UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

Southern Africa
Following the elections of 2013, the incoming government
replaced the Medium Term Plan 2011–2015 elaborated by its
predecessor with a new development plan, the Zimbabwe
Agenda for Sustainable Economic Transformation (ZimAsset,
2013–2018). One objective of ZimAsset is to rehabilitate and
upgrade national infrastructure, including the national power
grid, road and railway network, water storage and sanitation,
buildings and ICT-related infrastructure (UNESCO, 2014b).
In 2013, the Ministry of Science and Technology Development
(dating from 2005) was disbanded and its portfolio
relegated to the newly established Department of Science
and Technology within the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Science and Technology Development.
The same year, the government approved four national research
priorities proposed by the Research Council of Zimbabwe:
n The social sciences and humanities;
n Sustainable environmental and resource management;
n Promoting and maintaining good health; and
n The national security of Zimbabwe.
A worrying exodus of skills
Zimbabwe has a long research tradition that dates back a
century. However, the economic crisis has precipitated an
exodus of university students and professionals in key areas
of expertise (medicine, engineering, etc.) that is of growing
concern. More than 22% of Zimbabwean tertiary students are
completing their degrees abroad. In 2012, there were just 200
researchers (head count) 24 employed in the public sector, onequarter
of whom were women. The government has created
the Zimbabwe Human Capital Website to provide information
for the diaspora on job and investment opportunities in
Zimbabwe. Of note is that ZimAsset contains no specific
targets for increasing the number of scientists and engineers
(UNESCO, 2014b).
Despite the turbulence of recent years, Zimbabwe’s education
sector remains sound. In 2012, 91% of youth aged 15–24 years
were literate, 53% of the population aged 25 years or more
had completed secondary education and 3% of adults held a
tertiary qualification. The government is planning to establish
two new universities with a focus on agricultural science and
technology: Marondera and Monicaland State Universities
(UNESCO, 2014b).
The long-standing University of Zimbabwe is particularly
active in research, producing more than 44% of Zimbabwe’s
scientific publications in 2013. Productivity is fairly low but the
number of publications has grown since 2005 (Figure 20.6).
The past decade has seen an extraordinary rise in the number
of copublications with foreign partners, which now represent
75–80% of all Zimbabwean publications in the Web of Science
(UNESCO, 2014b).
Poor linkages with industry
Public–private linkages remain weak. With the exception
of the long-standing tobacco industry and others oriented
towards agriculture, there has traditionally been little
collaboration between industry and academia in Zimbabwe.
The current regulatory framework hampers the transfer of
technology to the business sector and the development of
industrial R&D, despite the commercialization of research
results being one of the major goals of the Second Science,
Technology and Innovation Policy (UNESCO, 2014b).
The government is currently analysing new legislation that
would promote local cutting and polishing of diamonds to
create an estimated 1 700 new jobs. It has already slashed
license fees for local cutting and polishing firms. Mining
accounts for 15% of GDP and generates about US$ 1.7 billion
in exports annually; despite this, the government receives
royalties of only US$ 200 million. Currently, the entire stock
of diamonds is exported in raw form. The new legislation will
require companies to pay a 15% value-added tax but they will
incur a 50% discount if they decide to sell their diamonds to the
Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (UNESCO, 2014b).
CONCLUSION
From economic integration to a regional innovation
system?
To date, intra-African trade remains dismally low, at
approximately 12% of total African trade, 25 in spite of the
formation of numerous regional economic communities. Both
prominent pan-African organizations, such as the African
Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD), and regional bodies such as SADC have clear visions
of the criteria for integration and the rationale behind it. The
development of regional STI programmes is high on the list of
priorities. However, several factors are hampering economic
integration, including the similar economic structure of
countries – based on mineral resources and agriculture –, poor
economic diversification and low levels of intraregional trade.
Nevertheless, the most formidable obstacle of all to regional
integration is probably the resistance of individual governments
to relinquishing national sovereignty.
Some argue that the only feasible route to sustainable
socio-economic development, which has eluded most
African countries, is to pursue regional integration.
Chapter 20
24. or 95 full-time equivalents
25. compared to about 55% in Asia and 70% in Europe
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