Congolese doctor Jean Kaseya chosen to steer continental disease control agency

African heads of state appointed Congolese physician Jean Kaseya as the new head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

The appointment comes nine months after Africa CDC’s first director, John Nkengasong, stepped down from the role to take up a position coordinating US global policy on HIV/Aids. Kaseya takes over from the organisation’s interim head, Ahmed Ogwell Ouma.

Kaseya is a public health expert with several decades’ experience working in international health policy. He worked for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and led an African polio project. Other former employers include the World Health Organization, the United Nations children’s fund Unicef and vaccine alliance Gavi.

Committed to collaboration

Kaseya has vowed to collaborate closely with colleagues at the WHO. He tweeted that his first action after the Africa Union summit confirmation of his appointment on 19 February was to call Masthisido Moeti, the director of the WHO’s Africa region. The purpose of the call was “to reiterate my commitment to closely work with WHO to address health issues in Africa”, he wrote.

Senior WHO staff welcomed the appointment. WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus congratulated Kaseya on Twitter: “I and my colleagues at @WHO look forward to continuing to partner with Africa CDC under your leadership.”

Moeti tweeted: “His years of experience working in international development and health will support the continued growth of @AfricaCDC. I look forward to strengthening our partnership.”

Conciliation

The exchanges appeared conciliatory after media reports last year of a supposed rift between the two organisations. Development news site Devex reported in July that the WHO was lobbying against moves explored by the African Union to increase Africa CDC’s autonomy, including giving it powers to declare regional health emergencies—something the WHO denied at the time.

Kaseya’s appointment was agreed at the African Union’s 36th heads of state summit, held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the headquarters of Africa CDC, on 18-19 February.

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This week: Stem teachers, routine vaccinations, open science and award nominations

In depth: Stellenbosch University has called the establishment of new research links with Russia “impossible” due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the resulting geopolitical tensions.

Full story: New research links with Russia ‘impossible’, says Stellenbosch

Also this week from Research Professional News

Privacy watchdog raises concerns over Covid tracking data—Response from South Africa’s health department says sensitive data have been deleted and blames “miscommunication”

South Africa extends R&D tax credits for 10 years—Finance minister Enoch Godongwana hopes reformed scheme will boost uptake

AU summit appoints new director for Africa CDC—Congolese doctor Jean Kaseya chosen to steer continental disease control agency

  
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Growth in qualified Stem teachers

The proportion of qualified teachers in Africa in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics increased from 44 per cent in 2013 to 51 per cent in 2021, a report has said. The figure for 2021, noted in an African Union progress report on its Agenda 2063 development plan, was just short of the agenda’s target of 54 per cent.

African leaders urge action on routine vaccinations

Heads of state of the African Union have agreed to “revitalise the momentum” for routine immunisations on the continent. The agreement on 19 February comes after 8.4 million African children missed out on routine vaccinations in 2021. “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on immunisation efforts in Africa and has made it critical for us to catch up, recover and get back to normal,” said Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, in a statement.

Partnership promotes open data in Africa

The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions has partnered with Figshare, a repository solution that is part of the Digital Science technology company, to increase awareness of open science and open data in Africa. The two are also building an open-access repository portal to host and disseminate the library group’s conference proceedings—including papers, presentations, posters and videos—from 2023 onwards.

Academy seeks ‘science for society’ nominations

The Academy of Science of South Africa is calling for nominations for its Science for Society Gold Medal Award. The purpose of the award is to recognise outstanding scientists who have applied scientific thinking in the service of society. The closing date for nominations is 17 April.

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This week: Marburg vaccines, African penguins, a French Legion knight and Pretoria climate studies

In depth: Universities in Africa and Asia report lower access to funding and research support systems than those in Europe, the Americas and the Pacific region, a survey of Commonwealth institutions has found.

Full story: Commonwealth survey highlights research funding disparities

Also this week from Research Professional News

South Africa to explore points-based skills visas—Streamlined immigration rules could mean less red tape for foreign researchers

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Marburg in Equatorial Guinea sparks urgent meeting

The World Health Organization summoned an “urgent” meeting of its Marburg virus vaccine consortium this week after Equatorial Guinea confirmed the country’s first-ever outbreak of the killer disease. The WHO said it was helping the nation mount a rapid response after the illness was discovered in the east of the country. There are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments for the disease.

Science panel examines fishing threat to African penguin

South Africa has appointed an international science panel to examine the risk posed by small-scale anchovy and sardine fishing to Africa’s dwindling penguin populations. The panel, announced on 13 February, will examine the effects of the banning of commercial fishing around major penguin colonies since September and advise the government on ways forward. The panel is chaired by André Punt, a fisheries professor based at the University of Washington in Seattle, the US.

Virologist named as Ifakara board chair

Tanzania’s Ifakara Health Institute has named medical doctor and virologist Said Aboud as the chair of its governing board. Aboud, who heads up Tanzania’s National Institute for Medical Research, will take the helm for a five-year period. He replaces Yunus Mgaya, who retired in 2022.

Google funds Pretoria to study language, climate and AI

The technology giant Google has granted the University of Pretoria US$40,000 for collaborative projects in cross-language data resources, climate change and artificial intelligence. The one-year projects, involving researchers from Google and the university, will be led by Vukosi Marivate, the university’s chair of data science, and statistician Sonali Das. They will study translation between South Africa’s indigenous languages and investigate climate change information needs.

Academy announces 47 affiliate members

The African Academy of Sciences has selected 47 new affiliate members. The members, chosen from over 200 applications, are young researchers with academic promise. The academy said that affiliates receive support with grant writing, entrepreneurship and mentorship for five years. The new cohort will join the academy’s existing network of 127 affiliate members.

Pretoria vice-chancellor becomes French Legion knight

University of Pretoria vice-chancellor Tawana Kupe has been made a knight of the French Legion of Honour. The honour, bestowed by the president of France, recognises Kupe’s contribution to academic and scientific cooperation, the university said on 14 February. Other South Africans who have received the honour include former public protector Thuli Madonsela and former science minister Naledi Pandor.

Alliance to safeguard Africa’s biodiversity

The Kenya-based Science for Africa Foundation has partnered with the African BioGenome Project on a genomics project to safeguard Africa’s biodiversity. The Alliance for Biodiversity Genomics in Africa will be formed under a yet-to-be-signed partnership agreement, according to a statement on 10 February. The partnership aims to sequence the genomes of 105,000 endemic African species.

Additional reporting by Linda Nordling.

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Geographic location and economic status linked with access to funding and support

Universities in Africa and Asia report lower access to funding and research support systems than those in Europe, the Americas and the Pacific region, a survey of Commonwealth institutions has found.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities surveyed 95 universities in 29 countries—20 per cent of the ACU’s membership. The results, published on 14 February, show how institutions in low-income countries commit more of their core income to supporting research, receive less income from industry and win much fewer research grants than those in high-income countries.

“The findings highlight long-standing disparities that continue to shape the wider research and research funding landscape,” William Bramwell, senior research officer at the ACU, said in a statement.

Thirty African institutions responded—more than in any other region. Nearly one in five (17 per cent) reported that they receive no government funding for research whatsoever, starkly contrasting with Europe, where all participating institutions reported that they receive government support.

Both Asia and Africa recorded lower rates of grant applications and awarded grants than the other regions. High-income countries accounted for 88 per cent of research grants applications reported by the participating institutions.

