Minister Blade Nzimande: African Science Leaders G20 Dialogue

*Theme: Harnessing Global Solidarity for the Implementation of STISA 2034*

Ms. Nomalungelo Gina, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation;
MEC for Education Mpumalanga Province, Ms Cathy Dlamini;
Prof Saidou Madougou, Director of the African Union’s Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (ESTI) Department;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Representatives from AU Member States and G20 Member countries and partners;
Prof. Thoko Mayekiso, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen:

It is an honour for me to deliver this keynote address on this important occasion that also marks Africa Day. Happy Africa Day!

Let me formally welcome you to South Africa and the second meeting of the Research and Innovation Working Group (RIWG).

The importance and relevance of Africa day

Inspired by the theme of this occasion, which is: Harnessing Global Solidarity for the Implementation of STISA 2034, I wish to reflect on severely key issues.

The first is the importance of Africa Day to us as a people. Africa Day as we are aware has its genesis in a historic summit of African states in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 25th May 1963.
 
At this summit, the central issue was the development of a continental programme to free the African continent from all manner of foreign domination and in particular, the foreign control of our mineral wealth.

Out of this summit came not only the concept of Africa Day but also the creation of the Organisation African Unity (OAU), whose main objectives were to:

• Promote unity and solidarity among African nations;
• Coordinate for development;
• Safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, and
• Eradicate all forms of colonialism.

Given the fact that Africa is still grappling with the lingering and interconnected legacies of colonialism and neocolonialism such as inequality, poverty, unemployment, the persistence of the disease burden, armed conflicts and massive population displacement- there is no doubt that the founding objectives of the OAU remain profoundly relevant today as we seek to shape Africa’s destiny in the 21st century.
 
Therefore, inspired by the vision of our forebears 62 years ago, today’s African political leaders, policy makers, business leaders and scientists, must continue with the mission of using available financial resources, policy, and institutional mechanisms to extricate Africa from all manner of foreign domination.

The strategic importance of our G20 Presidency

The second issue I wish to reflect on is the strategic importance of our G20 Presidency. As you may be aware, this is the first time that an African country is assigned the role of G20 President.

Even though this role has been assigned to South Africa- we view our G20 Presidency as an African Presidency. We take this view for a number of reasons.

First, from the days of the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggles, we have always understood ourselves to be an integral part of the African continent.

Secondly, with the advent of democracy in our country, we have always understood that South Africa’s development is inextricably linked to that of the rest of Africa.
 
It is for this reason that we adopted the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as an overarching guide for our G20 Presidency and programme.

Therefore, South Africa views its G20 Presidency as an opportunity to among others, strengthen our commitment to elevating African priorities such as STI financing, global health innovation, climate technologies, digital inclusion, and the development of a sovereign African development agenda.

With the support of our partners on the continent, we aim to use our role as G20 President to amplify Africa’s voice in shaping global science agendas, fair intellectual property regimes, as well as technology transfer mechanisms.

Building a robust and responsive public science, technology, and innovation system in Africa

The third issue I wish to reflect on is the importance of building a robust and responsive public science, technology, and innovation system in Africa.

The truth is simple — Africa cannot hope to achieve its core development goals or higher levels of development, if African governments don’t make deliberate and meaningful investments in science, technology, and innovation.

Although Africa boasts 60% of the world’s arable land, 30% of the world’s reserve of minerals and the youngest population of any continent- our research output across the continent is low.

In fact, Africa contributes just 2% of the world’s research output. Our continent accounts for only 1.3% of global research spending and produces 0.1% of all patents.

Many governments only marginally fund innovation, research, and development. If we are to change all this, we will have to implement a set of bold and innovative policies, initiatives, and institutional mechanisms.

This should include enhancing the quality of maths and science teaching at foundation level in Africa, significantly increasing public and private funding of science, incentivising private sector research, nurturing and retaining African talent and building and maintaining cutting-edge infrastructure across the continent.

Most importantly, we need to reach a stage where the majority of governments in Africa embrace and actively promote the value of science.

In practice, this would mean that all levels of government in Africa must use science to guide both policy formulation and the provision of basic services such as health, housing, water, education and safety and security.

Equally important is the building and strengthening of meaningful STI cooperation among African states and of course with regions of the world whose development interests and agenda is identical to ours.

This is absolutely necessary to change the dynamic where critical aspects of Africa’s development are highly dependent on external funding or assistance.

