Participants endorse basic science over sophisticated science for continent s advancement
CAIRO: African scientists and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives issued 18 recommendations Friday, lobbying for targeted promotion of science and technology in schools and more cooperation between governments and NGOs throughout the continent.
The recommendations came one week after the three-day meeting of the 2nd African Congress for Scientific Research and Technology (ACSRT) held in Cairo, the second gathering of its kind in Egypt in less than a month. Recommendations from ACSRT, along with ones from the Congress of African Scientists and Policymakers (Casp), held in Alexandria in late October, will be presented to this week s African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (Amcost).
But unlike Casp recommendations, which focused on convincing politicians in AU-member countries to set-aside funding for research and development and luring diaspora scientists back home, ACSRT urged more cooperation with NGOs and stimulating academic competition.
There are different stakeholders: governments, civil society, the people and media, Fred Oladeinde, president of La Fondation pour la Democratie en Afrique, a US-based NGO part of the AU Diaspora Initiative, told The Daily Star Egypt. Governments should not get involved in implementation; they re not efficient. And that s where NGOs should come in and leave legislation to the politicians.
Of the 18 recommendations issued, five proposed creating school programs to promote science and technology at early levels. Another four proposals targeted creating country, regional and continental-level awards for innovation. But all will likely face funding problems as most AU members have yet to agree to contribute 1 percent of their gross domestic products (GDP) to a common science and technology fund, a proposal raised in several previous AU Summits.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the combined nominal GDP of all African countries in 2005 reached $558 billion, of which South Africa, Egypt and Morocco contributed nearly 70 percent. Egypt s contribution, if such a pan-African science and technology fund were to be established, would amount to about LE 5.7 billion ($1 billion). It is estimated Egypt currently spends between 0.3 and 0.5 percent of its GDP on scientific research and development, a figure almost entirely contributed by the private sector.
AU cultural and media attaché Eglal Abdel Halim says ACSRT purposely sought the participation of NGOs because the conference s recommendations are unlikely to be implemented unless African populations pressure their governments.
People have to get involved, says Abdel Halim. If people do not recognize the importance of the issues, governments will not have the incentive to implement reforms.
One example presented at the conference of the impact of cooperation between NGOs and diaspora scientists was that of an Egyptian UCLA graduate student now working with 30 street children from two Mokattam slums to place 100 solar units on top of apartment buildings to heat water for their residents. The team has reached a third of its goal so far, allowing beneficiary families to have hot water supplies for an entire day before the units are activated the next morning to provide another day s supply. It is the type of basic science many ACSRT participants agree is needed for the continent s development, rather than sophisticated science.
How to bring hot water to a village, now that s an exciting engineering problem, it’s exciting science, not dull science, says Amin Tejpar, a Canada-based science and technology consultant. We just need to convince people of its importance . Why do we have to go after global science all the time? Why do we need to have biotechnology labs so we feel we can compete?
The Amcost meeting kicks off tomorrow and runs through Wednesday, during which recommendations from the ACSRT and Casp will be endorsed for a final list to be raised in January s African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa.