There was also uneven distribution of research support services, with nearly all institutions in high-income countries reporting having access to electronic systems and databases to support grant applications, while less than half of lower income country institutions saying the same.

There were synergies, however. More than half the respondents identified translating research into sustainable outputs, such as socio-economic or policy benefits, as the greatest challenge they faced, and many called for more investment in research impact evaluation and research management.

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Workshop considers how Africa can increase production of its own vaccines to 60 per cent

Creating a skilled workforce is vital if Africa is to ramp up the manufacture of its own vaccines, a meeting in Senegal has heard.

At a workshop to identify gaps and opportunities in African vaccine manufacturing this week, Richard Gordon, director of international business development at the South African Medical Research Council, said: “We simply cannot seek to manufacture biopharmaceuticals without developing a skilled workforce for the future.”

Amadou Alpha Sall, chief executive of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal, said that one positive was Africa’s comparatively young population, which can be trained for emerging industries.

“Today, more than 60 per cent of Africa’s population is under 25, and young Africans are expected to constitute 42 per cent of global youth by 2030,” he said. “We have a great opportunity to develop this human capital today to build a successful new industry in Africa.”

Ambitious goal

At the workshop, which was jointly hosted by the South African Medical Research Council, the Institut Pasteur de Dakar and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, participants discussed progress on the African Union’s goal to produce 60 per cent of the vaccines required in Africa by 2040.

The Pasteur institute also launched a biomanufacturing training initiative called Knowledge and Workforce for Africa Manufacturing’s Equity, which links to Senegal’s Madiba project to manufacture and supply high-quality, affordable and relevant vaccines for Africa.

Africa currently produces only about 0.1 per cent of the global supply of vaccines. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the continent needs to create between 6,000 and 7,000 skilled jobs by 2030 to achieve the ambitious 2040 goal.

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This week: a Kenyan pandemic lab, a Gavi appointment and a survey of AI gaps

In depth: South African innovators have called on the country’s government to relax regulations stifling technology startups, as fresh data show the nation’s performance in this area has dipped below the level of several African competitors.

Full story: South Africa’s tech startup performance plummets

Also this week from Research Professional News

‘Skilled workforce needed’ to meet vaccine manufacturing goal—Workshop considers how Africa can increase production of its own vaccines to 60 per cent

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Kenya builds pandemic research platform

The Kenya Medical Research Institute has announced that it is establishing a lab to fight pandemics and outbreaks on the African continent. The lab, which will be based at the institute’s headquarters in Nairobi, will feature DNA sequencing, a DNA synthesiser and specialised technical staff. It will develop diagnostic tests and speed up biomedical research in the country, the institute said on 3 February.

Rose Leke to head Gavi review committee

Cameroonian immunologist Rose Leke has been named chair of the global Gavi vaccine alliance’s independent review committee. The committee reviews applications for Gavi support and makes recommendations for funding. Leke, an emeritus professor of immunology and parasitology at the University of Yaoundé I, has served in the Africa Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication and in World Health Organization policy groups. She also co-chairs the board of Harvard University’s Defeating Malaria initiative.

Survey of African AI gaps funded

The Kenya-based Science for Africa Foundation has received a US$300,000 grant from the Patrick J McGovern Foundation, based in Boston in the US, to map artificial intelligence and data science gaps in Africa. The aim of the investment is to ensure AI and data advances can lead to healthcare developments on the continent. The Science for Africa Foundation says it will engage policymakers, carry out activities to build public trust in AI and convene AI experts to identify research priorities.

AAU seeks head of research and programmes

The Association of African Universities is seeking to appoint a director of research and programmes. The responsibilities include overseeing research and academic planning, as well as programme development, management and fundraising. The candidate will be based in Accra, Ghana, and will report to the secretary-general of the organisation. The deadline for applications is 28 February.

UCT wins funding for disease modelling tool

The University of Cape Town in South Africa has won a grant from the Wellcome Trust, a biomedical research funder in the UK, to build an open-source modelling tool to map disease risks in southern Africa. The project is a partnership between the university’s modelling and simulation hub and its Climate System Analysis Group. The tool will start with malaria but will eventually extend to other diseases. The grant is part of a £22.7 million (US$27.5m) grant round from Wellcome supporting 24 infectious disease modelling research teams in 12 countries.

Maths institute launches AI master’s course

The South Africa-based African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is introducing a master’s course in artificial intelligence. The fully residential one-year taught master’s has been made possible by a donation from DeepMind, a British AI company. Forty scholars per year will be funded over the next four years. The deadline for applications is 8 April for a September course start.

Additional reporting by Linda Nordling.

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Tracker will hold signatories of last year’s Kigali declaration to account

A tool to track whether signatories of the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases are meeting their commitments to fight overlooked illnesses was launched on 30 January.

The Kigali Declaration Commitment Tracker will capture, track and monitor commitments made by countries and organisations towards the declaration, published in June last year. The initiative aims to generate political will, community commitment, resources and action to fight NTDs.

The tracker’s launch, on World NTD Day, coincided with Ghana becoming the 12th NTD-endemic country to sign the declaration. “An Africa free from NTDs is possible. Let us act now, and act together,” said the country’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, in a statement.

Two more commitments to fight NTDs were made this week. Global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline extended its commitment to fight soil-transmitted helminthiasis, promising to donate up to 100 million doses of medicine per year from 2026 to 2030.

And Spain-based NGO Anesvad Foundation promised to spend €34 million by 2026 to reduce the burden in sub-Saharan Africa of NTDs that affect the skin, such as Buruli ulcer, cutaneous leishmaniasis and leprosy.

To date, the Kigali declaration’s 61 signatories have generated more than US$1.6 billion and more than 19bn treatment doses, including pills, to fight NTDs. The commitment tracker will hold those who have made these commitments to account, said Thoko Elphick-Pooley, executive director of public-private partnership Uniting to Combat NTDs, which manages the tracker.

“The tracker is providing a new level of transparency that will enable us to hold each other accountable and effectively mobilise new resources that are required to end the suffering caused by these diseases,” he said in a statement. 

More remains to be done, he added. The first year of the pandemic saw a 34 per cent drop in the number of people receiving mass treatments for NTDs, and the rate only recovered slightly in 2021. “There is a financing crisis for NTDs,” Elphick-Pooley said.

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This week: a strike averted, Covid progress and European funding for African teachers

In depth: A recent rise in violent attacks on academic staff constitutes a crisis, South African academics have said.

Full story: Campus violence and threats ‘have reached crisis point’

Also this week from Research Professional News

South Africa’s power crisis eats into university budgets—Cape university spends R1.5 million on diesel power monthly as government “consults” on way forward

Tool launched to track pledges in neglected-diseases fight—Tracker will hold signatories of last year’s Kigali declaration to account

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Strike averted at UCT

The University of Cape Town has signed an agreement with the Academics Union over salary increases for 2023, averting strike action threatened by the union earlier this year. The 6 per cent increase is double the earlier offer of 3 per cent, which prompted the threat to strike. The salary increases will be implemented in the February 2023 pay run, backdated to January.

Covid cases down in holiday season

African countries have reported a significantly lower number of Covid-19 cases over the holiday travel season this year than last year. A total of 20,552 new cases were recorded in the first three weeks of January 2023, a 97 per cent reduction from the same period in 2022. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, says countries need to remain vigilant as more variants are emerging. “It’s important that countries stay alert and have measures in place to effectively detect and tackle any upsurge in infection,” she said.

