Science pupils in a laboratory
African
ministers, senior United Nations officials and representatives of the
private sector and civil society ended their meeting with a renewed
determination to prioritise innovation and improved funding for science
and technology education. This, they believed, would prompt the rapid
development of the continent.
The measures were announced at the
meeting, which was one of a series held in preparation for the Annual
Ministerial Review of the UN Economic and Social Council which will be
held in Geneva in July.The gathering called on the UN and the
World Intellectual Property Organisation to support greater emphasis on
science, technology and innovation as key to sustainable development in
Africa.Robust data on innovation are not
abundantly available, and what evidence there is suggests that levels of
innovation in Africa are relatively low, according to the conference’s
background note.
It indicated that research and
development intensity in Sub-Saharan Africa – excluding South Africa and
Tunisia – was less than 0.4 per cent of gross domestic product, which
is far short of the level recommended by UNESCO.In 2000, Africa accounted for less than 1
per cent of world expenditure on research and development, and more
than half of R&D was done in the public sector. The document also
noted that, in most cases, R&D funding was from government sources
and foreign donors.
Sub-Saharan Africa produced only 11,142
scientific journal articles in 2008 and of these, South Africa produced
almost half (46 per cent) followed by Nigeria (11 per cent) and Kenya (7
per cent). In other words, the three countries accounted for two-thirds
of Africa’s article output.In terms of innovation more broadly,
Africa also performed poorly and the background note argued that
mobilising, encouraging and leveraging innovation required action across
several areas, “most of which need government involvement”.
These include education, infrastructure,
communication and knowledge sharing mechanisms, regulatory and
intellectual property frameworks, access to finance, credit and
insurance, and good governance.
“The gap between the potential for
innovation and what is realised is in fact an opportunity – one that
requires realignment and strengthening of innovation systems, a
supportive environment and strong national and regional strategies,” the
document stated.
The ministerial meeting agreed on the following key priorities:
•Innovation can bring benefits across all
three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social and
environmental, and is key to accelerating achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals.
•Discussions at ECOSOC must lead to a
ministerial declaration that calls for much greater emphasis on the
contribution that STI can make to achieving sustainable development in
relation to the post-2015 development framework and implementation of
Rio+20 outcomes.
•The global policy approach to technology
and innovation must change to keep pace with changing models of
innovation and the new geography of innovation. Innovation is
increasingly open, global, networked and collaborative. The emergence of
new innovation players in countries of the South creates new
opportunities for Africa.
•Technology and innovation partnerships
for development must be multi-stakeholder, recognise the critical role
of the private sector and harness the resources it offers.
•Policy-makers in Africa should redouble
efforts to develop legal and policy frameworks, including intellectual
property legislation and policy, to release the region’s untapped
potential. Investments in education, research and development should be
increased. Support in moving ideas to development and to market should
be accelerated.
•African countries need support to build
their innovation infrastructure and the capacity to create domestic
technology solutions to local development challenges, as well as to
support the transfer, adaptation and dissemination of technology.
Commitments of support should emerge from the ECOSOC Annual Ministerial
Review.
•ECOSOC should maximise its potential as a
platform for multiple international efforts to support African
countries on STI capacity-building. It should identify mechanisms for
greater coordination among providers of STI assistance
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