Harnessing Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) to Address Africa’S Challenges: the Role of African National Academies
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the interacademy partnership Report and Medicine (SEM) the Role of African National Academies African National the Role of to Address Africa’s Challenges: to Address Africa’s Harnessing Science, Engineering Harnessing Science, INTERACADEMY PARTNERSHIP HARNESSING SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE (SEM)TO ADDRESS AFRICA’S CHALLENGES JULY 2019 July 2019 LCCN: 2019907343 the interacademy partnership ISBN 978-1-7330379-2-1 Available for free download at: for free Available © Copyright The InterAcademy Partnership, 2019 http://www.interacademies.org/56874/SEM_for_Africa Harnessing Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) to Address Africa’s Challenges: the Role of African National Academies Report July 2019 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 4: Building Relations with Key Stakeholders .................................................................37 Working Group Members and Secretariat ......................................................................................... 5 Engaging with the academies ......................................................................................................37 (1) AMASA and NASAC meetings ...........................................................................................37 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 7 (2) Worldwide Meeting of Young Academies and meeting of Chapter 1: Introduction ..............................................................................................................12 African National Young Academies ....................................................................................38 Engaging with the policymaking community ..................................................................................39 Project objectives .......................................................................................................................15 Guest speakers at Working Group meetings .............................................................................39 Project design and methodology ..................................................................................................15 Engaging at the continental and regional level ......................................................................... 40 Chapter 2: Understanding the African Academy Landscape ........................................................17 (1) UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) .................................................................... 40 African national academies of science ..........................................................................................17 (2) AU structures: AOSTI, AUDA-NEPAD..................................................................................41 (3) IAP/NASAC regional workshop on the SDGs and STISA ...................................................... 44 Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) ...........................................................................18 (4) Science Forum South Africa 2016-2018 ............................................................................ 44 The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) .......................................................................................20 Engaging at the national level ................................................................................................ 45 The Global Young Academy and National Young Academies in Africa ...............................................21 The potential of African senior and young science academies .........................................................22 Chapter 5: Pilot Programmes .................................................................................................... 46 Other important science organisations in Africa .............................................................................23 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 46 Regional small grants programme ................................................................................................47 International Science Council Regional Office for Africa (ISC ROA) ..............................................23 Analysis and recommendations ..............................................................................................49 INGSA - Africa Chapter .........................................................................................................23 African Academies Diaspora Fellows Programme (AADFP) ..............................................................50 TWAS Regional Partners for Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa ..............................................23 Analysis and recommendations ..............................................................................................55 Survey of academies on SDGs and STISA .....................................................................................24 Building science leadership .........................................................................................................56 Overarching themes ..............................................................................................................24 Science policy workshop for early career researchers ...............................................................56 Science policy fellowships for early career researchers..............................................................58 Chapter 3: Understanding the Continental Policy Landscape in Africa ........................................27 Analysis and recommendations ..............................................................................................60 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................27 What are Agenda 2063 and STISA? .............................................................................................28 Chapter 6: Recommendations ....................................................................................................61 Agenda 2063 .......................................................................................................................28 Appendix 1: Guest practitioners at Working Group meetings and project initiatives ...............................65 Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024) ................................28 Appendix 2: Voluntary action plan developed at IAP/NASAC workshop on STISA-2024 and the SDGs ... 66 How do Agenda 2063 and STISA-2024 relate to the UN’s Agenda 2030? ...................................30 Appendix 3: List of acronyms ....................................................................................................... 68 How is STISA being implemented? ...............................................................................................30 Key AU and UN structures at the continental level ..........................................................................31 Key AU and UN structures at the regional level ............................................................................. 34 Why should academies support the SDGs and STISA? ...................................................................35 How can academies support the implementation of STISA and the SDGs? ........................................35 2 3 FOREWORD Working Group Members The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is a global network of over 140 science, engineering and medical Professor Robin Crewe (Co-Chair) Professor Cato Laurencin academies that work together to support the role of science in seeking solutions to the world’s most Centre for the Advancement, Scholarship Orthopaedic Surgery, Chemical and challenging problems. In 2016, a component of the Partnership, IAP for Policy (formerly IAP for University of Pretoria Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science Research), hosted by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, launched Member (and former president) of Academy and Engineering, & Biomedical Engineering a three-year project on Harnessing Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) to Address Africa’s of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) University of Connecticut Challenges. Funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and undertaken in partnership with Professor Oyewale Tomori (Co-Chair) Member, US National Academy of Engineering, US the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, this project was governed by an international National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of College of Natural Sciences, and African Center working group and supported by a professional secretariat. Arts and Sciences, and African Academy of Sciences of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases The primary objective of the project was to strengthen the African science community’s capacity (ACEGID) Professor Odile Macchi to support both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU STI Strategy for Africa Redeemer’s University Nigeria Director of Research (emerita) (STISA), with a particular focus on mobilising national science academies. The Working Group has Member (and former president), Nigerian CNRS - The National Center for Scientific Research drawn evidence from a survey of African academies, both senior and young; gained insights