Europe invests in African teachers

Jutta Urpilainen, the EU’s commissioner for international partnerships, has launched a €100 million (US$109m) initiative on African teacher training. The Regional Teachers’ Initiative in Africa and for Africa, part of the EU-Africa Global Gateway Investment Package, aims to accelerate the training of teachers to respond to the continent’s need for 15 million new qualified teachers by 2030.

Free State appoints head of research

South Africa’s University of the Free State has appointed Vasu Reddy as its vice-rector for research and internationalisation. Reddy, who will start on 1 May, joins from the University of Pretoria, where he is a professor of sociology and dean of the humanities faculty. Reddy’s research interests include gender-based violence, affirmative action and poverty.

The post Africa news roundup: 27 January to 2 February appeared first on Research Professional News.

Cohort of new members come from near and far, reflecting excellence in African science

The African Academy of Sciences based in Nairobi, Kenya, has welcomed 29 scholars as fellows. The cohort is made up of fellows, associate fellows and honorary fellows.

“The scholars were elected through a rigorous process following a call for applications for the 2021 round of AAS Fellowships. The new fellows bring experience from across the globe and from a cross-section of scientific disciplines,” the academy said in a 19 January statement.

The fellows include Alain Krief from the University of Namur and the University of Karachi, and Jean Albergel from the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development who, according to the AAS, spent most of his working life in Africa researching the impacts of climate and water and land management.

South African fellows include Albert Modi and Francesco Petruccione from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Jill Farrant from the University of Cape Town and André Pascal Kengne of the South African Medical Research Council.

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This week: infectious disease grants, DRC-South Africa cooperation and a health innovation partnership

In depth: National research facilities in South Africa say they are looking at alternative power sources to protect them against the country’s persistent rolling blackouts.

Full story: South African facilities eye solar to solve energy woes

Also this week from Research Professional News

‘Many instruments are not going to make it’—South Africa’s power crisis could push science out of country’s poorly resourced institutions, biochemist warns

University of Cape Town strike on temporary hold—Academic union considers new offer after rejecting “insulting and derisory” 3 per cent pay hike

Beitbridge economic zone ‘may harm wetlands’ in South Africa—Scientific advisory group recommends halting Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone development

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Grants available for infectious disease research

The international pharmaceutical firm GSK is providing grants worth up to £75,000 for high-quality African infectious disease research projects. Early career African scientists can apply for the grants, which last for up to 36 months. The award will cover costs including equipment, fieldwork, data collection, consumables and research assistance, and the deadline for applications is 17 February.

DRC and South Africa deepen science collaboration

South Africa’s science minister Blade Nzimande and his Democratic Republic of the Congo counterpart Maître José Mpanda Kabangu have signed an agreement to deepen scientific cooperation between the two countries. The focus areas of the partnership include agriculture, mining and geosciences, renewable energy, water, intellectual property management, technology innovation, high-performance computing, and space science and technology.

Last week to submit HIV abstracts for Brisbane

HIV/Aids scientists have until the end of January to submit abstracts for the International Aids Society meeting taking place in Brisbane, Australia, in July. There will be a window for late-breaking abstracts between 20 April and 10 May. This will be the 12th IAS conference on HIV science.

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Canada-funded awards support scientists in scientifically “lagging” countries

Sixteen African women are among the 25 recipients of the latest Early Career Fellowships from the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World.

The three-year OWSD fellowships, funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre, are open to female scientists from 66 scientifically and technologically “lagging” countries, of which 39 are in Africa.

The aim of the fellowships, which come with up to US$50,000 in funding, is to allow recipients to improve the research environment at their institution and attract collaborators from all over the world. The money can be used to hire students and technicians, invite international speakers, produce webinars, develop training programmes or establish connections with industry.

The fellowship also includes training for scholars on how to develop connections with both public and private sector partners to convert their research into marketable products.

Italian collaboration

This year, for the first time, the not-for-profit organisation Aspen Institute Italia will fund one of the fellows. “It is an agreement that marks the first step of a collaboration that already has its foundations between the Italian science system and the OWSD,” said Alberto Quadrio Curzio, OWSD ambassador and a member of the executive committee of Aspen Institute Italia.

He added that the collaboration would build bridges for future opportunities to support women in science from the developing world.

Mary Adjepong from Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was announced as the Aspen-funded fellow. Adjepong, who holds a PhD in human nutrition, will focus her research on producing complementary food products that are rich in essential fatty acids and carotenoids to reduce childhood stunting, enhance cognitive development and improve eye health in children.

Other African fellows include: Mavis Acheampong and Vivian Etsiapa Boamah from Ghana; Saphina Biira, Daphne Nyachaki Bitalo and Alice Nabatanzi from Uganda; and Maria Helena Paulo António from Mozambique.

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This week: a radio telescope award, a resignation and new headquarters for the Africa CDC

In depth: Researchers at multiple South African labs say the country’s increasingly frequent blackouts have left them unable to carry out experiments, crippling critical work.

Full story: Frequent blackouts cripple South African labs

Also this week from Research Professional News

Nzimande to ramp up safety on university campuses—National taskforce to probe security concerns following “assassination attempt” on Fort Hare vice-chancellor

South African R&D dropped 7.6% in first year of pandemic—Fresh national statistics underscore decline in country’s gross R&D spending

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

MeerKAT team wins astronomy award

The team behind South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope array, a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array, has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s 2023 Group Achievement Award. The society lauded the team for its “spectacular advances”, including images of the centre of our galaxy and the first-ever pictures of the afterglow of the merger of two neutron stars. MeerKAT has also “supported an intensive programme of human capital development in Africa, stress-tested the technology for the Square Kilometre Array and helped train the next generation of radio astronomers”, the society said.

University association seeks research director

The Ghana-based Association of African Universities is hiring a director of research and academic planning. The post is based in Accra and applicants need to have strong academic track records. They should ideally be professors and must be knowledgeable about the African higher education landscape. Fundraising will be part of the successful candidate’s duties. The deadline for applications is 28 February.

Africa CDC opens new headquarters

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has inaugurated new headquarters south of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. The event on 11 January was attended by African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat and China’s foreign affairs minister Qin Gang. The government of China contributed funding to the headquarters.

UCT science faculty dean to step down

The University of Cape Town’s science faculty dean Maano Ramutsindela has requested to step down at the end of June for “personal reasons”, the university has said. In a statement on 18 January, UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng wrote that it “would have been desirable” for Ramutsindela to serve for longer. “However, we understand and respect his decision to step down from this role,” she wrote.

The post Africa news roundup: 13-19 January appeared first on Research Professional News.

South Africa, Botswana and Namibia among countries that may still have to pay

Publishing giant Nature announced on 9 January that scientists from over 70 countries, of which more than half are in Africa, can now publish research for free in its research journals.

The benefit, which applies to authors from low-income and lower middle-income countries, is designed to help scientists who aren’t well-funded publish open access in the company’s flagship journal Nature, as well as in other Nature research journals, such as Nature Biotechnology.

The move comes after African scientists complained in 2021 that Nature’s open-access article publishing charges (APCs), which stretch to thousands of US dollars, were equivalent to half a year’s pay in some countries on the continent.

