Update of the Implementation of the
African Observatory for Science,
Technology and Innovation
Philippe K. Mawoko (PhD)
Director a.i.
mawokop@africa-union.org;
pmawoko@aosti.org
AMCOST V, 12-15 November 2012
Senior Official Meeting; Brazzaville , 12Nov 2012
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AOSTI has taken Shape
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Outline
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Institutional development
Programme development
Cases of measurements of STI
activities
• Next steps
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INTRODUCTION:
The need of evidence based policy making in Africa
 There is a recognition that good policy making is fact-based or
(based on sound indicators)
 In the context of STI, policymaking is understood as decisions
and actions taken by policy makers to promote, regulate and
use scientific advances, technological development, and
Innovation….for a purpose…[regional integration, economic
development overall poverty reduction, social wellbeing, etc.. ]”
….
 Decisions of the AU Summits and AMCOST
Recommendations have called for evidence based policy
making for development
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INTRODUCTION:
Recalling AMCOST references to evidence based policy making

November 2003, Johannesburg , AMCOST endorsed the compilation of indicators for
STI activities.

September 2005,Dakar, AMCOST established an intergovernmental committee to
chart a common framework for compiling STI indicators

September 2007, Mombasa and April 2010, Cairo - Indicators of R&D and
innovation activities presented in the context of ASTII by AUC/NEPAD

May 2012, Intergovernmental meeting in Malabo and AMCOST Bureau in Addis
Ababa– AOSTI draft statutes and programme of work (broadening the scope of
STI indicators and adding institutional and Policy analysis dimension s to
the process )

Brazzaville, November 2012, progress report on the implementation of AOSTI
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INTRODUCTION
Why an African Observatory for STI (AOSTI)
 Support evidence based policy making in Africa
 To provide the Minister of STI with indicators and policy advice
comparable to that received by the Minister of Finance, Governor of
Central Bank?
 To present STI indicators in a way that is accessible to the policy
community and to civil society
 Gauging STI support to Development outcomes-(poverty alleviation,
human development
 CPA Section 4, Programme 5.1 (Project 1 & 2)
 Established by the AU Summit, Feb. 2009.
 Hosting Arrangements
AOSTI Vision
a continental repository of STI statistics, and
a source of policy analysis
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Institutional development
 Operationalizing governance support mechanisms
 Basic dimensions of AOSTI functional space: impartiality,
credibility, quality standards and relevance
 The Draft Statutes Document spells out
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Governing Board ( Articles 6-8)
Technical Advisory Panels (Article 9)
Executive Secretariat ( Article 10)
Mechanisms at the national and regional levels
Partnerships
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Head
S&T Division
Government
sector
Higher
Education
sector
Business
sector
Innovation
Division
Informal
economy
Formal
economy
Information
system
Division
Corporate
services
Division
Statistics
analysis
Finance
Web platform
Administration
HR
Current Human Resources spearheading the
measurement STI activities
Current AOSTI Staff (Malabo)





Director a.i. ( Oct 2011)
Administrative and Finance Expert recruited in May 2012
Senior Expert in S&T Policy recruited in June 2012
Senior Expert in Innovation Policy recruited in June 2012
Recruitment of support staff – underway
Staff at NEPAD Agency/ASTII (Pretoria) and National
structures in the participating countries

