Science diplomacy to build capacity for Africa
The challenges faced by our planet know no borders, and neither should science
Countries across the world are harnessing science and technology to boost their economic competitiveness and their citizens’ quality of life. Governments are investing in and developing science and technology capacity, including human capital and research infrastructure, but few, if any, countries have the required resources to progress as they need to on their own. International co-operation in science and technology — science diplomacy — is therefore an imperative.
This is also true for South Africa and, over the past 22 years, the department of science and technology has made strenuous efforts to grow and nurture a rich and diverse portfolio of international partnerships. These relations have had significant benefits for the country, among other things leveraging international funding for research and innovation in South Africa, supporting international training and mobility programmes for the next generation of South African researchers and, crucially, enabling South Africa to share in global experience and expertise.
Consistent with South Africa’s foreign policy priority of advancing Africa’s growth and development, as articulated in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the department has also consistently sought to access international resources to support the strengthening of regional and African science capacity. Increasingly, South Africa is playing a leading role in trilateral partnerships with American, Asian and European partners to support other African countries in building their science systems.
Research, development and innovation and, of course, science diplomacy, will continue to play a decisive role in addressing South Africa’s triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, and in fostering the African Renaissance. In a rapidly changing political, economic and social global environment, South Africa’s science diplomacy strategy must be dynamic and responsive.
About 15% of research and development (R&D) funding in South Africa comes from foreign sources, and foreign investment should not be neglected in efforts to grow South Africa’s overall R&D expenditure. In this context, future priorities will include positioning the country as a preferred destination for science, technology and innovationorientated foreign investment, especially for multinational companies seeking to relocate their R&D activities to other countries. Philanthropic organisations will also be targeted, as they are increasingly seeking to invest in science and technology programmes that address development objectives.
It is also important to facilitate increased access to international postgraduate training opportunities for South African students, especially in science domains where capacity in the South African higher education system is insufficient to ensure that the targets for PhD production set in the National Development Plan are met. Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor has launched the Global Knowledge Partnerships platform, which is dedicated to enhancing South Africa’s uptake of a range of fellowship and bursary programmes offered by international partners. This platform will also ensure that international training opportunities are aligned with South Africa’s priorities and that students are absorbed productively into the national system of innovation when their training is completed.
Another priority is to promote South Africa’s participation in transnational research and innovation programmes, which not only enable South Africa to tap into international experience and expertise, but also to contribute to global science efforts to address worldwide societal challenges such as climate change. The challenges faced by our planet know no borders, and neither should science. International co-operation in science and technology will enable a successful global response to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition to science diplomacy’s value in enabling South Africa and Africa to build their science and technology capacity further, it has other less tangible but no less important benefits. For example, programmes that provide young African scientists with the opportunity to work together, get to know one another better, and to learn more about one another’s countries, are valuable instruments for supporting processes of regional co-operation and integration.
Successful international cooperation in science thrives when it is underpinned by strong personal relations across borders, cultures and languages. Science diplomacy, however, also plays a valuable role in bringing people together, and fostering international friendship, solidarity and understanding. These are precious commodities, not only for South Africa and Africa, but for the broader global community in these uncertain and risky times. The department’s commitment to science diplomacy thus builds on democratic South Africa’s proud commitment to multilateralism and working for peace and prosperity globally.
Daan du Toit is deputy directorgeneral: international co-operation resources at the department of science and technology.
In a rapidly changing political, economic and social global environment, South Africa’s science diplomacy strategy must be dynamic and responsive.