AUC- HRST
STI Programme
AMCOST V
12-15th November 2012
Brazzaville, Congo
African Union Commission
Department of HRST
Science and Technology Division
Introduction
 The
African Union Commission within
the overall strategic framework of the
union has defined an ambitious
“Science and Technology
Programme for Africa” which is
aimed at contributing to the wellbeing
and improved quality of life for the
African citizens.
Political guidance
 AU
vision: An integrated, prosperous and
peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens
and representing a dynamic force
in global arena
 AU
strategic plan (2009-2012)
 AMCOST
Introduction
The Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA)


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Developed in 2005
Collective action to develop and use S&T for socio-economic
transformation of Africa
Integration into World economy
Erected on 3 pillars
o
o
o


Capacity building
Knowledge production
Technological Innovation
Implementation period of the CPA resulted in milestone
achievements
But with Challenges
o
o
implementation of specific policies and programmes
programs relied on external financial support targeting short term activities
and solutions
Revision of CPA

2013 -2023

Review dictated by the need to
a) adapt to the changes of the global environment,
b) the emergence of acute environmental concerns and new
scientific approaches (eg green economies) and
c) advances (such as new materials and nanoscience
technologies).
AUC/HRST STI programs /Strategies
I.
Supporting Research Initiatives through grants and
direct funding
II.
Popularization of Science & Technology
III.
Promoting public understanding and participation
in S&T
Science and Technology Capacity Building in
Africa
a) Policy level
b) Institutional level
c) thematic level
IV.
Supporting Research Initiatives
The African Union Research Grant

Open call for proposals designed to mobilize African scientific
excellence

Promotion of Intra-Africa and international cooperation in
research and capacity building.

Focus on priority areas as articulated in the CPA

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Post-harvest and Agriculture
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Water and Sanitation
Competitive research grants at Pan-African level

First and Second call for Proposals valued at €14 million

Financed by EC and the ACP Group of States
Innovatively bring African researchers to form supranational
networks and scientific consortia
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I. Supporting Research Initiatives

The 20 lead institutions received a grant
ranging from €500,000 to €750,000 to do
research in 46 locations of Africa, involving
a network of 54 research institutions
established between Africa, Europe and
New Zealand
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I. Supporting Research Initiatives
The long term objective
 to create a competitive system of research
grants as a pan African Union financial
instrument to support scientific research
and to adopt AUC procedures for grants
management and mobilisation of more
resources for the implementation of AU
STI policy.

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Applications to the UARG from the 2 Calls by
Geographical representation
Regions
First call
East Africa
West Africa
Southern
Africa
North Africa
Central Africa
Others
Total
102
78
24
107
55
24
5
9
16
234
17
9
37
249
Second call
18 Awards from the 2 Calls by Geographical
representation of Lead applicants but all actions
within Africa
5
3
4
4
East Africa
West Africa
North Africa
Southern Africa
2
Europe
Partnerships established between research Institutions
1st call
2nd Call
Location of Actions by Countries
1st call
- 24 actions
2nd call
- 22 actions
Popularization of Science & Technology
African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards
Programme (2009 – 2012)

To build public understanding, scientific culture and raise awareness on the
role STI sector in Africa’s socio- economic transformation & its integration

To award and honor outstanding African Scientists for their scientific
achievements and discoveries.

Promote scientific development in Africa through recognition of excellence
among African scientists, women, men alike and younger researchers and
encourage them to persevere in their research or academic careers, and
nurture their ambitions;

Popularize and Promote public understanding and participation in the
implementation of Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of
Action (CPA) and AU Assembly decisions on science and technology.

Raise the profile of science and technology sector in African Union Member
States, Regional Economic Communities and so that science contributes
Africa’s sustainable development, poverty alleviation and integration efforts.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AWARDS
At National level to promote
participation of younger
researchers.
At Regional level for women
scientists with
two prizes of $20,000
each
At Continental level open to
pioneer scientists
two prizes of $100,000
each
Life and Earth Science: embraces all sciences related to the planet earth, covering
(but not limited to) the following disciplines, geology, geophysics and geodesy.
Basic, Science, Technology and Innovation: category will consist of all other
sciences, technologies and innovations excluding those covered within Earth and life
Sciences category
To date: 26 AU –TWAS National Awards for Young Scientist by Country
To date: 15 Women Recipients of Regional Awards: USD 20,000
2009
2010
2011
6 Recipients of Continental Awards
Winners for 2009
Winners for 2010
Winners for 2011
Prize Value
USD
100,000 & a
Gold Medal
AU January
Assembly
Of Heads of State
and Government
Promoting public understanding and
participation in S&T

African Scientific Renaissance Day
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Media Communication Action:
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Creation of specific media activities for S&T vulgarisation
Capacity building of scientific journalism in Africa;
Pan-African Parliament Workshop


the 30th of June every year to be celebrated in each AU Member
States, and RECs;
build on and collaborate with ECA on enhancing the participation of
policy makers in STI, particularly investment
Congress of African Scientists and policy makers

To collaborate with ECA within SWA framework
African parliamentarian workshop on S&T
Objectives: to enhance the role of the
parliamentarians in science, technology
and innovation (STI),
 To popularise science and technology in
the continent, strengthen and enhance
active dialogue among parliament
legislators, policy-makers, scientists,
private sector, the media, and
representatives of the civil society in order
to promote application of scientific
research and stimulate sustainable
development.

