Africa-wide S&T organizations

Academy of Sciences for the Developing World - Sub-Saharan Africa Subsite (TWAS-ROSSA)

TWAS-ROSSA, currently hosted by the African Academy of Sciences in Nairobi, Kenya, promotes the activities of TWAS and its affiliated organisations in Africa, including training of fellows, issuing of grants and awards and networking amongst its members. The TWAS-ROSSA regional office is working to enhance the visibility of TWAS among young and promising scientists, policy makers and media, through the organisation of public lectures, discussion meetings, television programmes, and local newspapers/magazines, identifying eminent scientists in the region and nominating them for TWAS membership and awards, and assessing the vitality and effectiveness of TWAS activities in the region.

27/10/2006

AfricaArray

This is a long-term (20 years) initiative to promote, in the full spirit of NEPAD, coupled training and research programs for building and maintaining a scientific workforce for Africa’s natural resource sector – petroleum, minerals and water– which is a major driving force for economic development. Initially, AfricaArray is focusing on geophysics to maintain and develop geophysical training programs in response to industry, government and university needs; and promote geophysical research, and establish an Africa-to-Africa research support system. It will also obtain geophysical data, through a network of shared observatories, for studying scientific targets of economic and societal importance, as well as fundamental geological processes shaping the African continent. Based at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, AfricaArray offers MSc and PhD programmes, as well as grants, scholarships and other funding arrangements.

24/08/2007

AfricaLink

AfricaLink is a division of USAID that supports regional networks of African policy makers and scientists in agriculture, natural resource management, and the environment.

15/12/2004

African Academy of Sciences (AAS)

The African Academy of Sciences is an autonomous professional, non-political and non-profit organization. The Academy's mandate covers four main areas: mobilization and strengthening of the African scientific community; publication and dissemination of scientific materials; research development and policy; and capacity building in science and technology.

15/12/2004

African Agricultural Capital (AAC)

The AAC is a new investment facility created by the Rockefeller and Gatsby Charitable Foundations and VolksvermogenNV specifically to invest in small and medium-sized agriculture-related businesses in East Africa. Based in Kampala, the AAC aims to be the leading investor in small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the agriculture value chain, whether providing inputs and services to farmers or offering farmers improved access to market opportunities.

4/04/2006

African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)

AATF (African Agricultural Technology Foundation) seeks to link needs of resource-poor, smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with potential (bio-)technological solutions through: (1) identifying and facilitating royalty free transfers of proprietary technologies through negotiation; (2) entering into contractual agreements with existing institutions that will manage deployment of the technologies; and (3) ensuring that subsequent constraints after access are addressed. The Nairobi-based AATF is funded by USAID, the Rockefeller Foundation and DFID, and is supported by four of the world's largest agricultural companies - Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta and Dow AgroSciences. See also: SciDev.net, 18 June 2004: Small-scale farmers get technology boost in Africa and Washington Post, 11 March 2003: To feed hungry Africans, firms plant seeds of science.

27/12/2004

African Centre for Biosafety (ACB)

The ACB was conceived in response to the urgent need to address the actual and potential risks posed by genetic engineering (GE) in Africa by campaigning for GMOs to be subject to the most stringent biosafety measures. The ACB promotes the publication of the views and concerns of African civil society groups on issues relating to biosafety and solidarity amongst these groups. See Why Africa should adopt the OAU African Model Law on Safety in Biotechnology, Mariam Mayet (2003).

15/12/2004

African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)

ACTS is an international intergovernmental policy research and training organization located in Nairobi, Kenya. The Centre's activities focus on the implementation of Agenda 21 and related conventions on biological diversity, biotechnology, water resources, climate change and desertification.

15/12/2004

African Conservation Tillage (ACT) Network

The ACT is an international association of private, public and NGO sectors, including farmers, input and machinery manufacturers and suppliers, researchers and extensionists, who believe that the adoption of conservation tillage principles and practices in Africa can not only reduce but reverse the environmental degradation that is devastating the continent. The association disseminates information and experiences in the adaptation and adoption of conservation farming principles and practices in order to enhance the capacities and abilities of stakeholders and promotes the adoption of sustainable soil-water management practices.