“I am excited that, with this move, we are taking another step towards making research publishing more equitable and scientific knowledge more accessible globally,” said Magdalena Skipper, editor in chief of Nature, in a statement.

More than 40 of the countries that will not have to pay are in Africa. They include nations in north Africa that are strong performers in science, including Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. India is also on the list, which draws on the World Bank’s income classifications.

Meanwhile, African countries that are left out of the list on account of being upper middle-income countries include South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Gabon. They will still be able to apply for a 50 per cent reduction in Nature APCs in line with the publisher’s existing fee structures.

South Africa has a draft open science plan that makes open-access publishing mandatory for all publicly funded research. However, at its publication for consultation in February last year, scientists queried whether the plan’s aims were affordable, since the country’s government had not indicated it would cover publishing costs.

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Partnership will investigate viral genetics, undetected spread and vaccine effectiveness

Scientists from the National Biomedical Research Institute in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will participate in a US$2.8 million partnership to study mpox (a viral disease formerly known as monkeypox) with the University of Manitoba in Canada.

The research project, jointly led by Jason Kindrachuk, who holds a research chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses at UM, and Placide Mbala, head of the epidemiology department and pathogen sequencing lab at the National Biomedical Research Institute in DRC, will aim to prevent interest in the disease waning now that cases are decreasing after its unprecedented spread around the world last year infected more than 70,000 confirmed cases. 

“We can’t let scientific interest fade now that cases are decreasing across most of the globe, said Kindrachuk in a 10 January statement. He also called for a better understanding of how differences in the viral genomes affect disease severity.

The study will look into the reason why mpox spread from endemic regions in Africa last year, whether it was due to genetic mutations in the virus, for example. It will also look for antibodies in populations to gauge any undetected spread of the disease, and study the efficacy of the Imvamune mpox vaccine provided to Canadians last year.

“Covid-19 has created momentum for virus research,” Kindrachuk said. “We need to harness some of that for mpox, not only for our own country but, importantly, for those who live in areas of Africa where the virus is endemic and continues to have an impact year after year. This study is a step in that direction.”

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This week: Uganda's Ebola outbreak at an end, UKZN warns of admissions scams and more

In depth: South Africa’s higher education community was left reeling this week following an attempt to murder the vice-chancellor of the University of Fort Hare in South Africa in which a member of his staff died.

Full story: Attempt to murder vice-chancellor shocks South Africa

Also this week from Research Professional News

‘Radical’ action needed to move African languages from periphery—New head of Universities South Africa’s working group on languages vows to keep up momentum

Nature drops open-access charges for most of Africa—South Africa, Botswana and Namibia among countries that may still have to pay

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Uganda announces end of Ebola outbreak
Uganda declared the end of its nearly four-month long Ebola disease outbreak on 11 January. The last patient was released from care on 30 November last year. The World Health Organization confirmed that candidate vaccines which arrived in the country in early December to be tested against the unusual Sudan ebolavirus strain causing the outbreak were never administered. “The next time the Sudan ebolavirus strikes we can reignite the robust cooperation between developers, donors and health authorities and dispatch the candidate vaccines,” said Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO representative in Uganda.

South Africa-built agricultural satellite launched
EOS SAT-1, a South Africa-built microsatellite that will provide data for agriculture and forestry industries, was launched on 3 January from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The 170kg satellite flew to orbit mounted on a SpaceX rocket. Another six satellites will join EOS SAT-1 in low-earth orbit over the next three years, making up the final constellation.

UKZN warns students of admissions scams
The University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa has issued a statement warning prospective students of scams offering help with financial assistance, accommodation, registration and course admissions. It said “unknown individuals” are inviting students to campus to assist them with late applications and walk-in registration. “All registration processes must be completed online, from remote locations,” the university said.

Research alliance calls for conference abstracts
The African Research Universities Alliance is calling for abstracts for its next biennial conference. The conference, which will take place in November 2023 at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, will focus on the theme: Reimagining the Future of Higher Education in Africa. Abstract submissions need to be in by 31 January.

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As the dust settles after the pandemic, these questions will shape policy this year

After taking heavy blows in the Covid-19 pandemic, the African continent is hoping to rally this year. But that might be easier said than done, given persistent international tensions and sluggish economic growth.

This is especially true for research, which often has to give way to other pressing policy issues in Africa. As 2023 begins, here are five key questions for the year ahead.

1. Will the African Union’s new science fund fly?

Last year we found out that preparations for a new African Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Fund were well underway at the African Union. The fund will be administered by the African Development Bank, and its architects hope it can be up and running sometime this year.

The AU envisages the fund as a US$300 million endowment that will give out grants and loans. But there are many outstanding questions. And securing the funding could be an uphill slog. The continent’s science ministers did not commit any money at their AU Technical Committee on Education, Science and Technology meeting in September.

Looking ahead, the fund’s status on the agenda of the AU heads of state summit scheduled for 18-19 February might give some indication of whether financial backers are coming on board.

2. Can South Africa’s NRF reverse its funding woes?

In South Africa, all eyes will be on the Treasury in the first quarter to see whether any more funding might flow to the embattled National Research Foundation. The country’s chief national funder has been under pressure for years, and is being asked to do more with less.

The re-election of Cyril Ramaphosa as African National Congress president in December 2022 lays the foundation for a second presidential term, as long as the corruption allegations relating to money stolen from his Phala Phala game reserve do not get in the way.

But business as usual will not be good enough for the country’s researchers, who hope Ramaphosa will follow through on his remarks about the importance of science at the opening of the 2022 World Science Forum in Cape Town with actual cash.

Also, the government’s ability to keep the lights on, literally, might affect research outcomes in the most basic of ways. With rolling blackouts worsening in 2022 to unprecedented levels, South Africa’s research community might reach breaking point this year.

3. What will happen to the University of Cape Town?

When University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng cut a sabbatical short in October to deal with the leadership battle embroiling her institution, the tensions between her and parts of the university’s senior academic leadership had been common knowledge for some time.

Yet, the public and acrimonious falling out between Phakeng and her backers in the UCT executive on the one side, and the university senate on the other, with the university’s council split down the middle, caused some to warn that the reputation of Africa’s top university was at stake.

The panel appointed to look into whether Phakeng misled the council about the reasons for the early departure of deputy vice-chancellor of teaching and learning Lis Lange was originally tasked with delivering its verdict by the end of last year. That was always a tall order, but its expected publication in the next few months will offer some insight into the course for UCT—or at the very least, for Phakeng—in the year to come.

4. As inequality deepens, can equity prevail?

A tweet from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention acting director Ahmed Ogwell claiming he had been blocked from entering Germany despite having a valid visa caused an outcry in October.

The incident prompted special ire as it illustrated how Africans keep being excluded from global science, despite assurances from wealthier parts of the world that such occurrences are a thing of the past.

In the year that comes, these assurances will continue to be put to the test—not least in the world of scientific publishing, where calls for inclusion have led to journals saying they will stop publishing helicopter research, which is where well-resourced researchers exploit colleagues, resources and study populations in poorer areas offering little in return.

5. What next for the African Academy of Sciences?

“I see an excellent future for the African Academy of Sciences,” the body’s new executive director Peggy Oti-Boateng said as last year drew to a close. She was speaking to Research Professional News on the sidelines of the World Science Forum, which took place in Cape Town in December.

