Southern Africa workshop produces lessons for policymakers
Three lessons emerged from a workshop of a southern African science policy training series that took place in Cape Town last week.
The training—the last in the series—saw senior speakers such as Lidia Brito, head of science policy at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, lend Southern African Developing Community (SADC) policymakers a hand in tackling the challenges of formulating science policy in the region.
Other heavyweights also weighed in, including John Mugabe, the former head of science and technology at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (before it became an African Union agency), and Aggrey Ambali, his successor at the revamped NEPAD.
The lessons, all of which are applicable outside the southern African region, are summed up below.
1. Policy for science, or science for policy?
Many African countries now have science policies or are in the process of drawing them up. But the policies often have a limited impact on political processes that fall outside the general science policymaking bodies such as science ministries, research councils and science departments. This is a mistake, the workshop heard, as science is crucial for many policy areas beyond these narrow bodies. Departments of agriculture, of energy and of health need to be brought into the debate.
2. Political will comes from people, not systems
There is much debate about how to raise the profile of science on Africa’s political agenda. In some countries, such as Uganda, there are plans to set up a separate science ministry to help give science a stronger political platform. However, the workshop heard that in some countries, having separate ministries has ended up isolating science. Even some countries where science is a portfolio in the president’s office have failed to make headway on science policy formulation and implementation. The key, the workshop heard, is to make sure that the people that hold key science policy offices have the political clout and connections to secure strong backing for science across government.
3. One size doesn’t fit all
Southern Africa is made up of a heterogeneous bunch of countries. It ranges from sparsely populated Botswana to more densely populated Swaziland; from relatively wealthy South Africa to poor Lesotho. So it is not surprising that policies that work for one country may not work for another. Perhaps the most important message that emerged from the Cape Town workshop is that countries need to find out what works in their context, and not blindly follow others.
The final conference of the training course on science, technology and innovation policy for SADC countries was held in Cape Town from 7 to 9 May.