Q&A: Need to build adaptive and resilient Councils

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Professor Anicia Peters, CEO of the National Commission on Research Science and Technology in Namibia was interviewed during the 2024 Annual African Science Granting Councils Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana.

We’re interested in understanding how partnerships such as those in the SGCI can be harnessed to create more resilient and sustainable funding models for SGCI in Africa. The first question is, what do you think some of the core evidence required sustainable models for funding science in Africa?

Well, I think that first of all, we need to look at what is being funded, so we have national priorities. But those priorities are also shifting, like, for instance, in the case of Namibia, we have, of course, we usually have the priority of – you know, food security, which includes agriculture. You have your health issues, etc, but then you have very topical issues that come up. Like, for a while, it was the energy crisis that we were experiencing, or that we are still experiencing. And then we started, you know, with this green hydrogen drive. 

Then suddenly, the oil and gas discoveries came in. And then suddenly the mineral, rare earth minerals beneficiation strategy and that nothing should leave Namibia unprocessed came in. Right now, there’s an emergency situation declared in Namibia regarding the drought, so there’s no water. So now we have to shift our focus. And we should have actually been consistently working on it, but it is just that that is right now where we need to build.

You need to build resilient systems, but you also need to build flexible, agile, adaptive sort of systems. And within the SGCI, you know when you get funding, oftentimes the topics are defined beforehand, but the topics are sufficiently broad, broadly defined and I find that that’s actually quite good, because now you will see your topical issues at that point in time is coming up in the responses to the ground calls that are going out. That’s one thing. 

The second thing is that, you know, it really adds to the ability of councils within Africa to actually give out grant funding, to researchers, to work and of course, because we’re meeting together,  across diverse councils within Africa, you can Always build relationships, or you decide to sort of tackle one issue at the same time. 

We, for instance, have an example where a South African entity approached me because we were in the same circles, and said, can you please assist in building a solution to solve this problem. And at that point in time, I went to, to our counterpart, the NRF, and I said, there is this need for research and development within the sector, and the NRF said, Oh, sure, you know, we can certainly take it up, but at the same time, also build capacity. 

On the other side, what I’ve seen with SGCI is not only facilitating grants or Council’s ability to give out grants to researchers, but it is also the capacity building aspect that I really appreciated. For instance, looking at using evidence for policy, you know to inform policy. It’s, for instance, the ability to build your monitoring and evaluation capacity. Namibia, for instance, has benefited from an online grant management system that the Uganda council had developed. So, we’re actually using and adapting that management system. I think in general, there is quite a lot of opportunity for building resilient and adaptive councils. 

Can you describe what are two initiatives that your organization is involved in building this kind of resilience and sustainability of funding for science? 

The latest one where we had, it’s not the SGCI really, but we introduced it to the SGCI community, and this is that within the Namibian Council, we’re kind of like a six-in-one council, right? What everybody else, six different entities, is doing. We have to do it all. And one of those is that we are also the National Innovation Agency for Namibia, and as such, we have participated in some of the initiatives for that. 

And then there was a network formed of African innovation agencies. It’s a brand-new network that will be launched. There was a soft launch now, but it will be launched at the end of November. And this one is the ability to really build capacity, in terms of, developing innovative solutions, incubation, acceleration of startups. 

That type of capacity is what we want to build. And then, of course, going with it is to also build the skills, deep sets of skills and expertise within Africa, the innovation, sort of space and agencies were sort of working a little bit, in silos throughout Africa, you you see some countries, excelling in it, and others are, not doing so well, and this is really a good initiative to sort of get everybody on board again. 

And so Namibia is actually coordinating, along with the Kenya Innovation Agency as well as University of Johannesburg. And this endeavor is supported by the IDRC and NRF and some more funders. One of the other initiatives that we are having is, for instance, that we are supporting research into healthcare and artificial intelligence, within food systems, we are supporting waste management. 

We are supporting research into biomass, for instance, and then we are also supporting green technologies, space, science grant research, and this is all made possible through the initiatives that we’re having within the SGCI. Although we were predominantly looking within SGCI, we were predominantly looking at research funding. But with research, you also have very innovative outputs that are coming out. And I think throughout science granting councils, we can see that right.

But the ability not only supports that research, but once the research comes out, is now matured and there is a product, the ability to actually develop and scale up that product, I think, speaks enormous value. Because one of the things that I think we did very well in Namibia with the Namibian commission is that over the years, we had funded innovators and and I met somebody here who used to work with the innovators and and so this is now, not only my bias, but external reports I’m receiving, is that what we have done with innovators, we’ve really supported them to a point where their products are on the shelves. You know, they are successful, and they are saying if it wasn’t for, you know, for NCSD And this grant that I got – however small it was, maybe it was just 400,000 – I would never have been able to do what I’m doing. 

