Africans should use home grown initiative in STI

By Violet Mengo

SCIENCE experts and officials attending the first Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation in Nairobi, Kenya are seeking African solutions to African problems.

The delegates are calling for African governments to fund and promote research and development on the continent.

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Technology Division Director Aida Opolu-Mensah said during the official opening that for a long time Africa’s science and technology program has been set by the continent’s development partners.

 “We need to be in the “driving seat” if Africa is the new pole of growth, the continent has to be in the driving seat,” Mr Mensah said.

 He said Africa has to invest its own resources in the science and technology that they want to use in order to achieve new growth.

Mr Mensah called upon African countries to fund science and technology programs from their national budgets, not to rely on “gifts” from international partners.

In 2006, the African Union set a target for all member countries to spend at least one percent of their gross domestic product on science research and development.

According to research from an A.U. development program, known as NEPAD, only Uganda, Malawi and South Africa have reached that target.

 African economies have grown rapidly during the past decade, and are predicted to continue expanding by most estimates. The International Monetary Fund expects African economies to grow by nearly six percent this in 2012.

 African Development Bank Vice President Kamal El Khesten pointed out that growth does not necessarily equate to development.

“This growth was not satisfactorily inclusive, in spite of double-digit growth rates in many countries; the occurrence of jobless growth has become the order of the day. The challenge is to address the disparity between skills development and the actual requirements of the labor market,” he said.

Mr El Khestan said the continent needs to invest in higher education to prepare for jobs in science and technology for young people who are at the centre at attention of the conference in terms of youth employment.

There is no shortage of advice and guidance on science and technology development in Africa. The African Union has made numerous declarations on the subject, starting with the 2005 consolidated plan of action. The United Nations has its own recommendations, as do most international development agencies working in the continent.

 Association for the Development of Eduction in Africa Chairman Dzingai Mutumbuka said many of these good ideas are never put into action. He hopes this forum will be different.

 “It is time that we as Africans move away from arrogant conference resolutions to implementation,” he said.

The three days forum started on Sunday and hopes to take some concrete actions in designing possible responses to water, energy and biodiversity needs in Africa.

Africa needs to invest in science, technology and innovation

By VIOLET MENGO

THE first African Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation taking place in Nairobi Kenya has highlighted the need to invest in this key sector to foster sustainable growth and development and provide job opportunities for youth and women.

And African countries have been called upon to embrace and utilise relevant science, technology and creatively innovate to ensure viable development.

Speaking at the official opening of the conference, Kenyan Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Margaret Kamar said African countries will only be able to effectively confront some of the pressing challenges of development when STI is effectively utilised.

“The problems of youth unemployment, inadequacies in human capital development and inclusive growth will be achieved when we (Africans) take seriously STIs,” Ms Kamar said.

The Forum is an African initiative and looks at achievements made in this domain across the continent, highlighting best practices and policies.

It also seeks to strengthen North-South and South-South cooperation, partnerships between the private and public sectors and cooperation between institutions of higher education.

The conference is sponsored by UNESCO with the African Union Commission (AU), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the Kenyan Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology.

Ms Karmar said the conference is going to provide an excellent opportunity to share experiences especially best practices from all over the world, on science, technology and innovation policies, strategies and mechanisms.

The STI is an African initiative aimed at raising importance of science and technologies among policy makers, private sector, schools and society in general.

The Kenyan minister said promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship; especially those which have greatest potential for effective creation of youth employment should be encouraged on the continent.

“We will hear of measures that have successfully harnessed science, technology and innovation to enhance the participation of women, youth and other marginalised groups in societies,” she said.

She said all these will create an informed and enabling environment for African countries to make urgent decisions on the importance of investment in STI.

Participants include experts, scientists, decision makers, youth, academics, representatives of the private sector and civil society.

Among some of the subjects tackled include the need for graduates to have the skills required by employers, how funding can be increased for African research and development, and innovative ways to improve youth employment.