We must be deliberate about avoiding a repeat of the humiliation that the African continent had to endure at the height of the global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A matter of importance that also requires the attention of African governments, science founders and our international partners is the need to establish an African research and development fund, linked to science, technology, and innovation in general, but STISA in particular.

I would challenge a platform like this to interrogate this possibility.

STISA-2034: Africa’s Science and Innovation Vision

The fourth issue I wish to reflect on is the importance of the African Union’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034). As you may be aware, STISA is more than a framework- it is our collective blueprint for positioning science and innovation as enablers of inclusive and sustainable development.

STISA prioritises critical areas such as clean energy, food security, health, and water resources- areas where innovation can uplift millions from poverty and inequality.

As South Africa, we remain steadfast in our commitment to STISA-2034’s priority areas and we stand ready to work with the AU and all implementing partners in supporting the implementation of STISA 2034.

Additionally, as part of supporting STI development in Africa, our Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) has invested in a number of flagship programmes to support the implementation of the Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and the inaugural Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2024).

These flagships include the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), the African Laser Centre (ALC), the Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio) and the Southern African Network of Water Centres of Excellence (SANWATCE).

These flagships are Centres of Excellence that can play an important role in translating the aspirations of STISA 2034 into practical results. They are not just projects but also levers for transformation across the continent.

Developing Africa’s digital economy capabilities

The fifth and final point I wish to reflect on is that of the importance of developing our capabilities in the digital economy space and more particularly, the area of artificial intelligence.

There is general acknowledgement that new technology domains such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) present us with both tremendous opportunities and complex challenges. From health diagnostics to climate modelling, AI is already transforming lives.

There is therefore no question about the urgent need for African-led AI research, ensuring our languages and cultures are reflected in datasets, and resist technological dependency.

Towards this end, South Africa is developing a National AI Strategy, and we commend the African Union for developing the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) and the Continental AI Strategy.

These efforts highlight the continent’s commitment to harness digital technologies and innovation to transform African societies and economies to promote Africa ‘s integration, generate inclusive economic growth, stimulate job creation, break digital divides, and eradicate poverty.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) has already commitment itself to the development and integration of digital technologies, including AI, in taking forward its agenda and programmes. 

Lessons can also be learnt from South Africa’s South African Revenue Service (SARS) in using AI to enhance its capacity for revenue collection, another imperative for our African continent.

However, there are barriers that limit the use of emerging technologies in the continent including inadequate digital infrastructure, limited access to quality data, and a lack of professionals skilled in these advanced technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the promise of revolutionising youth-led SMMEs in the continent. By leveraging AI, these businesses can significantly enhance their operational efficiency, make informed, data-driven decisions, and develop groundbreaking products and services that set them apart in the marketplace.

This has a direct impact on profitability, enabling youth-led enterprises not just to survive but to thrive, contributing more substantially to Africa’s economic growth.

As we pursue innovation, we must also uphold ethical standards, data sovereignty, and responsible research conduct. The promise of AI must never compromise our values or human dignity.

We must protect personal data, ensure algorithmic transparency, and close the digital divide. Equally, we must embrace Open Science as a principle — sharing data, publications, and infrastructure for the common good of Africa.

It is for this reason as we as South Africa fully support UNESCO’s Open Science Recommendation as well as the promotion of Open Science and Digital Collaboration among Member States.

In this connection, science diplomacy also plays an important role in advancing Africa’s development efforts. For instance, through science diplomacy efforts, South Africa hosts the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) — the world’s largest radio telescope — in partnership with eight other African countries.

Through the SKA, African countries are involved in Astronomy development initiatives that include human capacity development, Astronomy infrastructure development including big data handling capabilities, policy, and institutional development. 

We must, therefore, link the implementation of STISA 2034 with the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). This we must do to unlock innovation as a pillar of intra-African trade, especially in digital goods, pharmaceuticals, renewable technologies, and agricultural innovation.

Also, in the light of current, and possible future, geo-political tensions, and maneuvers, it is important that we identify who our true international and global friends are.

And those friends must be those who are determined to support a truly sovereign STI agenda, and not those who see us as their perpetual vassals!

Conclusion

In conclusion, even though it is true that Africa continues to wrestle with the complex legacies of colonial underdevelopment, there is a lot of meaningful progress that the continent has made in a number of areas of human development, including the production of some of the world’s top scientific talent.

Building on this progress and inspired by the vision of our forebears, we must therefore use this Dialogue to strengthen our resolve to build an Africa that is self-sufficient and sovereign in all areas of human development. This, I believe, is the greatest gift we can bequeath to our grandchildren and their children.

Asante Sana!