African Union taskforce proposes continental research council

An African Union-appointed taskforce has recommended the creation of a continental research council, to ensure that science becomes an effective instrument in overcoming underdevelopment, creating wealth and improving livelihoods in Africa.

The taskforce concluded that the case for the establishment of an African Research Council (ARC) was strong, as it could fill important gaps in the terrain of research in Africa and help the continent in its quest to better interface research and policy.

If properly structured and governed, a council could become a standard-bearer for the best in African science – organising the production of research within defined fields, facilitating dialogue with policy communities, acting as a voice for African science in and outside the continent, and contributing to strengthening the institutional basis of science at the national, sub-regional and regional levels.

The report of the seven-member taskforce, whose convener and chair was respected Nigerian academic Adebayo Olukoshi, was presented to the African Conference of Ministers of Science and Technology held from 12-15 November in Congo Brazzaville.

The taskforce was mandated by the African Union’s (AU) department of human resources, science and technology to review the feasibility of the establishment of an ARC and the role such a council might play.

The department is responsible for promoting African higher education by building a solid constituency for scientific research, forging partnerships that advance science, encouraging harmonised standards across national boundaries, working with states to improve national and regional research and development systems, and stimulating cross-border scientific exchanges, among other things.

The taskforce noted that major investments in research and development (R&D) had underpinned the development of most of the world’s advanced economies.

For example, at the dawn of the new millennium the United States and European Union accounted for about 37% and 23% respectively of all global expenditure on R&D, resulting in their together producing 76% of global scientific publications.

By making similar investments, China had grown its contribution to global scientific publications to 10% over five years, today was second only to the US in terms of its output of research, and was rapidly increasing its share of patents, innovation and markets.

In contrast, said the taskforce report, Africa’s R&D investments were a mere 0.8% of global investments and the continent produced only 1.4% of the world’s scientific publications. Little wonder, then, that only 0.1% of global patents were currently owned by Africans.

The report added that although African leaders took the first step towards responding to the R&D challenge when they resolved that they would allocate 1% of gross domestic product to research, to date only South Africa was meeting this commitment.

Hence the need for the establishment of the ARC, to support attempts to bridge the gap.

The taskforce proposed that the ARC’s funding should initially come from a mix of yearly allocations from the African Union Commission (AUC) and African countries. African philanthropists and foundations, and Africa’s bilateral and multilateral development cooperation partners, were cited as other potential funders.

But the report added that the research council’s long-term sustainability, presence and impact should be guaranteed through the establishment of a trust fund that would assure a steady flow of core resources for its work.

The basis for this was that the history of the development of institutions in Africa was replete with examples of noble initiatives that came to nothing on account of an inadequate reflection on how they might be sustained over the long term.

The taskforce said that on the basis of an extensive review and feedback from a broad cross-section of leaders of key African scientific institutions consulted, it recommended that:

• • The ARC be established as an autonomous pan-African scientific institutional resource that enjoys the full sponsorship of the AU and AUC.
  
• • The council’s mandate be centered on the mobilisation, primarily on an open competitive basis, of research knowledge produced in various fields of science for the purpose of the advancement of the African development agenda.
  
• • Its broad policy directions be set by the AUC and associated stakeholders assembled into a governing council to be chaired at the highest level of the commission.
  
• • Its programme priorities be informed by concerns integral to the unfolding African development agenda in which member states of the AU and interest groups represented in organs such as Economic, Social and Cultural Council have a stake.

A similar proposal for an African research fund was made last year by the Southern African Regional Universities Association, and its ideas likely fed into the AU taskforce report.

The taskforce also recommended that the council’s operations be structured to adhere to the highest standards of institutional integrity and scientific excellence for which a strong scientific committee – comprising a mix of accomplished and respected scholars, institution builders and seasoned administrators of research institutions – would be indispensable.

It added that the scientific autonomy and credibility of the council, along with the integrity and transparency of its governance, should not be negotiable if it is to be the voice for African science in the international knowledge system.

The report also said concerted efforts towards research in Africa could go a long way towards solving some of the continent’s problems, including that most of the countries that are not expected to meet several Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015 are African.

It said ways must be sought to ensure that Africa’s immense natural resource endowments do not become a liability but are transformed in a sustainable manner.

It also noted that science is capable of providing solutions to challenges such as HIV-Aids – 70% of all people infected with the virus live in Africa, and it kills 1.3 million Africans a year. In addition, child and maternal mortality rates in Africa stand at 900 per 100,000 births, the highest for any region of the world.