The AAS also held its general assembly on the sidelines of the forum. Two years of turmoil at the institution—marked by deep divisions in its leadership and funders pulling grants citing ‘governance concerns’—has left several of its hundreds-strong membership questioning its ability to act as the supreme voice of African science.

The AAS is lobbying to get observer status at the African Union’s regular summits. It remains to be seen whether this wish is fulfilled in the coming year. That would give the academy a seat at the table of continental policy making.

However, to fulfil AAS president Felix Dakora’s aim of being “the voice of African science” to the world, the academy will need to regain the support of its fellows, too.

The post Five key questions for African research in 2023 appeared first on Research Professional News.

Early departures, anti-black tendencies, Ukraine and more—the biggest African research stories of the year

In 2022, public ruptures at the continent’s top research bodies produced some of our most-read African news.

Selected by our news team, these are the Research Professional News stories that defined African research this year.

1. Don’t comment on Ukraine, South African science bodies told (3 March)

A South African government official advised science agencies not to make public comments about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, insisting ties with Russia should be maintained despite the nation’s attack on its neighbour.

2. University of Cape Town deputy vice-chancellor steps down (5 May)

The University of Cape Town confirmed the early departure of Lis Lange from the post of deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning without commenting on the reason.

3. Anti-blackness in global health more than just visa denials
(3 November)

Shocking levels of racial discrimination hamper African researchers’ contributions to the field of global health and hold the entire field back, a meeting heard.

4. Bitter row engulfs University of Cape Town (14 October)

An acrimonious leadership crisis batters Africa’s highest-ranked university, roiling its senior staff, researchers and students, and spilling out into the wider community.

5. Funds pulled from AAS may flow to new foundation
(27 January)

International donors who pulled money from the African Academy of Sciences in 2021 amid a governance row arranged with a new foundation to manage some of their grants.

6. African languages pushed at South African universities
(7 July)

South African academics urged institutions of higher learning to implement a national framework designed to develop and strengthen scholarship, teaching and learning in all the country’s 11 official languages.

7. Research in a time of war (28 April)

Ethiopian researchers touched by that country’s civil strife share how the war in Tigray has upended their lives and careers

8. Search for lab head roils South African physics community (28 July)

Attempts to find a managing director for iThemba Labs, which operates cyclotron facilities at sites in Cape Town and Johannesburg, caused controversy in the country’s physics community.

9. Controversial director quits Malawi-UK research programme (24 March)

Stephen Gordon stepped down as director of the US$30m Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme—a move described as “not related” to his suspension in 2021 following a bullying investigation.

10. National Research Foundation to ramp up support for Black women (27 October)

South Africa’s National Research Foundation is stepping up its efforts to train and retain more Black female researchers.

The post Top stories of 2022: Africa appeared first on Research Professional News.

South Africa suffered while new partnerships and plans raised hopes for the continent

As travel resumed this year and policymaking moved on from its myopic focus on pandemic matters, 2022 became a more normal period for most of Africa’s research community. South Africa’s prominence was further challenged, while fresh funding hopes brought overall cheer to the continent.

South Africa slips

This year it became increasingly difficult to overlook the glaring challenges facing South Africa’s research system. Political fallout from corruption charges, an electricity provider on the brink of collapse and strife at institutions of higher learning set the scene for a challenging 12 months.

Further evidence of the country losing its position as Africa’s research leader emerged in June, when fresh data placed it behind Egypt, Rwanda and Tunisia in terms of its R&D spend as a proportion of GDP. Tough choices were evident at the National Research Foundation, as its director described how it is being asked to do more with less.

Tempers flared at the country’s universities with several—including the research-leading University of Cape Town—experiencing governance problems. Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi was placed under administration and an independent investigator was appointed to investigate allegations of mismanagement at the University of South Africa.

Reports of racism and xenophobia also dogged campuses in the country. The Academy of Sciences of South Africa announced it was conducting an investigation into xenophobia in universities. “Already, our fears are being confirmed,” Assaf president Jonathan Jansen said.

Pan-African progress

There was more cause for cheer looking across the continent, as lockdowns eased and long-planned research collaboration schemes took shape. In October, the African Union Development Agency held its first technical consultation on mobilising domestic investments for R&D.

The previous month, national science and education ministers from around the continent had backed the creation of an African Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Fund. The US$300 million fund is envisaged as a source for grants and loans for African education and research projects. However, at the time only two countries—Botswana and Ghana—had committed funding to the mechanism that will be hosted by the African Development Bank.

International funders

An Africa-Europe joint innovation agenda was adopted in February at a long-anticipated (and Covid-delayed) intercontinental summit held in Brussels. Links also deepened between the African Research Universities Alliance and its European counterpart, the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, with talk of funding new joint centres of excellence.

In the United States, development agency USAID announced it would direct a greater proportion of its Africa funds—which include sizable chunks for research—to local organisations to “elevate” African leadership. In December, president Joe Biden created an African diaspora council to strengthen the US government’s links with people of African descent.

And as the year drew to a close, the United Kingdom’s government announced a new international R&D cooperation scheme to replace those slashed in the early days of Covid.

Looking ahead

Despite hardships across the board, many African researchers found things to cheer about in 2022. But with a lot of the reasons for cheer being ‘works in progress’, plenty of uncertainty remains about the recovery of the sector in 2023.

The post 2022: Africa’s research year in review appeared first on Research Professional News.

Peggy Oti-Boateng sees “excellent future” for the African research body

The new executive director of the troubled African Academy of Sciences has pledged to mend its fragmented membership and look to the future after two tumultuous years for the continental science body.

Peggy Oti-Boateng, who took up the post last month, said a vital part of this will be reconnecting with the body’s several hundred elected fellows after a series of bitter internal rows saw major backers pulling their money.

“If we can bring everybody together to recommit themselves to the academy there’s so much that we can do,” she told Research Professional News in an exclusive interview.

“I see an excellent future for the African Academy of Sciences.”

Turbulent past

Oti-Boateng, from Ghana, is a former science policy head of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

On 3 November, the AAS announced her appointment as the body’s first substantive executive director since Nelson Torto left the post in mid-2020, amid accusations of mismanagement. Torto has denied wrongdoing.

A year later, several international research funders diverted money they had been channelling through an AAS-hosted grant management platform, the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (Aesa), citing concerns about governance at the academy.

AAS governing council members have vehemently denied that the academy’s governance was at fault. Last week at the World Science Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, academy president Felix Dakora said he was not interested in mending the academy’s relationship with the funders who had withdrawn from Aesa.

“Maybe that will happen when I’m no longer the president. Personally, I’ve had enough of them,” he said.

Looking ahead

Last year’s turbulence has sparked divisions among AAS members. Some told Research Professional News they were unsure about the value of being a fellow and expressed concern about the future.

A lack of communication from the academy’s leadership is a key concern.

“For almost two years now, there has been no engagement,” said Catherine Kyobutungi, an AAS fellow and director of the Kenya-based African Population and Health Research Center.

“The longer this lack of seriousness goes on, the more irrelevant AAS will become in the bigger scheme of things,” she added.

Oti-Boateng said igniting the “brain power” of the academy’s fellows and young affiliates will be part of a strategy designed to strengthen its reach and impact.

“I think it’s a two-way thing. They have to be committed, but also we have to create the platform for them to be able to do what they want to do and do what they do best,” she said. “Then they should also own it, and be proud of it.”

