Harnessing SEM to Address Africa’s Challenges

IAP for Policy, in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), and supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY), completed a three year project framed around Africa’s efforts to deliver the global SDGs, the priorities under STISA 2024 and the NASAC Strategic Plan. There is wide recognition that science, engineering, and medicine are critical to sustaining and building on the positive momentum that has been achieved in Africa. Currently, the research output of African Union member nations is small but is growing at rates similar to emerging science leaders such as Brazil, India and China. Despite encouraging progress in some areas and in some countries, Africa continues to face severe challenges in improving education, strengthening infrastructure, ensuring food security and access to sustainable water resources, building resilience to natural disasters and climate change, and combatting infectious diseases, among others.

The project, led by a working group co-chaired by Professor Robin Crewe, Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria, and Professor Oyewale Tomori, former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, engaged African and non-African leaders in science, engineering and medicine, African governments, bodies such as the United Nations and the African Union, the global donor community, industry, and other stakeholders in activities that demonstrate the value of independent academy science-policy advice, with the ultimate goal of ensuring sustainability of national investment of science and technology.  

Project Output

• Harnessing Science, Engineering and Medicine to Address Africa's Challenges: The Role of African National Academies: Report -- July 2019 
• Science Advice for Policy Fellowship -- April - June 2019
• Science Advice for Policy Workshop -- March 2019
• African Academies Diaspora Fellowship Program -- March 2018
• Academy survey to inform the study -- 10 October 2016
  • NASAC member survey
  • African National Young Academy survey
• Project Launch Press Release -- 21 September 2016
• Academy Reports Related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- 18 October 2017