African parliamentarian workshop on S&T
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Outcomes: African parliamentarians identified
actions that they can start implementing within
their constituencies and respective parliaments
with the view to contributing to the STI agenda at
country level for human and institutional capacity
development in STI for inclusive growth.
African parliamentarian workshop on S&T
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Recommendations : Parliament should
continue to create an enabling environment
for STI in the continent by formulating the
much needed legislations and advocating for
adequate budgets in their debates, particularly
the push beyond the 1% GDP allocation to STI,
and attract additional funding from international
collaboration, NGO's among others.
African parliamentarian workshop on S&T
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Recommendations: Promote intra-Africa and
regional collaboration and cooperation in STI by
for example joint funding of projects by Member
States
Restructuring the Science & Technology
institutions like universities and research centres
to allow them to form spin offs and
commercializes their results
African parliamentarian workshop on S&T
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Recommendations: Countries should consider
establishment of higher council of S&T chaired
by the president of the country to direct the
research agenda.
Technology and knowledge transfer between
different African countries and other developed
countries is essential to leapfrog the
development of the continent. This could include
exchange (MSc. and PhD) programmes to
ensure that we boost the critical mass of
researchers.
GMES Africa – Thematic
•
•
•
Long term mgt
natural
Resources
Water resource
mgt
Marine &
coastal areas
•Climate variability
& change
•Natural & human
induced disasters
•Conflict & political
crises
•Food security
& rural dvpt
•Infrastructure
for territorial
dvpt
•Health Mgt
Policy and institutional framework
Infrastructure framework
Capacity building
GMES and Africa

As a practical way of developing the Action Plan,
three thematic areas 1) Marine and Coastal
Areas, (2) Water Management and (3) Long
Term Management of Natural Resources were
proposed to be addressed through the
organisation of Workshops in Africa. A broader
validation workshop will be convened in 2013. The
thematic workshop will deepening the dialogue
among the African earth observation users; and
between the African and European policy makers
for the identification and integration of their
requirements for the provision of GMES services to
Africa.
African Forum on STI for Youth
Employment, Human Capital
Development and Inclusive Growth

The African Development Bank (AfDB), the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA), the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
the Association for the Development of Education
in Africa (ADEA), in April 2012, jointly organized a
Science, Technology and Innovation Forum at the
Ministerial level in Nairobi. The main objective of
the forum was to focus Science, Technology and
Innovation to contribute to Youth Empowerment,
Human Capital Development and Inclusive Growth.
African Forum on STI for Youth
Employment, Human Capital
Development and Inclusive Growth

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to Strive individually and collectively towards the
development, review and implementation of STI
policies, law, strategies, programmes and action
plans at regional and national levels for enhancing
STI for youth Employment, Human capital
Development and Inclusive Growth;
to Strengthen Scientific Research in Africa by
promoting and increasing investment in
collaborative research at national, regional and
intra-regional levels; and support institutional and
human capacity building in Research for
Development.
Nairobi Forum on STI for Youth
Employment, Human Capital
Development and Inclusive Growth
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Committed to strengthen Higher Education and
Research Institutions, including Research
Infrastructure, to increase Human capital in STEM
as well as knowledge production and
dissemination.
Currently the AU Commission, AfDB, UNECA,
UNESCO and ADEA have put in place a taskforce
to propose joint projects emanating from the
Nairobi STI Forum Declaration for implementation.
.
Science and Technology Capacity
Building in Africa - Policy Level

