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Q3 2015There has also been a shortage of skillssharing—staff mobility across Africaremains constrained, giving rise to initiativessuch as the Nyerere Programme,which has been key in promoting portabilityof degrees across Africa.Cognisant of this, the AU Commissionhas been committed in advocating forbridging the gap between disparate educationalsystems and fostering academicintegration.Despite a minimum target of 1% of GDPin funding to Research and Development,African countries remain well short ofmeeting it.But this has steadily been changing withmore collaborations and other encouragingtrends seen in Africa, Dr. AldoStroebel, the executive director of theNational Research Foundation, says.Despite the enormous diversity amongAfrican countries, the one constant isthat skills are necessary for development;and for growth that moves away fromjust resource extraction to value additionand adaptation of technology to localconditions.AU Commissioner for Human Resources,Science and Technology Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga summarises it succinctly:“In as much as the tool is efficient, it isonly realisable in the right environment,and particularly, with the right implementation.”Yet basic infrastructure such as broadbandto drive ICT has also more oftenthan not initially been funded by outsidepartners, such as the Partnership forHigher Education in Africa (PHEA)project.To change the continent’s fortunes andtrajectory, investment in science, technologyand innovation must therefore bedeliberately up scaled, experts say. Areassuch as water and sanitation, health, energy,agriculture, climate change andnatural resources will all benefit from anincreased focus on STI, which is seen asthe missing catalyst for wider economicgrowth and development.RebootThe overarching position is that Africanpolicymakers need to reboot their approachtowards promoting STI. There hasalready been a renewed focus in this areain national policy, and also at the highestlevels on the continent.The adoption of the anchor STISA-2024strategy by African heads of state was abig step towards this, while the plannedmove for a trust fund dedicated towardsSTI announced recently by African ministersin Rabat only adds more impetus tothe push.STISA-2024’s four main pillars of developingresearch infrastructure, enhancingprofessional and technical competencies,promoting entrepreneurship andinnovation; and providing an enablingenvironment for STI development inAfrica address the main issues for thecontinent, with the message that memberstates, RECs and the AU all have synergeticroles to play.Other key players such as the AfricanDevelopment Bank (AfDB) have come upwith the Human Capital Strategy (2014-2018); UNESCO has the Priority Africa(2014-2021) while there have been moremoves to set up STI centres of excellencein universities all around the continent.New Markets Investor68