COMMENT: To realise the potential of science and innovation, Africa must recommit to ensuring that scientists in African universities and research institutions have access to well-equipped laboratories to make science happen.
‘It’s time for the African continent to be serious about investing in research, development and innovation,” International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor noted in her speech at the 2019 South Africa Investment conference. She observed that Africa is far from realising the potential that science and innovation hold for development, and that a way to rectify this is for governments to invest in research.
There are several reasons why Africa still lags behind in research outputs but a big one is a lack of funding. According to a 2016 research survey by Seeding Labs, scientists working in African countries often lack access to infrastructure and cutting-edge science equipment to allow them to conduct research geared towards addressing many of the challenges the continent faces. There is also a lack of funding mechanisms to create viable ways to disseminate their research.
In addition, with the exception of South Africa, investments and budget allocations by African governments to agricultural research and development and extension stand at less than 10% of agricultural GDP. This needs to change, and in some countries it is starting to. Alternatively, African scientists can collaborate with researchers who are working in countries that have larger science spending budgets, such as the United States and European countries. But as they collaborate, researchers must ensure that the African contributors are included as first or senior authors in resulting research papers or reports.
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