15/12/2004

African Development Bank (ADB)

The ADB is a regional multilateral development finance institution based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, that is engaged in mobilising resources towards the economic and social progress of its regional member countries. The ADB has recently created a new division of tertiary, science, technical and vocational training, which will focus on skills creation through assistance to tertiary education as well as on science and technology. The objective of the division is to assist African countries to achieve the MDGs and, through the development of a skilled human capital base, position Africa for the expansion of employment opportunities, globalisation and competitiveness. Contact: afdb@afdb.org

27/10/2006

African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)

AERC is a public non-profit organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, devoted to strengthening the local capacity for independent policy research relevant to the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa. AERC is part of the Global Development Network (GDN) of policy and research institutes that support the generation, sharing and application of development knowledge to policy.

15/12/2004

African Forest Research Network (AFORNET)

AFORNET is a network of African forest research scientists that promotes quality research on the use, management and conservation of African forest and tree resources. It also aims to strengthen multidisciplinary and multi-country research. AFORNET operates a research grants scheme with the aim of promoting and strengthening individual scientists’ research capacity in order to retain outstanding scholars for generating and disseminating knowledge that is relevant to development. The Network offers fellowship programmes for both junior and senior scientists.

27/10/2006

African Geo-Information Research Network (AGIRN)

The AGIRN portal has been created to address one of the key concerns of the geo-information community in Africa. Over the decades there have been many projects, research studies and papers presented by African experts at conferences and meetings, but very few of them became accessible. The Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Centre and EIS-AFRICA decided to develop a geo-information research portal that would provide a forum where African researchers can publish and access high-quality work, share in geo-information knowledge and engage in discussions through a widely accessible web-based medium. This portal aims to serve not only geo-information practitioners, but also the many decision makers and planners across the continent.

24/08/2007

African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST)

The council is a high-level policy and political forum for ministers of science and technology from all member states of the African Union, set up in November 2003 under the auspices of NEPAD to build a strong political constituency and leadership to promote Africa’s scientific and technological development. The council’s remit is to enable African countries to collectively harness and apply science and technology to transform their economies and achieve the MDGs. It promotes S&T cooperation among African countries. Contact details: ohn@nrf.ac.za

27/10/2006

African Network of Scientific and Technology Institutions (ANSTI)

ANSTI brings together African institutions engaged in university-level training and research in science and technology, and was founded in 1980 through the financial support of UNDP, UNESCO and the German government. ANSTI has 98 member institutions in 33 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It aim is to develop active collaboration among African scientific institutions to promote R&D in areas of relevance to the development of the region. ANSTI emphasises the pooling of resources available in the region so as to provide quality training and research in various scientific disciplines. Contact details: info@ansti.org

27/10/2006

African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI)

ASADI was established in 2004 to strengthen African academies’ ability to inform government policy-making and public discourse with independent, evidence-based advice. The initiative - supported by a $20 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by the U.S. National Academies - will be carried out in Africa over the next decade. Africa’s S&T capacity is limited and unevenly distributed. Moreover, existing S&T knowledge in academia and industry in many African countries is disconnected from decision-making - decreasing the likelihood that the research community will contribute to policy improvements that would ultimately benefit the public at large. Stronger science academies can foster measures to save lives or raise the standard of living by settling key questions on topics such as malaria prevention, sustainable development, or agricultural production. The science academies of Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa were chosen as the initial focal points for the initiative. Some of the preliminary activities involve helping these academies hire and train staff members, implement administrative procedures, manage finances, conduct scientific studies, and organize forums and major meetings.

7/02/2007

African Science News Service (ASNS)

African scientific societies and associations

African scientific societies and associations. Directories listing African organizations by country, region and by discipline, maintained by the Africa Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

15/12/2004

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

ATPS is a multi-disciplinary network of researchers, policy makers and other end-users interested in the generation, promotion and strengthening of innovative technology/industrial policies in Africa. With a regional secretariat in Nairobi, and national chapters in 17 countries, ATPS aims to become a centre of excellence and brokerage between science and technology policy researchers and technology makers and implementers in sub-Saharan Africa. ATPS publishes a series of 'Technopolicy Briefs'.

15/12/2004

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

AGRA is committed to reducing hunger and poverty in Africa through agricultural development targeted to resource-poor farmers. AGRA will conduct high level policy formation, advocacy and communications, provide access to high level African and global leaders and to donors, and mobilize resources and political commitments for itself and complementary activities. AGRA will be supported by Programs for a Green Revolution in Africa (ProGRA), an organization that is capable of receiving substantial funding for redistribution to improve the productivity and profitability of small-scale farming in Africa. The first major initiative of ProGRA is Program for Africa’s Seed System (PASS) that operates in 20 African countries. PASS includes five projects at a total cost of $150 million over five years, of which the Rockefeller will contribute $50 million and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $100 million. See also http://www.africancrops.net/news/sept06/agra.htm

7/02/2007