The post New African Academy of Sciences head promises to heal divisions appeared first on Research Professional News.

This week: African nations sign space accords, UCT vice-chancellor leave extended and more

In depth: The new executive director of the troubled African Academy of Sciences has pledged to mend its fragmented membership and look to the future after two tumultuous years for the continental science body.

Full story: New African Academy of Sciences head promises to heal divisions

Also this week from Research Professional News

Biden creates African diaspora advisory council—Group will advise US government on strengthening links with people of African descent

Nzimande: Stellenbosch race report could help others—But institutional differences mean report’s findings will not be universal, minister adds

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

First African nations sign outer space accords

Nigeria and Rwanda have become the first African countries to sign the Artemis Accords, a set of principles to guide the next phase in responsible space exploration. The countries signed the accord on 13 December during the United States-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC. To date, 23 countries have signed the accords, which were presented by the US State Department in 2020.

UCT vice-chancellor given extended leave

The University of Cape Town Council has agreed to grant vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng additional leave following her hospitalisation on 5 December. On 12 December UCT council chair Babalwa Ngonyama said the agreement followed a “cordial in-person engagement with Phakeng”. The UCT said Phakeng will return to her post on 9 January 2023. 

Stellenbosch allocates 12m rand for green hydrogen research
South Africa’s Stellenbosch University has committed an initial 12 million rand towards research to advance the use of green hydrogen as an energy source. The announcement follows an agreement on green hydrogen between Stellenbosch and Teesside University in the UK. The universitas will collaborate with other institutions in the UK and South Africa.

The post Africa news roundup: 9-15 December appeared first on Research Professional News.

Incoming International Science Council chief Salvatore Aricò is charting a fearless course for his group

The incoming head of the International Science Council says there is a growing appetite for a body like his: one that can do work that other international groups cannot.

It is only four years since the ISC was formed by merging two decades-old global academic bodies—one for natural sciences, the other for social science—into a global NGO that brings together more than 200 organisations.

In that time, the need for a global voice for science—which the Paris-based ISC wants to be—has become more pressing, according to incoming chief executive Salvatore Aricò.

Global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change require truly international science, he told Research Professional News on the first day of the World Science Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, held from 6-9 December. 

But he believes it has become clear that intergovernmental bodies such as the World Health Organization or United Nations bodies are not ideally placed to foster the sort of scientific partnerships required.

Politics gets in the way of scientific links, says Aricò—and that is where the ISC can come in. “UN organisations face restrictions not out of censorship but rather out of mandate,” he says. “It is no value judgement, simply a difference in the mandates and roles of a UN versus a non-governmental organisation.”

He notes that science has become vital to tackling global challenges like climate change and pandemics. “You can look at these crises as opportunities to take a stand and say things that need to be said, and promote yourself as a broker. I think we—the ISC—are not afraid to go there. We can play that role, the brokerage role, that is very much needed.” 

Surfing the interface

Aricò, who steps into his new role at the ISC in January next year, knows what he’s talking about. The Italian oceanographer worked in the UN system for over two decades, operating at the science-policy interface related to oceans, biodiversity and climate change while also staying active as a researcher. 

“I realised early in my career that science in the academic context and science in the intergovernmental context are different animals,” he says.

Academic science has a tendency to isolate itself from society, while intergovernmental science can get bogged down in political considerations, he notes.

The ISC hopes to avoid both these the pitfalls.

Two weeks ago, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the WHO to conduct a joint study on youth mental health. 

“Now, you might ask why the WHO, which already has a division working on mental health, which published a report on mental health not long ago, would partner with us on this? It’s precisely because the ISC is in a position to speak more freely about the drivers of mental health problems, like inequality,” he says. 

The need for what he calls science brokerage is not new, says Aricò, but it has become more apparent in the face of mounting global challenges where science has to play a role.  

“The ISC is entering this new phase with a level of self-confidence, not arrogance, but at least a consciousness that we aren’t a club of academies or scientists. It’s very much about science and society as well,” he says.  

Going global

Aricò is also mindful that the ISC has work to do if it is to represent a truly global science voice. Historically, its constituent bodies were heavily Western-focused, in membership and outlook.

This is why the organisation is staging what it calls ‘global knowledge dialogues’ in regions of the world that are traditionally underrepresented in global science discussions—like Africa. It is also planning to increase its representation in different parts of the world, possibly via regional offices or other offshoots.

All this will require resources.

“As incoming CEO, one of my responsibilities will be to raise the necessary resources, both human and financial,” says Aricò.

The council’s funding comes partly from contributions from its members, of which there are more than 220, including scientific unions, associations, as well as national and regional academies and research councils. The ISC is also looking to “unconventional” partners for support, Aricò says. The organisation is setting up a trust in the United Kingdom that will accept philanthropic donations which it hopes will be up and running by the end of the year. 

There’s a “real demand” from philanthropic foundations for a matchmaker to connect them with the science they need to fund in order to achieve their objectives, says Aricò. And it’s important that these actors are brought into the fold of science priority-setting if research is to tackle global problems.  

The ultimate goal, he says, is to nurture interdisciplinarity and co-design between researchers and wider society in research to ensure science responds to societal challenges, and that it delivers results.

“If we’re talking about transdisciplinary and co-designing the research agenda, then you have to bring on board unconventional stakeholders,” he says.

In another four years, the world may have changed again but Aricò is betting the ISC will be playing an even bigger role.

The post Speaking freely for science appeared first on Research Professional News.

Science for all humanity a rallying cry for first forum hosted in Africa

The global science enterprise has work to do if it is to fulfil the aim of bringing about a more just, more peaceful world, the World Science Forum opening session heard on 7 December.

Speaking at the week-long event held in Cape Town, South Africa, dignitaries and leaders of international science bodies emphasised the need for science to evolve to suit growing inequality and international tension.

Peter Gluckman, president of the International Council of Science, which is a partner in the event, called the meeting “a critical meeting at a critical time”. He said the world is in a much more fractured place than when this forum was formed nearly two decades ago. Science must “evolve” to meet the challenges of a changing world, he said.

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, cited vaccine inequality during the Covid-19 pandemic as an example of how there’s some way to go before science can serve all humankind equally.

“The global scientific community demonstrated the value of cooperation in responding with unprecedented urgency to produce Covid-19 vaccines. Yet, the benefits of that extraordinary scientific work did not benefit all of humanity equally,” he said, describing this as “a gross violation of human rights” and “a grave injustice”.

Katalin Novák, the president of Hungary—whose national Academy of Sciences co-organises the World Science Forum which takes place every two years—said in a speech read on her behalf by Hungary’s ambassador to South Africa that lasting peace was a prerequisite of science serving humanity.

Noting that she had recently visited Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, she said: “Without peace, science cannot fulfil the role it has in society to improve the living conditions of people. If there is war, everything focuses on it, even science. Science must serve peace, not unrest.”

Ramaphosa called on delegates at the forum, who hailed from more than 110 countries, to ensure its deliberations led to tangible actions. “What matters is not the fact that we have participated in the World Science Forum here in Cape Town, but rather what we will do as a consequence to improve the lives of others, making our world a more just one,” he said.

The forum will end on 9 December, when delegates are expected to adopt a declaration on harnessing science for social justice.

The post World Science Forum opens to calls for peace and justice appeared first on Research Professional News.

