with Africa Conference

Welcome Remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

23 June 2010, UNCC, Addis Ababa

Mr Juneydi Saddo, Minister of Science and Technology, Federal Democratic

Republic of Ethiopia;

Honourable Ministers;

Representative of the AU Commission;

Excellencies;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very delighted and pleased to welcome you all to Addis Ababa, the home of the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission and also to the Second Science with Africa conference.

It is always an honour to have the opportunity to be among such a distinguished gathering of scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, development practitioners and visionary leaders who have visibly demonstrated their zeal and commitment to the cause of African development. 

We met here approximately two years ago for the first Science with Africa conference which outlined a road map for advancing science and technology development on the continent and made recommendations for its implementation.  You will have the opportunity during this meeting to review progress that has been made thus far on the recommendations emanating from the first conference.  We nevertheless have cause to celebrate the convening of this second conference because it took commitment, vision, resources and partnerships to bring it about.

Permit me therefore to preface my remarks by thanking our joint organizer – the African Union Commission – for its support and laudable dedication to promoting science, technology and innovation in Africa.  Similarly, I wish to acknowledge the contribution and partnership of the Government of Finland, the International Development Research Centre, UNESCO, International Council of Science, - Regional Office for Africa, the African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO), Organization Africaine de la Properte Intellectuelle (OAPI), and the Research Triangle Institute, International (RTI).

The Science with Africa conference was born out of our strongly held belief at ECA that along with improved economic management and governance, the proper use and application of science, technology and innovation was an indispensable ingredient in the African development process.  This view was informed by the realization that scientific thinking and discovery must underpin the structural transformation of African economies as evidenced by the experience of other parts of the world, especially the emerging economies of Asia and Latin America.  The huge and positive response by the scientific community and other stakeholders to the first conference, many of whom are again represented here showed that you shared similar views.

There have been several key developments in the global environment since we first met for Science with Africa.  Indeed, this conference is taking place against the continuing background of the global economic and financial crisis from which many of our economies are yet to recover.   The crisis has put at risk the hard earned gains in improving the living conditions of our people and in meeting the globally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The recovery remains shaky as some countries face huge debts and deficits.  The global crisis will have undoubtedly also impacted on science and technology investments in Africa which were already relatively low. It will no doubt also impact on the support that Africa receives for its research and development activities through   grants and collaborative projects.

The economic and financial crisis is however a good opportunity to refocus and re-invigorate the science and technology agenda in Africa.  Crisis spurs innovation, and there are examples from all over the world to show how countries are relying on innovation and entrepreneurship to recover from the economic crisis and remain competitive. Indeed, the United States in formulating a response to the crisis also took account of the climate change challenge and accordingly seeks to invest about $150 billion in the next generation of energy technologies.

This brings me to the theme of this conference “Science, innovation and entrepreneurship”. There are many factors that contribute to growth but for our purposes, it is also important to highlight the important contribution of innovation and entrepreneurship.  By bringing critical thinking to bear on improving and adapting products and processes, innovation also enables entrepreneurs to actualize their vision and add value.  A major objective of this conference should accordingly be to identify measures and mechanisms for creating an environment that brings innovation and entrepreneurship in play in addressing Africa’s pressing challenges and shaping its future opportunities.

The crucial link between science, innovation and entrepreneurship can be seen from the global rise of large technology firms like Apple, Amazon, Google, Infosys, Microsoft and Samsung whose achievements have been driven by these processes. The main strength of these firms is their intellectual assets, often protected by intellectual property rights which have enabled rapid growth in the trade in intellectual assets and high technology products. The extent to which Africa has benefited from these developments remains unknown but current ECA research indicates that global royalties and licensing fee payments have grown by about 500% from about $27 billion to $161 billion between 1990 and 2008. Yet, Africa’s share of this growing trade in intellectual assets is about 0.75%, which is a far cry from its also low share of global merchandize exports which stands at 3.4%.

In the same vein, Africa’s performance in the generation and ownership of knowledge is far below its current potential. Africa accounts for about 2.4% of the global researchers – slightly higher than the number of researchers in India. Yet, India was granted three times more patents than Africa, by the United States Patent Office in 2008. It is therefore imperative for Africa to seed and nurture a cadre of entrepreneurs that will establish its own leading technology firms, which is not an impossible task.  Recently, African entrepreneurs have scored successes in bringing innovative products to market in the mobile phone industry including the introduction of systems that allow users to share their credit with others and to perform simple banking operations.