Support S&T policy reviews with Member
States and Regional economic Communities

Facilitate formulation and implementation of
Common policy frameworks

Hold Periodic African Ministerial Conferences
on Science and Technology
Science and Technology Capacity Building
in Africa - Institutional Level
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Pan African intellectual Propriety Organization
(PAIPO), EX.CL/315 (X)
AOSTI
ARIC
Science and Technology Capacity Building
in Africa - Institutional Level
African Observatory of Science, Technology,
and Innovation (AOSTI)
AOSTI was established by the Decision of AU Summit
Assembly/AU/Dec.235 (xii) of Jan. 2009
 To measure STI activities to support evidence-based
policymaking - Produce relevant Indicators for STI
such as monitoring the R&D Intensity of 1% of GDP
 To collect and review STI policies in member states in
order to raise awareness of potential policy mixes,
means of implementing policies and ways of measuring
impact
 Host country :The Republic of Equatorial Guinea
 Initial funding: US$3.6M
Science and Technology Capacity Building
in Africa - Institutional Level
African Research and Innovation Council,
 Decision: Ex/CL/Dec216 (VII), Sirte Libya
2005
 Aimed to build and sustain a continental
research policy nexus that promotes the
production of high level scientific research to
address Africa development
 Funds from SIDA
 Feasibility study developed
 Maiden document proposed for AMCOST
meeting in Congo Brazzaville
Science and Technology Capacity Building
in Africa - Institutional Level
Pan African University Initiative, Implemented under
AUC/HRST Education Division Aimed
 To
develop human capital and critical mass of scientists through
training high-level professionals needed to drive the development of
Africa;
 To conduct scientific research in key priority areas of ( (i) Basic
Sciences, Technology and Innovation (ii) Life and Earth Sciences
(including health and agriculture) (iii) Water, Energy Sciences
(including climate change (iv) Space Sciences (v) Governance,
Humanities and Social Sciences.
To date the following have been established:
 Four thematic regional hubs of excellence across the geopolitical
zones of Africa – Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Algeria
 Scholarships offered for M.sc and PhD program : Effective start date is
November 2012
Science and Technology Capacity Building in
Africa - Thematic Level
Support to Member States in implementing the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety and the African Model Law on
Biosafety for:
o Establishment and Strengthening of Institutional frame
work
o Awareness Raising and Biosafety Information Exchange
o Capacity Building and Preparedness for International
Negotiations
o Policy and Legal Frameworks
o International Cooperation
o Sustainable Mechanism
Science and Technology Capacity Building in
Africa - Thematic Level
Support to MS implementing the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety and the African Model Law on Biosafety for:
 Developed African common positions in international
negotiations on biosafety,
 Built capacity > 90 African experts on biosafety risk
assessment and management techniques,
 Developed Issue Papers on biosafety, African Strategy on
Biosafety and revised African Model Law to support
implementation of Biosafety,
 Reached agreement with RECs to mainstream biosafety in
their priority actions and ongoing process to establish a
continental coordination mechanism,
 Ongoing is Harmonization of GMO detection analysis and
development of guidelines on access and benefit sharing
of genetic resources
Science and Technology Capacity Building in
Africa - Thematic Level

Securing and Using Africa’s Indigenous and Traditional
Knowledge- AUC/STRC
 To link between the formal R&D institutions with local
communities that hold and use the knowledge to
better understand and use its own indigenous /
traditional knowledge tools techniques

Development of AU space science programme
Climate change
Water and desertification
Commercialization of R&D results (linking research to
industry)
Promoting African SMEs and business (incubators
networks, technology parks)
Technology and knowledge transfer
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International Cooperation
The Africa - EU Joint Strategy of 2007 that
has Partnership No. 8 dedicated to
Science Information Society and Space;
 India-Africa cooperation that successfully
organized a Ministerial Conference in New
Delhi in March 2012;
 Africa-Japan Cooperation that has
instituted a Ministerial platform (JASTMM)
for dialoguing and outlining action plan for
the support of African growth and
development.

The 8th Partnership on Science,
Information Society and Space
Adopted by the Heads of State and
Government of Europe and Africa since
Lisbon 2007, as solid framework for longterm, systematic and well integrated
cooperation
 Eight thematic partnerships addressing
issues of peace and security, governance,
trade, energy, migration, climate change
and, within the 8th Partnership (P8),
science, information society and space.

The 8th Partnership on Science,
Information Society and Space

The AU and EU Commissions agreed in 2008 on "The
Book of Lighthouse Projects", with a set of 19 projects
for cooperation in the fields of Science (12 projects),
Information Society (6 projects) and Space (2 projects).
Six of these projects were selected as early deliverables,
two in the field of Science: African Union Research
Grants (with a financing envelop of €14.7 million to
launch two calls of research), and Water and Food
Security in Africa and two in space science: The
African Global Monitoring for Environment and
Security (GMES-Africa) and African Reference Frame.
The 8th Partnership on Science,
Information Society and Space
An Africa-EU high-level policy dialogue
between Member States Officials and the
Commissions has been initiated.
 The first senior officials (SOM) high-level
policy dialogue between EU and AU
member states and of both commissions
took place on 10-11 Oct 2011 in Addis
Ababa.

The 8th Partnership on Science,
Information Society and Space

Preparations are underway for the
implementation of the first SOM
recommendations which include the
mapping of existing initiatives in S&T and
identification of gaps; and identification of
effective financial mechanisms to support
these joint initiatives.
India- Africa Partnership
Declaration on S&T

New Delhi, 1-2 March 2012. Indian and
African Ministries and relevant institutions
forged an enhanced long term
developmental and strategic partnership
that will intensify efforts in addressing
issues of mutual and common interests in
science and technology, focusing on
issues of regional and continental
dimensions.
India- Africa Partnership
Declaration on S&T

The conference made key
recommendations to boost cooperation in
Capacity Building in Science and
Technology, Knowledge Transfer and
Adoption and collaboration in priority
research. Currently, the Commission and
India are intensifying efforts towards the
implementation of the New Delhi IndiaAfrica Science and Technology Ministerial
Declaration.
Major Challenges

Funding to implement most of the activities

Ownership

Sustainability of some of the existing
programs.
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