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• The Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao stated in January 2009 thatChina should move forward some 600 billion yuan ($88 billion)in planned spending on science and technology investments tohelp the country achieve a faster rebound from the global financialcrisis.• In addition, the Indian Premier also announced this year a doublingof India’s investment in science from one to two percent of the nationalincome.• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law byPresident Obama earlier this year includes a $US 17 billion investmentin scientific research, including investments at the NationalInstitutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, amongothers. Regarding new technologies, the package also includesnearly $US 40 billion in investments in America’s information technology(IT) network infrastructure (including broadband, health, ITand a smarter energy grid) which will create close to a million USjobs, more than half of which will be in small businesses.These examples should not be lost on Africa and I hope the deliberationsconducted over the next three days will address how African countriescan use science and technology not only to shield themselves from thecurrent crisis, but also to propel their economies to become more competitivefor growth.It must be noted that similar trends are coming out of Africa:• In Ghana, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)developed 20 new crop varieties. These include maize, rice, sorghum,groundnuts, soya beans, cowpea, cassava, yam and plantainand the Council also developed pozzolana cement from local clay asa substitute for clinker, which is used for the production of Portlandcement.• South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology plans to invest$US 7.7 million in a nanotechnology research centre that willhouse a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The centreis to be located at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Universityin Port Elizabeth.Integrating Africa245