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) director, ICT science and technology Division Aida Opoku Mensah said If Africa has to continue registering positive economic growth, there is a need to address Africa’s innovation system.

“A critical foundation of any innovation system is education and investing in its youth,” Mr Mensah said. This is because education system plays a vital role in human development and entrepreneurship

 Mr Mensah said competitions that cultivate in students enquiry and problem-solving skills and encourage them to address real life challenges should be encouraged.

According to UNESCO's Science Report 2010, research and development (R&D) in Africa attracts significantly less public funding than other sectors such as education or health. Only some 0.3% of GDP is dedicated to R&D on average across the continent. This is seven times less than the investment made in industrialised countries.

The Report shows that education is another obstacle. Access to higher education remains limited, and in 2008 enrolment was below 4 percent in one country out of four.

Additionally, the report observes that brain drain is severely affecting the continent: in 2009, the Network of African Science Academies estimated that at least one-third of Africa's scientists and technology graduates were living and working in developed countries.

ENDS

COP17 ANOTHER LOST OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER A DEAL RESPONSIVE TO AFRICAN REALITIES AND ASPIRATIONS

 By VIOLET MENGO

We have ultimately come to the end of the Durban climate change conference with no signals till now of the agreement that African peoples had aspired: second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol and fulfillment of the Bali Action plan.

We are worried that once more, the global community has lost an opportunity to deliver a deal that promises a better future for the poor and health of the planet.

It is however not lost. Anything can happen in the next few hours, and if there is genuine willingness, Durban can deliver a deal responsive to African realities and aspirations. In the last few hours of the climate negotiations we as African civil society want to send an equivocal message to our leaders to reaffirm the African common position that is based on science, justice and the rule of law. On the same note, we urge countries and regional blocs arm-twisting Africa to be “flexible” on their position and lower their ambitions that will ultimately threaten the livelihoods of Africans and our biodiversity to desist from such maneuvres.

The COP17 is the space to conclude talks on the Bali Action Plan with its two- track process in a legally binding form. This is the only credible process. It is essential that the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with science-based targets of 40% emission reductions by 2017 and 95% by 2050 at 1990 levels by developed countries must be met without loopholes for inaction. We have noticed deliberate efforts to lower these ambitions and maintain the pledges based on the Cancun Agreements that will lead to a 6-degree temperature rise for Africa effectively a death sentence for the continent. The safe level is 1.5 degrees.

Africa also needs new, sustainable, predictable and reliable finance from public sources that is anchored in a democratic and effective architecture. In this regard we consider the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as the big hope to deliver on finance for Africa. The GCF must be able to stand the test of legitimacy as a legal persona and be accountable to the UNFCCC. This is the only way to ensure direct access to finance for the most vulnerable people on our continent. We denounce attempts to turn the GCF into a ‘Greedy Corporate Fund’ that will allow transnational corporations to bypass developing country preferences and community needs. The GCF must be driven by country needs and local level ownership. We reject any maneuvers for the Fund to be housed by any Multilateral Development Bank. We also call for immediate capitalization of the fund agreed at the COP17 and to be based on the scale of need.

We reiterate our support and commitment to the African Common Position and reject any attempts to develop a Durban Mandate which will be an escape from legally binding, ambitious commitments. We support the convergence of the work of the three levels of our African team including the technical negotiators, the ministers, and the heads of state. We call on them to be guided by our clarion call: one African Common Position reject any political compromise in Durban

KEY HIGHLIHTS OF THE TRANS AFRICAN CARVAN OF HOPE

The motivation

The Trans African Climate Caravan of Hope was held as part of pan African mobilization that sought to galvanize the cross country stakeholder voices, with an ultimate aim of communicating the African story while making known the demands of Africa among its inhabitants and the rest of the world to not ony the Africna leaders but also the global ones. The Caravan was a huge mobilization and awareness creation opportunity for African civil society to highlight the challenges climate change poses to African’s efforts to extricate herself from poverty and attainment of Millennium Development Goals. The caravan travelled almost 10,000 Km covering 10 countries (Burindi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zmabia, Zimbabwe, Bostwana and South Africa). In addition Swaziland, Namibia and Mozambique joined as linking nodes. A total of 300 members of caravanites directly took part in the caravan with thousand more attending events at the peoples space and taking part in solidarity actions taht were orgnaised during the week of action in Durban. 42 of these were supported from Zambia with good geneder represenation of both women and youths.

