The
African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST)
was established in November 2003 under the auspices of the
AU and NEPAD. This high-level forum for AU Ministers of
Science and Technology seeks to develop policies and
priorities on STI for African development. AMCOST also
provides political and policy leadership for the
implementation of the CPA.
AFRICA’S
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CONSOLIDATED PLAN OF ACTION:
At its second meeting, AMCOST adopted Africa’s Science and
Technology CPA, which articulates the continent’s commitment
to developing and applying S&T. The overall goals of the CPA
are to enable Africa to harness and apply science,
technology and related innovations to eradicate poverty and
achieve sustainable development, and to ensure that Africa
contributes to the global pool of scientific knowledge and
technological innovations. The CPA outlines five flagship
research and development programmes to be implemented
between 2006 and 2010: biodiversity, biotechnology and
indigenous knowledge; energy, water and desertification;
material sciences, manufacturing, laser and post-harvest
technologies; mathematical sciences; and information,
communication and space science technologies. The programmes
and projects outlined in the CPA focus on:
improving infrastructure and facilities for research and
development and promoting the shared use of such facilities;
creating institutional and policy arrangements that enable
African countries to mobilize and share their resources for
conducting science and generating technological innovations;
strengthening the continent’s human skills base by
increasing the number of scientists, technicians and
engineers;
improving the quality and intensity of regional cooperation;
building a strong political and civil society constituency
for S&T in Africa;
improving the quality of STI policies of African countries
through processes that promote the sharing of experiences;
strengthening the capacity of regional economic bodies to
mainstream S&T into their sectoral programmes and projects;
promoting the application of S&T to achieve specific MDGs;
and
promoting innovative ways of financing S&T in Africa.
STRUCTURE:
AMCOST functions through two subsidiary bodies: the AMCOST
Bureau of Ministers and a Science and Technology Steering
Committee (AMCOST Steering Committee), which comprises
permanent secretaries or their equivalent. The Steering
Committee oversees the development and implementation of
programme activities, including the formulation of business
plans. It is also responsible for reviewing the progress of
CPA implementation. In addition to these two bodies, the AU
Commission provides political and policy leadership and the
NEPAD Office of Science and Technology provides technical
and intellectual leadership for implementation of the CPA.
The
current Chair of AMCOST is Senegal. Bureau members for
2005-2007 are: the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Steering Committee
members for 2005-2007 are: Madagascar and Rwanda for Eastern
Africa; the Democratic Republic of Congo for Central Africa;
Ghana and the Ivory Coast for Western Africa; Algeria and
Tunisia for Northern Africa; and Mozambique and Malawi for
Southern Africa.
NEPAD Office of Science and Technology: The NEPAD
Office of Science and Technology provides overall technical
and intellectual leadership for the implementation of the
CPA. Its specific roles include: mobilizing and directing
technical expertise, including networks of centers of
excellence, for the implementation of programmes and
projects; convening meetings of the AMCOST Science and
Technology Steering Committee; providing technical
leadership for the establishment of the proposed ASIF;
providing technical support to the AU Commission’s policy
processes and activities; monitoring international trends in
S&T and making necessary adjustments to the CPA to
respond to these trends; and monitoring and reporting on
programme and project implementation. |