Another key issue for this conference is how Africa can stimulate innovation through a combination of policies to support research and development and to stimulate their use by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. It is heartening to note in this regard that a number of African countries are investing in science and technology infrastructures and increasing R&D expenditure. This year, Tanzania has increased the allocation to its Science and Technology Commission by up to 36 times more than the allocation of 2009. Similarly, Uganda is boosting salaries of researchers through an $8 million investment with another $2.7 million allocated to facilitate technology commercialization.

These supply side actions need to be matched by measures to improve the business environment and protect intellectual property rights on the continent.  Other incentives for technology transfer and commercialization and building of public-private partnerships are polices that can lower risks for technology and business development. Such measures can encourage the private sector to innovate even when financial resources are limited.  Indeed, there are ways in which a farmer who cannot afford a tractor could still be helped to become more competitive if provided with improved soil and pest management, irrigation canals, improved crop varieties and alternative fertilizers.

Another key message that should emanate from this conference is the need to be bold and positive in the use of new and emerging technologies.  While there will undoubtedly be competition for scarce resources with the pressing social and economic challenges that this continent faces, Africans must also be strategic and visionary in their attitudes to adapting and utilizing new technologies.  Some people feel that Africa’s failure to capitalize on the development of the internet in the early 1990s was in a sense a lost opportunity. By the time we embraced the technology other regions had accumulated the necessary technological and organizational knowledge to manage the knowledge economy. The challenge of climate change requires that Africa should position itself to benefit from the growth opportunities in the emerging green economy.

Partnerships are also critical for the success of our efforts.  Partnerships offer the opportunity for Africa’s scientific community to harness its intellectual assets and resources and translate them into commercial successes. In the United States, a group of young research scientists working for a company called Intellectual Ventures are trying to develop a computer model that could help eradicate malaria, which afflicts 300 million to 500 million people a year and kills 1 million of them, mostly children on our continent.  We therefore need to explore how our own young scientists can contribute to such undertakings.

ECA is also in the process of expanding its collaboration with regional bodies involved in science and technology. In this regard, I wish to recognize the presence of the Executive Secretary of the African Regional Centre for Technology (ARCT), Professor Abderrahim Doumar. ARCT was founded in under the auspices of ECA and the African Union and we shall continue to work closely with them in advancing the STI agenda in Africa.

I now turn to some of the things that ECA and its partners have put in place following the first Science with Africa conference.  Participants will be pleased to know that a Technology Development and Transfer Network was launched here at ECA just yesterday while the African Science, Technology and Innovation Endowment Fund (ASTIEF) will also be launched during this conference.

The Technology Development and Transfer Network seeks to enhance the capacity of its members to bring potentially useful research leads and technologies to market and facilitate inter-firm and intra-firms technology transfer. It will accordingly create a regional pool of seasoned scientists and business leaders that will help emerging techno-entrepreneurs to tap expertise and resources in and outside their national borders.

The Endowment Fund which is being supported by the Government of Finland is a revolutionary funding mechanism to support bankable R&D outputs that are likely to make a commercial and social return. This novel initiative is being developed through a unique public-private partnership that brings together the entrepreneurial culture and creativity of the private sector, on one hand, and the ability of the public sector to improve the business climate.  Allow me to acknowledge at this stage, the contribution that has already been made to the Endowment Fund by two outstanding sons of Africa, Mr Remi Olowude and Alhaji

Bamanga Tukur.  I thank them and all the other institutions that have already contributed to this cause and invite you all to emulate their example.

We will also be launching the African Science to Business Challenge with the Research Triangle Institute - International of the United States.  This initiative will enable successful candidates to spend time with RTI learning how to transform their ideas into a viable business ventures. The initiative will benefit small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector.  All these initiatives will be complemented by our pilot assessment of the innovation climate in some selected African countries this year.  This assessment focuses on seven core innovation policy areas and will build on the R&D and Community Innovation Surveys undertaken by NEPAD. 

This conference has some stimulating plenary sessions including on investments in STI and on women and innovation. There will also be breakout sessions on health and life sciences, climate change, ICTs, Infrastructure (namely, energy, water and transport), as well as special workshops on Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer, Green Science and Green Technology, all of which focus on an entrepreneurial approach.

I encourage you all to participate in these activities as well as in the Patent Fair designed to help our scientists and inventors to protect their knowledge.

With these few thoughts, let me take this opportunity to thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be with us today. Your presence is highly valued and I hope that your investment of resources, time and energy will be fruitful individually and collectively in advancing the cause of African development.

I wish you successful deliberations.  Thank you for your kind attention.