The Highlights

The Caravan delivered peoples message to the various Heads of States in the repsective countries where it passed through and various political leaders also signed the peopels petions. A total of over 4 million signature were sollected and handed over to President Zuma in his capacity as not oinly a Head of state Republi of South Africa but also COP 17  Presidency.

In Zambia the Cravan received the highest political and governemnet solidarity led by the Minsiter of Local Government, Early Child Education and Environal protection who delivered teh solidraity message on behalf o the President of teh Republic of Zambia.  Some of the key persons that addressed the caravanites included; Her Excellency Mary Robinson, former Ireland president met who addressed the continental caravanites at University of Kwa Zulu Natal. Her Excellency was there as she put it, ‘ to listen to the caravanites and help them articulate their voices on the floor of negotiations.’ An actress from China Hai Qing who serves as an Oxfam ambassador and travels the world creating awareness on various development issues received submissions from the Cravanites and addressed them.

Outside the Howard dome at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, caravnites shared their experiences from across Africa. Hai heard about women in Zambia through Mailesi Banda  a woman farmer who was part of the caravan. She told of how the rural woman suffers because of lack of access of modern facilities. She urged Hai, ‘to send the message to the right people in China that they needed to cut emissions.’ A woman from Lesotho also called Mama Anna had a requested Hai to let the leaders at the COP 17 know, ‘that the group knew they were talking on their behalf but could they ask us directly what we think since we can talk for ourselves.’

Now back to the hall where we are meeting. T-Boy a yough artists from Zambia communicated his message in song from his heart pointing out against the impacts of climate change.

Prof Patrick Bond, Director at Kwa Zulu Natal and also an economist acknowledged the  sacrifice and the caravanites had undertaken to take such a stressful trip on rugged terrain and enmvirain with many vulgars. He called on Cop 17 to bring tge global  temperature sise 1degrees. Failure to do this would render the COP by December 9th a conference of polluters

The once Bolivia Chief Negotiator addressed that Caravanites on  underlining the fact that ‘what was going to be discussed in Durban infact remains debt that shall be increased more than 40%. If this happens Africa will suffer more than 8degrees Celsius increase,’ he passionately said. He added, ‘We want to stop the ecocide. Over 350,000 people die because of causes of Climate Change. Imagine a world that increases with 4degrees Celsius and an Africa that increases with 8degrees Celsius. They are burning and selling Africa.’ He said that if Africa failed to fight in Durban the rest of the continent will be wondering what happened to us.

Joe of Action Aid Internationalalso addressed the Caravanites emphasissing on concerns pertaining to  ‘governments that may not do what they needed to do. 

For future actions

The ns African Caravan of Hope exposed a significant number of ordinary communities to tell their own stories as far as the challeneg of cliamte chnag eis concerned and has put in motion a process of developing a critical mass of ordinary citizens with increase dengangement with the Cop processe.

Despite the many challanges the Zambian caravanites faced during the route and actual enagngement  teh team made significant contribution to cause of one Aftrica one position and one mesage. The African voices were delievred up to Durbana nd byonmd. They also took part in various capscity biulding workshop as part of learning for the future. The caravanites departed for Zambia on the 4th December 2011 having been on a 15 days assigenment in support of climate jsutice.

The  space of civisl soiety in the negotaitions depsite being limited remains an imporatnt spacet of adding value to teh outcome of Cop by taking ito account the issues of teh people.

Durban, Never trust COP

By VIOLET MENGO

The negotiating process for a "legal framework" to make countries cut their carbon emissions after 2020 should "begin immediately", according to the draft text currently being debated by ministers and officials at Durban.