Coordinating the collation of R&D and Innovation measurement
in AU member states since 2007
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AOSTI Programme of Work for 2013-2017
Agreed upon at Intergovernmental Meeting,
Malabo, May 9-11, 2011
Programme 1: Building STI capacities
Programme 2: Technology Forecasting and Prospecting
Programme 3: Developing and Managing STI Indicators
Programme 4: Strengthening National Innovation Systems
Programme 5: Policy Studies
Programme 6: Policy Outreach and Advocacy
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BUILDING STI CAPACITY
TRAINING COURSES ON STI SURVEYS &
REVIEWS OF NIS
INFRASTR. SUPPORT OF
NAT. STI FP/OBSERV.
TRAINING COURSE
SUPPORT OF INNOV. POLICY
DEVELOP.
PROMOTION OF NISs
INFO SHARING
COMPARATIVE
STUDIES OF NISs
SUPPORT OF NISs REVIEW
STRENGHTNING NATIONAL
INNOVATION SYSTEMS (NIS)
African led Experience in measuring STI
activities
 Intergovernmental Meeting on ASTII–(Maputo 2007)
Adoption of measurement frameworks for R&D and
Innovation activities
a) Production of African Innovation Outlook 2012
b) Increase nbr of participating countries from 19 to 28
c) Linking indicators to outcome and impact (research calls)
d) Acknowledging AUC/NEPAD, Sida and countries support
 Intergovernmental Meeting on AOSTI-(Malabo-2012)
Broadening the scope of measurement frameworks for ST&I,
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introduction of policy dimension and institution develepmnent
Efforts to measure R&D and Innovation
Measurement of R&D and Innovation
Activities in Africa
Survey
wave
Number of
countries
Source
2007-2010
19
www.nepad.org
2011-2013
28
TBA
Source of
Funding
Sectors
where R&D
is carried
out
Foreign
Government
Higher
Education
Other
sources
Government
Business
Business
Framework to measure R&D activities
Source: ASTII surveys
Example of findings in the R&D Surveys :
GERD as % of GDP
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Example of findings in the R&D Surveys:
Share of Foreign Funding in R&D Activities (%)
Source: ASTII surveys
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Example of Research Output for ASTII countries
Measured by the number of articles in the Scopus database;1990-2009.
Source: ASTII Surveys
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Innovation indicators (ASTII)
• Technological innovation
• Non-technological innovation
• Innovation Inputs
• Innovation Outputs
• Key policy relevant characteristics
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Funding and Sustainability of STI Measurement and
Policy Analysis Efforts ( continental level)

ASTII
 Sida funding: USA $ 2.9 m for ASTII phase 1 (2007-2010) and
USA $ 3m for ASTII phase 2 ( 2011-2013)
 Contribution of participating countries

AOSTI

Host country (Equatorial Guinea) pledged US$ 3.6 m in 2009 for start up
activities . So far US$ 370,000+ US$1,000,000 disbursed for start up
activities
 Call is hereby made to other African countries to
support AOSTI to sustain the effort
 Mobilisation of resources and challenges
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AOSTI Programme Outputs ( 2012-13)
1. THE AFRICAN STI SYSTEM(S)
Input, STI processes , Output, Outcomes/Impact
2. AFRICAN INNOVATION OUTLOOK SERIES
i. R&D and Innovation indicators ( ASTII- 2013 )
ii. Scientific and Technological indicators (Bibliometric
indicators) (February 2013)
iii. GBAORD indicators (Budget) ( 2013)
3. AOSTI WORKING PAPERS
i.
ii.
iii.
Best Practices of Observatories for STI (January 2013)
Assessment of capacity needs and priorities for STI policy making in
Africa (February 2013)
Conceptual framework for National Innovation System (NIS) in Africa
(June 2013)
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AOSTI Expected Outputs
1. Governance
i. AOSTI Statutes documents
ii. AOSTI Structure
2. AOSTI Information system (in cooperation with
ITU and other partners )
3. AOSTI Premises (by the host country)
4. Partnership and collaboration
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Next Steps
• Developing and putting in place working
modalities
• resources mobilisation strategy
• information and communication strategy
• information management system
• promotional materials and STI advocacy.
• longer term AOSTI strategic plan
Acknowledgments
• STI partners including : UIS, UNECA, AfDB Statistics,
OECD-NESTI, CeSTI- south Africa
• Sida
• Government of Equatorial Guinea
• International and African Experts
• AUC , AMCOST, NEPAD
Thank you
pmawoko@gmail.com;
pmawoko@aosti.org
mawokop@africa-union.org
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