To support poverty reduction and achieve the SDGs, STI systems in Africa need to be strengthened. Building up and invigorating Africa’s scientific systems, encouraging research, creating opportunities to nurture and support research output, slow down brain drain, address gender inequalities and accelerate towards a knowledge-based society are critical elements for Africa’s future.
This project is an initiative within UNESCO’s global framework for monitoring, policy support and advocacy for the “UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers” (RS|SR).
Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), this initiative aims to ensure that governments and national science institutions in six African pilot countries (Congo, Ghana, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) are taking measures to strengthen their national and regional STI policies, governance of STI, and institutions in research and innovation in accordance with the RS|SR.
Africa-wide advocacy for the RS|SR will ensure that benefits also extend beyond the six pilot countries and lessons learnt on good practices of coalition of scientific collaboration in response to the SDGs are shared.
In the African context, the RS|SR offers a comprehensive, up-to-date and highly relevant statement on how the institutional organization of science relates to the intrinsic values of science, the rights and responsibilities of scientists and scientific researchers, and to the role of STI systems in achieving national development objectives.
The project's objective is to support action in six African countries to
- benchmark STI systems against the RS|SR,
- strengthen capacities to design policy responses in national priority areas and to monitor progress, and
- establish a community of practice to underpin sustainable STI strengthening.