The text, seen by some journalists, follows most of the "EU roadmap" towards a new global agreement, which has been the subject of frantic negotiations in the final hours of the two-week conference, scheduled to end on Friday.

However, there are crucial differences, and it will be difficult for some countries, including India and China, to sign up to the text as it stands.

The text requires countries to "launch a process in order to develop a legal framework applicable to all" developed and developing countries. That means a framework agreement under which countries would commit to fresh targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, "after 2020" when their current – but non-binding – targets run out.

The phrase "legal framework" falls short of the "legally binding treaty" that the EU wants, but may be vague enough to allow the US – which is wary of a new treaty – to agree.

That negotiating process should "begin immediately" and the negotiations should finish "as early as possible but no later than 2015", which is what the EU wants. The US, however, has strongly objected to setting such a date.

GEF CEO Monique Barbut Hosts Panel Discussion on Africa Land, Water and Forests

By VIOLET MENGO

 

DURBAN, South Africa, December 8, 2011 – Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), hosted a discussion of African leaders and international development organizations on the combined efforts to protect and enhance the key natural resources of sub-Saharan Africa.

The participants included representatives of South Africa, Ethiopia, Chad, Congo, Gabon and Senegal, as well as World Bank Vice President Rachel Kyte, African Union Commission Chairman H.E. Jean Ping, and Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank. All strongly support three initiatives aimed at restoring Central Africa’s key water resource, preventing the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa, and protecting the vast Congo Basin rain forest. The means to that end is climate-resilient development, so that economies can grow and livelihoods improve while the natural resources on which lives depend are protected and enhanced.

The GEF, world’s largest public funder of international environmental projects, is responsible for funding the projects and coordinating the cofinancing of the total $2.36 billion(including $14.8 million from the LDCF and $4.6 million from the SCCF) for the three initiatives together, said these initiatives reflect the importance of merging economic and environmental priorities.

“The nations involved, and their allies in the international community, seek ways to pursue sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa through careful management and protection of natural resources, including land, water and forests,” GEF CEO Barbut said. “These nations, spanning a vast region from the Sahel to the Congo basin, fully understand what is at stake for their own people and their national economies. The lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Africans depend on sustaining the health of these fragile ecosystems.”

The Great Green Wall project focuses on sustainability and resistance to climate change in the Sahel. Drought, land degradation and water scarcity, perennial problems in this region, are now exacerbated by climate variability. Careful management of scarce natural resources is critical not only to the livelihoods of millions in this region covering 5 percent of the continent, but also to survival. The Great Green Wall Initiative of the Sahel and Sahara integrates management of dryland forests, agroforestry parklands, agricultural landscapes, and pastoral systems.

The Congo Basin, home to the world’s second largest tropical rain forest, covers an area the size of India. These forests contain the largest repository of biodiversity on the continent, extending across five countries – Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Central African Republic. The Congo Basin Partnership involves local, national and international entities in implementing a collective vision to safeguard these forests as assets for climate-resilient development. At the same time, preservation of this forest system would represent a major contribution by Africa to protecting the global climate.

Lake Chad is the second largest wetland in Africa and a lifeline for nearly 20 million people in central Africa. The freshwater and rich biodiversity in the lake and surrounding wetlands is shared by Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. But the surface area of the lake has shrunk dramatically, declining from 25,000 square miles 45 years ago to 2,500 square miles today.

Today’s event comes one year after COP 16 in Cancun, where Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of Africa, presented these three initiatives as priorities of the African Union. The situation is urgent: Climate change projections indicate that nearly one-third of the land base in Africa is under threat of desertification, and the continent as a whole is on a path to be hit hard by deforestation and drought, along with the reduction of available fresh water and consequent food insecurity. The wellbeing and livelihood of 70 percent of the continent’s population is at stake.

