Botswana to host SGCI Annual Forum & GRC Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting

The Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology will host the 2024 Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Annual Forum and the Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting from 11 to 15 November 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana at Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino. The forum will be held under the theme ‘Science Granting Councils in a Dynamic African Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Landscape’.

The forum will provide a platform for participants to engage in high-level discussions on various science, technology, and innovation (STI) themes and engage with the global network of partners in academia, industry, civil society, government, and intergovernmental organizations.

Since 2015, the African Science Granting Councils (SGCs) have hosted a series of high-level dialogues and engagements (the Annual Forum) 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.

The forum will include the SGCI Masterclass, learning and reflection Workshop, SGCI governance meetings, GRC SSA regional consultative meeting, and an academic Symposium, which will profile, showcase, and provide training targeted at SGCI-supported research projects.

The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) is a multilateral initiative that aims to strengthen the capacities of science funding agencies in sub-Saharan Africa to support research and evidence that can be used to inform policies that will contribute to economic and social development.
Hosting the forum will provide a platform for local institutions to meet and network with the view to establish collaborations with similar institutions regionally, and potential funders for research and innovation activities.

For further information please contact the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology at 3612000 or email mcktpro@gov.bw.

Download press release here.