SGCI News

Participating councils of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) deliberated on progress, focus and initiatives to advance research and innovation since the SGCI was established. Participating in…

Participating councils of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) deliberated on progress, focus and initiatives to advance research and innovation since the SGCI was established.

Participating in the SGCI’s Annual Forum held parallel to the World Science Forum (WSF), hosted by South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) in Cape Town, delegates provided strategic progress by their Science Granting Councils (SGCs) made since joining the initiative. Councils from the following countries are members: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Nigeria.

The SGCI Annual Forum is part of the series of high-level dialogues and engagements hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF) on the side-lines of the WSF. The SGCI holds these dialogues annually as part of its strategy to strengthen partnerships, share experiences and practices on a range of emerging topics, and network amongst themselves and with other science system actors within and outside the African continent. 

Launched in March 2015, the SGCI aims to strengthen the capacities of Science Granting Councils in the 18 member states. The NRF jointly funds the SGCI along with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Through investments, the SGCI has provided grants to eligible Councils to manage research calls that correspond to their national and regional research and development agendas. It has embarked on a drive to support select countries in West Africa to establish SGCs – while strengthening the existing research funding structures in other countries in the region. Furthermore, the SGCI is supporting Councils to develop policy frameworks and enabling structures for public private partnerships.

Delegates at the Annual Forum reflected on how the SGCI has enabled them to leverage additional research and innovation funding, promote partnerships with local and international science actors, and unlock research success in terms of new products and knowledge uptake. They also reflected how they have leveraged additional funding support from their government.

In Botswana, Malawi, Namibia and Tanzania, the governments have made commitments and increased their financial commitments for research. For instance, the National Science and Technology Council of Zambia council has effectively doubled the funding from the government recently.

Many of the councils discussed the importance of the intra-Africa regional collaborations that have been enabled through the SGCI. They are now funding research projects together and strengthening the networks amongst themselves.

The SGCI meetings are hosted during 4-8 December. Media wishing to cover the meetings should contact the NRF Media Relations Officer, Bongani Nkosi, at b.nkosi@nrf.ac.za or +27 61 477 3064.


Countries




Categories



Related News

Cow Photo by Noelle Otto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-cow-with-yellow-and-white-tag-on-head-3602270/

Artificial insemination a win for Zimbabwe’s farmers

[Manzini, SciDev.Net] Zimbabwean farmer Freedom Sibanda used to sell his goats for US$30 each. Now, through crossbreeding techniques, one goat can fetch up to US$60 at market. Many smallholder farmers across Zimbabwe struggle with low livestock productivity and poverty. Traditional breeding methods often fail, leaving…

The forested section of Ngong Hills in Kenya. Rising deforestation and climate pressures are putting vital African food sources at risk. Copyright: Rotsee (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Forest loss adds to Africa’s food crisis

[SciDev.Net] Millions of people parts of Africa are facing record levels of hunger, the UN World Food Programme has warned. Yet at the same time, the region is rapidly losing forests, one of its most valuable food sources. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization,…

De Beers diamond mine in Jwaneng, Botswana. Copyright: Esther Dyson on Flickr

Sand solution could cut mining cost in Botswana

[MAUN, BOTSWANA] Researchers in Botswana have converted ordinary sand into specialized mining chemicals that could slash the country’s mining operational costs by a third while ending its dependence on imported chemicals. Scientists at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) have developed a…