High Level partnership Launched of Africa Climate Solution at COP17

By VIOLET MENGO

As the United Nations Climate Talks gets to its conclusion this week of the negotiation, a tripartite agreement , on climate change was on Monday 5^th December 2011 launched by three Regions Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa aimed at harmonizing programmes approaches in Eastern and Southern Africa. The partnership is with the European Union, Royal Norwegian Government and the  United Kingdom.

The partnership involves Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Eastern African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Speaking at the launch of the initiative at a high level  side events of the  UN Climate talks, COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya said the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate Change initiative is  “novel that not only occupies a contiguous space on the continent but also have overlapping memberships  which stems from the need to harmonise programme approaches among these three  regions”.

The first flagship programme of the Tripartite is the creation of a grand Free Trade Area from Cape to Cairo, followed by an ambitious infrastructure development programme that will seamlessly interconnect the eastern and southern Africa. The three RECs constitute  half  the African continent.

Comoros Vice President Fouad Mohadji who officially launched the initiative said the new partnership is a testimony of the engagement of the countries’ partnership.

The vice president is of the view that the partnership will help upscale  agriculture programmes and contribute to the growth of local communities in the three regions.

The main aim of the Tripartite Climate Change initiative is to support the African effort at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure that agriculture is accommodated in a manner that is responsive to the interests of Africa and its people.

Africa has always been about additional resources, technology and enhanced capacity to enable the continent to adapt to climate change as well as realise its full adaptation and mitigation potential. Capacity building is required for stakeholders in Africa to articulate, mobilise and sustainably implement adaptation and mitigation interventions that benefit the majority of Africans.

As indicated, the tripartite initiative is supported by Norway, EUC and DfID in a multi –donor financial arrangement. It initial focus is to up-scale climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of whom are women.

Europe and the EU Commission teamed up with Africa to come up with a new cooperation arrangement that will support Africa to address the most pressing challenges to food security through the wide adoption of climate smart agriculture; building the capacity of African institutions to handle climate change and lay the foundation for the continent’s sustainable and green growth and development.

A sum of US $20 million will be given to the initiative to undertake programmes that focus on up scaling climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of who are women for a period of five years.

 Speaking at the launch, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Special Representative on Climate Change John Aston said there is need to rebuild the development model which he says has been broken.

“We are biting much already; we will not have security unless we lay a foundation on the four basic pillars that include water, food, energy and shelter.”, he said. “ Every time I come to Africa I wish that our financiers would come and learn from Africa lessons on resilience We have lost value of resilient” The royal Norwegian govenemnt was represented at the event by Mr Arvin Godgil, deputy minister for environment who immidetely announced a a Euro 20 million in support of the programme.

Mr Aston said the partnership  will give Africa a voice that has in the past been weak. He said the initiative offers a great opportunity for security and a stronger response to climate change.

And SADC Deputy Secretary General Joao Kaholo said to Africa climate change means drought, flood and loss of productivity due to human activity. “To have this partnership that will support the enhancement of climate change programmes in Africa is commendable,” he said.

The Deputy Secretary General of EAC Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, praised the partnership and thanked COMESA for spearheading , the initiative

About the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate change solution

The tripartite Climate Change solution that was launched on Monday 5^th December 2011;

 Places a priority on increasing the resilience of the poor to climate related changes by scaling up climate resilient farming practices such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry. 

The  support to the programme will enable evidence-based policy interventions to increase climate resilience, particularly linked to food security, across countries in Eastern and  Southern  It will also provide targeted evidenced-based training to small-scale farmers to introduce climate resilient agriculture practices. Demonstration of successful trials and scaled up practices will be used to access climate finance through the championship of the Tripartite.

Expected results include: 250,000 small scale farmers using climate resilient agriculture practices; a 10% increase of farmed land in key countries under climate resilient farming systems; a 20% increase in yields amongst trained farmers; at least 10 countries more climate resilient through strengthened assessment and analysis of vulnerability; and US$300m climate finance leveraged. Donors supporting the Africa Climate Solution are UK,Norway and the EU.