This week: UCT's Phakeng off sick, TWAS physics award, African funding councils meet and more

In depth:The incoming head of the International Science Council says there is a growing appetite for a body like his: one that can do work that other international groups cannot.

Full story: Speaking freely for science

Also this week from Research Professional News

Europe-Africa innovation plan set for adoption next year—Milestone scheduled for research and innovation ministerial meeting in June 2023

South Africa embarks on university language audits—Reviews will identify resource gaps that hamper academic multilingualism

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

University of Cape Town vice-chancellor on sick leave

UCT’s vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng has taken time away from her official duties following a hospital admission on 5 December. A 6 December council meeting resolved that deputy vice-chancellor Elelwani Ramugondo would step in while Phakeng recovers. UCT’s council has been at the centre of a leadership battle rocking the institution in recent months with Phakeng accused of flouting governance process. A UCT statement read: “Given the stress the vice-chancellor has been under, this time away from the office will also serve to give her a bit of rest.”

Forbes and Kwo share TWAS award for physics

South Africa’s Andrew Forbes has received The World Academy of Sciences award for physics jointly with Jueinai Kwo of Taiwan. Forbes was recognised for his contributions to creating new forms of classical and quantum states of structured light, while Kwo was acknowledged for his work in condensed matter research. The TWAS awards are made to individual scientists from developing countries in recognition of an outstanding contribution to scientific knowledge in nine scientific fields. Each prize carries a cash award of $10,000, a plaque and a chance to lecture at the next TWAS general conference.

Africa’s funding councils gauge impact

Research funders from 17 African countries convened in Cape Town, South Africa, this week to deliberate on progress in advancing research and innovation funding on the continent. The Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa meeting was held on the sidelines of the World Science Forum.

CSIR in €275,000 development bank deal

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa has signed a €275,000 ($290,000) grant agreement with the French public development bank. The deal with Agence Française de Développement aims to further South Africa’s just energy transition goals. “The work that the CSIR is doing will be a source of inspiration for other countries with similar challenges,” said Philippe Orliange, executive director for countries at AFD.

Stellenbosch agrees fresh research collaboration

Stellenbosch University in South Africa has entered into an academic partnership with the University of Warwick in the UK and the University of Oslo in Norway. The three will collaborate on student exchange, supervision, research, conferences and other academic meetings. Although Stellenbosch University and Warwick have collaborated in the past, no formal agreement existed before this year.

The post Africa news roundup: 2-8 December appeared first on Research Professional News.

This week: EU backs African Medicines Agency, Omicron scientists win German Africa award and more

In depth: The World Science Forum is due to kick off in Cape Town, South Africa, next week. The theme—science for social justice—will set the scene for discussions around equity in research partnerships and the role of science in international diplomacy.

Full story: Justice, equity and some awkward science diplomacy

Also this week from Research Professional News

Europe-Africa innovation plan set for adoption next year—Milestone scheduled for research and innovation ministerial meeting in June 2023

South Africa embarks on university language audits—Reviews will identify resource gaps that hamper academic multilingualism

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

EU supports African Medicines Agency, vaccine production

The European Commission has committed to support the African Medicines Agency planned for Rwanda’s capital Kigali with €5 million (US$5.2m). The agreement was signed on the sidelines of a meeting between the EU Commission and its counterpart in the African Union in Brussels. The commissions also welcomed the announcement of a €15.5m Team Europe Support Structure to advance the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing supported by the European Commission, Belgium, Germany and France. 

CGIAR gets new system board chair

Global agri-research giant the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has appointed current board member Lindiwe Majele Sibanda as its next system board chair. Sibanda will succeed Marco Ferroni, who is retiring. Sibanda is an animal scientist, director and chair of the African Research Universities Alliance Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She was appointed to the CGIAR system board in April 2021.

Scientists win German ‘Africa award’ for Omicron discovery

The scientists who discovered the Omicron variant of Covid-19—Tulio de Oliveira from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and Sikhulile Moyo from the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership—received the 2022 German Africa Award at a 25 November ceremony in Berlin. German chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the award to the pair, praising them as an “inspiration and incentive to broaden our view, to leave behind old ways of thinking, and to establish new partnerships”. 

Nominations open for South Africa’s science ‘Oscars’

The nomination process for the 2022-23 National Science and Technology Forum-South32 Awards has opened. The awards are given out annually to leading and emerging science actors in the country. The registration deadline for nominations is 15 December 2022 and fully completed nomination documents have to be submitted by 3 March 2023. Nominees will be announced in April 2023. This year’s theme is ocean science.

The post Africa news roundup: 25 November to 1 December appeared first on Research Professional News.

What to expect from the World Science Forum in Cape Town next week

The World Science Forum is due to kick off in Cape Town, South Africa, next week. The theme—science for social justice—will set the scene for discussions around equity in research partnerships and the role of science in international diplomacy.

The hosts will want to avoid discussions about the war in Ukraine. South Africa’s government has stuck to its decision not to denounce Russia’s actions in Ukraine, placing it at odds with major science powers in Europe and North America. Such disagreements have already created tensions in global forums, including the G20 education ministers’ meeting earlier this year where it derailed a declaration.

So far, there has been no formal scientific or other sanction of South Africa for its stance on Ukraine—at least not in public. The South African hosts will likely want to keep it that way, and to avoid it becoming a flashpoint at the World Science Forum.

But avoiding the war in Europe could prove tricky. Registrations show at least seven participants from Ukraine and South African scientists have criticised the government’s stance. With sessions lined up like one on 8 December titled ‘Science for diplomacy: How can science reboot multilateralism and global solidarity?’, it seems the odds are against the organisers on this one.

Partnerships in focus

Western nations will also have to navigate tricky questions. Several sessions will discuss partnership practices, and how to avoid unfair or exploitative research links between wealthy countries and less wealthy ones. 

On 7 December there will be a discussion about equity in research partnerships between Africa and the rest of the world. There will be a session on 8 December on the importance of diversity in scientific policy advice. The forum will also see the presentation of the final text of the Cape Town Declaration on Social Justice in Science. This is the result of a decade-long effort to create a blueprint for ethics at the boundaries between science, society and policy.

Plenty of attention has been given equity in research partnerships over the last decade, with promises from well-resourced nations to do better. But as we often report in this publication, for example in this 2021 article about how ‘neocolonial’ practices hamper volcanology research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there’s some way to go to change things on the ground.  

With such sensitive issues on the agenda, it’s likely that diplomacy won’t just be a topic that will feature in the debates, but a vital component of the discussions too.

Research Professional News will cover the World Science Forum taking place in Cape Town from 5-9 December

The post Justice, equity and some awkward science diplomacy appeared first on Research Professional News.

Twenty of the 50 new World Academy of Sciences fellows are women

An impressive 40 per cent of the new fellows elected to the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) are women, the closest the organisation has come to gender parity in its intake history.

Of the 50 new fellows of the organisation, which based in Trieste, Italy, 20 are women. Six are from science and technology-lagging countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, Mali, Algeria and Nepal. The main objective of TWAS is to promote science in developing countries.

In a 21 November statement, the organisation said the new fellows bring the total TWAS membership to 1,384. Brazil, China and India have the most new fellows, accounting for nearly half of the new members.

The new members include Shireen Kamal Assem Abd El-Halim who is vice-president of the Agricultural Research Center in Egypt; Yonas Beyene, a prehistoric archaeologist from Ethiopia; Faith Osier, who leads medical research in Kenya; and Djeffal Fayçal from the University of Batna, Algeria.

