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The role of Africa in advancing science


From March 24-28, 2013, the first ever Festival of Science was held at the University of Makerere in Kampala, Uganda (BBC, March 18, 2013). Hosted by the BBC World Service, it showcased examples of significant international scientific research and explored how African science has contributed to the global science agenda.

The Festival of Science in Uganda provided a unique opportunity to showcase new innovations in a range of scientific areas, from agriculture to technology. Live daily radio broadcasts facilitated discussions on the changing nature of scientific research in an African context. The daily themes included: (1) Where is science in Africa? (2) Cutting edge science in Africa (3) Health in Africa (4) Agriculture and (5) The future – can Africa become a centre for global excellence in science?  

Following on from the Uganda science festival is the upcoming International Scientific Conference: Inauguration of the Advancement of Science in Africa, in Polokwane, South Africa, in the University of Limpopo from April 25-28, 2013.

The aim of the international conference is "to inventory and nurture the rich pool of scientific authors and their contributions in Africa and the Diaspora to provide the long overdue platform of expression of significant African participation in the advancement of science.” It also aims to attract international investment and scientific collaboration with the rest of the world in science education and research. “This would have the effect of attracting African scientists currently residing outside the continent to return to their home country, to discourage them from migrating outside the continent’s borders, and to unite the continent scientifically,” state the conference organizers.

The conference information states that, to date, there have been no Nobel winners emanating from science disciplines in African universities and no African university exclusively dedicated to African science and technology. Therefore they are calling on a serious effort to build a knowledge-based scientific community within the significant untapped potential in science. They also call for African governments to play a prominent role in financially supporting scientific research, laboratories, research teams and individual scientists.

Africa’s scientific potential for global recognition is immense. It includes a vast range of scientific areas. These include anthropology (cultures, languages and human development); archaeology (artefacts from ancient civilizations such as Timbuktu in Mali and Lalibela in Ethiopia); biology (African plants); biotechnology (tropical medicine); ecology (environmental management); entomology (insects and locust plagues); environmentalists; parasitologists (African parasites); and social scientists to name a few examples.

Most scientific research on Africa is conducted by researchers—African and non-African—based outside the continent. The conference therefore seeks to bring together a collective knowledge of African scientists and African science, in every scientific field, in order to shape a Vision of African Science for the continent’s present and future, to build an internal capacity that “uses external science as a complement and not a dependence of it.” It also hopes to strengthen the linkages between various research institutes and departments internally (within Africa), and to collectively network with global organizations for the advancement of science in Africa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/fesitval-of-science-uganda.html
http://www.allconferences.com/Science/
http://www.ul.ac.za

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