But then, of course, they also come and say, but remember also that we need to pivot right in. As you’re moving forward, your needs don’t remain the same. So we need to know how to scale up, and then oftentimes you are looking for the next step up that you can support as well. And I really think through the sgci, that will become more and more possible in in the years to come.

Are there lessons you can share on building partnerships that support really independent African countries on how they build their science ecosystem?

Okay, what I wanted to describe, I don’t quite think that it was under sgci, but I can perhaps describe a general research, that I know of quite a lot in Namibia, in indigenous knowledge. We have an indigenous knowledge Management Council at the moment, and we’re doing a draft indigenous knowledge policy. But indigenous knowledge is so important, if you put it in tandem with research in Namibia, we’ve seen some excellent examples of research that was actually supported by the ncrst across universities. 

So one of the universities was concentrating predominantly on developing medicinal products from medicinal plants. Like, for instance, they are combining nanotechnology and then producing antibiotics for also, it’s not really antibiotics, because it’s natural, but sort of a treatment for diarrhea, for kids under five years old, just using medicinal plants. 

And also, they are doing the same for malaria, for instance. But on the other hand, you also have a lot of indigenous knowledge that is oftentimes just oral, and it gets lost because there’s no written record of it. And so the ncrst supported not only the development of the medicinal plants into different products, but also supported our whole repository of medicinal plants, so a digital repository, and also looked at the practices and captured it sort of in virtual villagers where the elders were actually making the videos, etc, and narrating as to what you know, what certain plants, for instance, are used for traditionally. And I think that it is projects such as those that have a tremendous value that you might not find elsewhere in the world.

Are there other lessons that you can share on building partnerships that support African countries in our ecosystems?

We often speak about the fact that within Africa, we have this north-south partnership. Your partnerships go out to Europe and to the US, etc. We’re quite famous for that. But I think within SGCI, the partnership building is tremendous to build it intra Africa, right, where this is the example where councils are, for instance, joining together. 

We’ve signed, for instance, an MOU with Zambia. I’m about to sign an MOU with Zimbabwe, and then with NRF, of course, but we joined forces, and we issue, then joint grants. We do joint projects. But then the partnerships sometimes also then extend to your northern partners, right where you are getting a partner involved, because you need specific types of expertise within that, and in turn, you want to build your capacity. 

So I think that the sgci is also enabling those types of partnerships to go multiple directions and to strengthen the partnerships as well. Because with partnerships, one of the things that I know is very difficult, even for some of the science-granting councils as well, is the issue of co- financing. Often we have, especially if you’re dealing with stronger partners, and you as an African science granting Council might not have all of the money you need to put down, and even if it says that the money is just to support your researchers. 

But often their currency is stronger number one and number two, you know what might seem like small change to them is not small change to you so, I think that our governments need to understand that if we do not put something on the table, and I know that they always say, but you can put in kind, contributions only go that far. You really need to have that dedicated sort of co-financing hub that you can put out and say, here, this is my share. And then we’re going on a win, win situation. 

Another issue that I want to bring in in terms of partnerships is, in my world, I’ve seen sometimes it just takes small grants to give out as seed funding. And then once you’ve given out those very small grants as seed funding, you know what? It attracts more funding. So we’re building capacity and partnerships in that way as well. So a little bit can actually go a long way through this. 

How is your participation in navigating the STC helped to increase visibility, your voice and open doors for the council within the country’s science, technology and innovation system, within the Africa ecosystem and also the global stage?

It takes a bit of time to think about it, because your ability to actually give out grants already strengthens you. As you know, even with your own country, if they see that you are able to give grants to researchers. And I’m smiling because I’m just remembering that because I worked at the universities in Namibia, right? The researchers now are coming to all of our events, and they’re participating very eagerly, and one of them told me that, no, Prof, they’re all coming because they’ve seen that you’ve given out grants to some of their peers, and they’re hoping that they can also approach you for some of the research that they are doing. 

It instills a sense of confidence within our nation that we are able to fund specific types of research, but then it goes wider than that, right? So we get invited all the time to go and Keynote, or to go and speak, or to showcase what we’ve done. Or our researchers get invited to go and showcase the research that they’re doing. And ultimately they will ask, okay, so who’s who was funding the research? Because they have to acknowledge it’s part of their agreement. And when they say, Oh, this is it who is behind it,  that attracts other funders, who then says, Okay, let me partner with them. 

And especially if the research is really impactful, and the research becomes known, the example that I gave, for instance, if you’re working in very niche areas, then very quickly you are attracting a number of external funders will come in. So we’ve also gained a lot of visibility in terms of when we go to, for instance, to the UN to the science forums, or we go to the AU, also.

