The scientific community needs to play an active role in fighting exclusion and inequality particularly in Africa. At the World Science Forum 2022, attended by about 900 delegates, in Cape Town, South Africa, science was recognized as the bedrock of nation building which would benefit the African continent.
This was echoed in the forum’s declaration: “We acknowledge the important role of science in ensuring advanced technologies create new opportunities and do not marginalize anyone.”
With the theme Science for Social Justice, Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, noted the gross human rights violations that resulted from inequitable access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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.
This spinoff with the development of a national vaccine manufacturing programme, which includes a partnership with the World Health Organization through hosting the mRNA technology transfer hub in Cape Town.
Tshilidzi Marwala, outgoing Vice‐Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, highlighted the link between science and nation building highlighting China and the USA as examples, with significant investments in science and technology. In 2019 China contributed 29% of the funds spent globally on research and development (R&D) and America 23%. In comparison Africa’s R&D funding was only 0.42%, in the same year, he said.
For Marwala a R&D target of 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) should be set for African countries. “There needs to be a skills revolution with the focus on science and mathematics at school level. Tertiary educations should become multidisciplinary, where curricula blend science and technology with social science. For example, at the University of Johannesburg, artificial intelligence (AI) is a compulsory subject for all students.
“The message is that we need to foster science and technology expertise made in Africa for Africa. Therefore, the declaration’s “call for science funding agencies to foster a step change towards interdisciplinary, multiscale and inclusive research agendas informing pathways to greater equality”.
Michael Backes, astronomer, and executive member of the Global Young Academy, wondered how Africa was to go from being receivers to becoming contributors and creators of knowledge. He repeated some comments he had heard from delegates in various sessions: “Science arrives in Africa already fully performed” and: “We as Africans don’t feel we can contribute or challenge this preformed science.”
“It is often far from being self-determined what science in Africa should be. It is suggested, or dictated by international steams of donor funding that African science should essentially or even exclusively be about African problems . . . These are immensely important for human development, but do not take into account any areas of opportunity,” Backes said.
Focusing on applied science is not just an issue we see in Africa, but worldwide. The GYA recently published Back to Basics” a report on the global state of funding for fundamental research.
“Funding for basic research is decreasing in the context of increasing funding for applied research. This will come at significant societal costs,” said Backes.
The delegates emphasised this in the declaration: “We recognize the need for the scientific enterprise to evolve to make it more responsive to the needs of society, without neglecting our commitment to invest in the basic sciences, as an investment in the future.”