Last week, TWAS announced South African scientist Quarraisha Abdool Karim as its first woman president. She succeeds Sudanese mathematician Mohamed Hassan, who will sit on the 2023-26 council as immediate past-president. The organisation also chose a 16-member council comprising an equal number of men and women.

The post World academy intake one step closer to gender parity appeared first on Research Professional News.

This week: Africa-China agreement, South Africa to make cholera vaccine and more

In depth: Science and technology cooperation took prominence this week when South African president Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in the UK, the first state visit hosted by King Charles III.

Full story: Hydrogen, health and climate change top Ramaphosa UK visit

Also this week from Research Professional News

University of Cape Town sends governance row report to minister—Department of higher education says it is monitoring top research institution’s leadership crisis

Africa’s first space weather centre built ‘on time and on budget’—Sustainable funding will not rely on government only, says space agency director

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Africa-China agreement to boost university collaboration

The Association of African Universities signed a collaboration agreement with the China Association of Higher Education on 15 November. Olusola Bandele Oyewole signed on behalf of the AAU, while Jiang Enlai signed on behalf of CAHE. The agreement is expected to pave the way for activities and initiatives to address the pressing needs of higher education institutions.

South Africa set to manufacture cholera vaccine

Biovac, a South African biopharmaceutical company, has concluded a licensing and technology transfer agreement with the International Vaccine Institute to manufacture an oral cholera vaccine. The groundbreaking deal enables drug substance manufacturing capability to be built within Africa. The agreement is supported by R120 million ($6.9m) from the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the first phase of the project.

Gray: Africa needs to support mRNA technology

Glenda Gray, president of the South Africa Medical Research Council, argues in an article this week that not enough resources and support are coming from local government and private business to build mRNA vaccine technology capacity in Africa. In a letter published by the Medicines Patents Pool, she writes that more local commitment and collaboration is needed. "True sustainability happens when your country puts its own money, not into guns but into vaccines. I think that’s what we need to do."

South African bags Falling Walls summit award

Tamlyn Naidu, a postdoctoral scientist at South Africa University of the Witwatersrand, has won first prize in the 2022 world finals of the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin. Naidu won the accolade for her work on acid mine drainage. Her entry, ‘Breaking the Wall of Acid Mine Drainage’, tackles mining-related water pollution and land loss. 

Register for 2023 Higher Education Conference

South Africa’s 2023 Higher Education Conference will take place on 1-3 March 2023, at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research International Convention Centre in Pretoria. The theme is ‘Promoting access to and success in postgraduate studies’ and registration is open. 

The post Africa news roundup: 18-24 November appeared first on Research Professional News.

Company commits $100,000 contribution to African agriculture advancement award

Global food and beverage company Nestlé has announced it will be partnering with the Africa Food Prize and contributing to its funding.

The Africa Food Prize is an initiative that awards US$100,000 to outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to improve farming in Africa. The prize aims to “expand access to nutrition, boost livelihoods and improve the environment”.

Part of the contribution will go to the main award, but some of the funding will be used for a special category focusing on innovations to advance “regenerative food systems”.

On 9 November, Nestlé said that this was its way of strengthening the continent’s food security and building greater climate change resilience. “We aim to support and amplify efforts that spearhead regenerative agriculture and food systems to enable better productivity, better nutrition and better incomes for people in Africa,” said Remy Ejel, chief executive for Asia, Oceania and Africa at Nestlé South Africa.

Boaz Keizire, head of the secretariat at Africa Food Prize, said the partnership came at the right time. “Africa is redefining its approach and work to embrace the whole food systems agenda, which brings in the often neglected issues—such as regenerative agriculture that has been traditionally practised by most African farming households.”

Criticisms

However, the announcement met with some sharp criticism. International Food Policy Research Institute fellow Purnima Menon said on social media website Twitter that the partnership was “truly unbelievable and shameful”.

Menon told Research Professional News she feared that Nestlé was trying to buy its way into prestige and privilege with the food and nutrition community. 

“Food companies like Nestlé have a long history of using various tactics—such as funding research and awards—to co-opt scientists and researchers and to influence policy,” she said. “The fact that these tactics continue, and that prize committees accept funds from industries with such conflicts of interest, is a big challenge for the field of food and nutrition.”

In response to the criticisms, Saint-Francis Tohlang, director for public affairs and corporate communications at Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR), told Research Professional News that the partnership built on the company’s long-standing work to advance regenerative agriculture and food systems at scale.

“These efforts contribute to our ambition to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050,” he said.

The post Nestlé backs Africa Food Prize  appeared first on Research Professional News.

This week: a global knowledge partnership and the pre-launch of a climate change call

In depth: Quarraisha Abdool Karim, a South African infectious diseases epidemiologist, has been elected as president of the World Academy of Sciences for advancing science in developing countries (Unesco-TWAS).

Full story: HIV pioneer to lead World Academy of Sciences

Also this week from Research Professional News

Nestlé backs Africa Food Prize—Company commits $100,000 contribution to African agriculture advancement award

Rooibos research gets much-needed funding boost—Grants will enable scientists to run clinical trials in the study of plant’s pharmacological properties

 
Here is the rest of the Africa news this week…

Global Knowledge Partnerships applications open

The South African National Research Foundation has commenced the next round of the Global Knowledge Partnerships programme. Founded in 1997, the programme places doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and early career researchers at several international universities and research institutions in countries including Germany, Austria, the US, Japan, Singapore and Canada. There are also placements within the African continent.

Consortium pre-launches climate change call

The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa is working with a consortium of research funders from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US on tackling climate change. This week the NRF pre-launched a call for the International Joint Initiative for Research in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. The consortium aims to further the design and implementation of support co-produced adaptation and mitigation strategies for vulnerable groups impacted by the effects of climate change.

The post Africa news roundup: 11-17 November appeared first on Research Professional News.

Former Unesco science policy head Peggy Oti-Boateng tasked with steering troubled academy

The African Academy of Sciences has appointed Peggy Oti-Boateng, a former head of science policy and capacity building at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as its new executive director.

Oti-Boateng is the first substantive appointment for the role since the suspension of Nelson Torto in June 2020. Torto was accused of having raised staff salaries without following proper procedures—something he vehemently denies. Catherine Ngila has held the executive director role in an acting position since Torto’s departure.

Oti-Boateng joins the pan-African science academy following a tumultuous year. In September 2021 the academy experienced a major withdrawal of some of its funders due to governance concerns. It lost many staff in the process.

In a statement announcing Oti-Boateng’s appointment AAS president Felix Dapare Dakora said her wealth of experience could take the academy to new heights. "We hope that her knowledge of the science, technology and innovation ecosystem globally, but more so in Africa, will guide her to create new collaborations while strengthening the existing collaborations," he said.

Oti-Boateng, from Ghana, holds a PhD in food science from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. In addition to her role at Unesco’s headquarters in Paris, she has also worked as an academic in Ghana and as a regional science and technology policy specialist for Africa at Unesco.

Since losing funding and staff last year, the academy has been working to stabilise its operations. It recently hosted a United States-Africa Frontiers Symposium, a scientific exchange and dialogue programme for early-to-mid career researchers. The 12-14 October symposium was sponsored by the Rutter Foundation, the Office of Naval Research Global, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and computer giant IBM.

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