For instance, I am the co-chair of the AU asterisk working group, who’s developing the four hour strategy for Africa and policy for Africa, and that’s a lot of visibility right there for an African Council, and then participating on international energy forums. So yeah, I, I keep on saying that now, my staff and I, we get so many invitations for collaboration, so many invitations for partnerships, so many invitations, just go and have inputs that it’s, it’s actually tremendous. So I think that this, through the sgci, that that really strengthens our ability to also make a footprint internationally. 

Tell me a bit about what’s happened since you’ve just been appointed?

Oh, I can’t speak about that, because the truth is, I’ve been lagging. It’s been lagging a little bit just because I think that all of us are sort of so busy, but we’ve been doing the work in terms of doing the documentary analysis, looking at what the different countries are doing. 

Have a mapping exercise of what is happening where, and that will actually inform the policy and the strategy, because you can only speak about what is already existing, so that is what we’ve been doing, and in December is when we are giving our first receipts of what we had done that we were presenting to member states. 

I mean, we have, we have had the commission in South Africa. And then I also chaired the Namibian Presidential Commission. And we came out with our recommendations, etc. Of course, we included AI in it as well. 

And we were really looking at how do you leverage all of these for IR technologies to sort of move forward on, for instance, priority areas, such as in healthcare, such as in the water, energy and food security Nexus you’re looking at health, our capabilities, for instance, during COVID, the different African countries, to produce, not only our own vaccines, but also produce, for instance, our own devices. During COVID in Namibia, there was, for instance, an oxygen crisis. And the medical doctors from the ER actually approached me at the time, I was still at the university, and we set up a group that consisted of researchers from different universities, and within a very short period, we’re talking about weeks, we had the doctors, had ideas for devices.

For instance, 3D print that could save lives during that crisis. That’s the type of thing that you can do with foyer so with foyer technologies, you’re looking at where you can really make an impact. And of course, you don’t work in isolation. You work together with the AI policy of the AU that was passed. And then you’re also looking at, of course, at the stisa.

But you’re really looking at, how do you move everything forward? And in my world, things are interrelated, right? So one thing has an impact on the other one. And with him, I know that this was not really the question, if we’re looking at where AI is going right now. On the one hand, your experts are fearing an existential crisis. On the other hand, you know, there are those who are saying, Oh, wow, this is just data in and data out, but then it has a profound impact on us. If you look at what the European Commission, and I was actually part of, the vision exercise that they had for AI for the next five years, where should they go to and what should they focus on as sort of an invited speaker at the time. 

They’re putting their money on generative AI, and they’re saying that this is what we’re funding as a major research area. And not only the development of generative AI, but they’re also saying we’re also funding its applications, whether it be healthcare, whether it be climate change, whether it be whatever it is. If you look at, for instance, within green hydrogen, all of the countries, especially within Africa, are starting to gear themselves up to become producers of green hydrogen. There’s a lot of the technologies that are still immature, and you know what AI is going to be your game changer, right within that space as well. 

And a lot of them are realizing it. I saw recently with the global Africa hydrogen summit that I had never seen so many AI specialists come through for a hydrogen conference. But this is where it’s going. So everybody’s recognizing this is where we should be focusing on, and this is where your forehead technologies come in. So I think it is very relevant at this point in time. 

When we leave here this week, I know what your expectations are. What do you like to see happen as a precursor to level three, or phase three of the project? 

Oh, you know, I love to see money flow. I would like to see us really walk away with, what is the next phase? because I need to do planning, right? I need to know, are we having partnerships? Do I need to plan for co-financing  because I need to go prepare my budget from here? Are we going to continue as usual? Or, Emma, are we walking away with, with something? One of the things as well, this is not aside from the money. 

I know this is an interview, but we have many. We have many needs within councils, because councils are varying sizes, right? And in Namibia, we’re kind of like kick starting the commission again and, and there’s so much that needs to be built. From internal policies, I’m not even talking about national policies, because for national policies, we have to give policy advice. This is what you know, what is expected from our commission is that we need to do independent national research to be able to give policy advice, so that’s constantly what they’re looking to us for, and give direction on research priorities to the country. 

So that is a capability that needs to be strengthened. I’m also looking at the fact that I need to strengthen the institution itself, which means with processes, with policies, with things like that. And there’s, there’s nice expert programs, expertise exchange programs that one has mostly with, you know, with like the NSF in America has such programs where they send experts to you, and they’re supported by the embassy. 

I know that Wales has it as well. I know that in Germany, I’m also getting such experts. And this is what I would like to see happen across Africa as well. If you have experts that you can maybe send to us for two weeks and we exchange, right? Maybe we, I, for instance, have somebody who’s really, really good at IP, right? And I’ve had African councils ask me, please send, you know, so and so to us for two weeks to come and advise us how to set up our policy. So I’d like to see that exchange of expertise happening amongst the African science granting councils.