of South Africa's bid to House the third component of the International Centre
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
1 December 2006
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with immense pleasure that I am able to
officially pronounce that South Africa has won the bid to host the third
component of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
(ICGEB). This tremendous achievement was announced at the ICGEB Board of
Governors meeting in New Delhi, India yesterday afternoon and I am extremely
proud to be able to share this message with all of you here today.
It is with humility that the government and the people of South Africa
accept this great honour and responsibility and I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the ICGEB Board and members for the vote of confidence
displayed in your decision. I also wish to extend my thanks to the various
regional and international actors who have been very influential in ratifying
the expansion of the ICGEB's global capacity in this manner.
This is not only a victory for the country but for the continent as a whole
as we further combine our efforts to find solutions to our many challenges. The
decision will not only play a significant role in raising the spirits of the
country's science and technology community but will also lend powerful momentum
towards the development of the African Science and Technology platform under
the auspices of the African Ministers Council on Science and Technology
(AMCOST).
The decision is also timely, as the African Heads of State and Government
prepare to discuss the role of science, technology and innovation in
development at the upcoming Summit of the African Union in January 2007.
South Africa's work can now begin in earnest towards establishing this
important international research laboratory which will be hosted by the
Institute for Infections Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM) at the
University of Cape Town. I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to Vice
Chancellor Ndebele and his incredible team at the University for their sterling
efforts and contributions to putting this bid together.
We trust that in a very short period of time, the ICGEB global community
will experience your incredible hospitality and world class research and
training excellence that we have come to know of you here at home.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Mr Ebrahim Rasool, the premier of
the Western Cape, as well as the Executive Mayor of Cape Town for their
unwavering support.
For its part, the government of South Africa, through its Department of
Science and Technology has dedicated funds in the order of R40 million over the
next four years in support of this establishment.
Ladies and gentlemen, we will now use the opportunity to host the African
component of the ICGEB, which is one of the three major international
laboratories of the ICGEB, to enhance our efforts towards the development of an
African biotechnology hub. This will enable us to address among other things,
the disease burden of the developing world; the agricultural challenges of poor
yields, producing in difficult climatic conditions and enhancing our
post-harvest capacities, as well as the use of biotechnology to further develop
our manufacturing and industrial sectors toward the enhancement of the quality
of life of all our people.
Internationally, the ICGEB's research is expected to help scientists
determine the mechanisms related to infections and the insurgence of diseases
at the molecular level. This is presently leading to important breakthroughs in
the understanding of these diseases and will possibly also lead to the
identification of diagnostic and specific drugs, if not vaccines.
The ICGEB's primary focus in the field of biotechnology is currently on HIV
and AIDS, hepatitis, rotavirus, human papilloma virus, malaria, tuberculosis
and more recently, dongue. This will contribute to global efforts to meet the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), stop and reverse the spread of HIV and
AIDS, malaria and other diseases by 2015.
It has become much more important for government to invest heavily in new
research and technologies that are aimed at enhancing the quality of life of
all our people.
This is why my department is responsible for ensuring that South Africa
maintains and strengthens its competitiveness by increasing investment in
relevant research and development initiatives, to achieve, amongst other things
its economic growth imperatives through the Accelerated and Shared and
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).
As I announced in my budget vote speech in May 2006 the intermediate goal is
to dedicate one percent of our gross domestic product to research and
development (R&D) by 2008. Indications are that national expenditure in
this regard, which had declined to 0.69% by 1994, has begun to pick up
significantly. In fact, in 2004/05, public and private expenditure on R&D
has increased to 0,87% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and a further increase
is anticipated, putting us on direct course to reach the one percent target by
2008.
With us hosting one of three major international research laboratories,
South Africa will without doubt become a major international biotechnology hub,
thereby strengthening our role in driving Africa's development not only from a
political and economic perspective but also in terms of innovation and
technology.
This ladies and gentlemen, will only be possible with the ongoing support of
our friends and neighbours throughout the Continent. I would therefore like to
take this opportunity to pay special tribute to our African colleagues in the
ICGEB bid process. We have been very proud as South Africa to learn about the
very high quality of the other African bids. What I am even more proud of is
the collegial manner in which Africa has managed this bid race, using this as a
mechanism to further unite and jointly develop the continent's science and
technology capacity.
I salute you all and pledge that the South African government will work
tirelessly with all our partners in the ICGEB world and beyond to build a
stronger ICGEB for the benefit of all our people.
Enquiries:
Kristin Klose
Director Communication
Cell: (082) 902 9503
E-mail: kristin.klose@dst.gov.za
Nelvis Qekema
Ministerial Liaison
Cell: (082) 571 2571
E-mail nelvis.qekema@dst.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
1 December 2006
Source: SAPA
