Address by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande on the occasion of the AU-EU Innovation Festival address, 15 June 2023
H.E. Ambassador Sandra Kramer, EU Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa;
H.E. Professor Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation within the African Union;
Professor Aggrey Ambali, Senior Advisor in the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation at the African Union Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD;
Ms Maria Cristina Russo, the European Commission’s Director for Global Approach and International Cooperation;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen
Greetings
The South Africa-EU (SA-EU) science and technology cooperation dates back as far as 1996, where an agreement for Scientific and Technological cooperation between the EU and South Africa was signed.
Since then, this cooperation has grown from strength to strength, and South Africa and the European Commission continue to work together, to facilitate collaborative activities in science and technology.
We then gather today, not only in an effort to entrench this cooperation, but also in relation to our contribution to the broader AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
Given the multitude of global challenges that we face, including climate change, food security, health, energy, etc., there is an increasingly important role that international cooperation plays in providing solutions.
We need our collective resources, to work together to address these challenges, across disciplines, regions and sectors because science knows no borders. This is the reason that we have to continue to initiate key platforms for cooperation that transcend boundaries as we see within the AU-EU cooperation.
Furthermore, science, technology and innovation play a critical role in helping businesses create new products and services that can be sold in international markets and thus sharing our trade relations.
This is amongst the reason that the theme for my Budget Vote which I tabled in Parliament last month was "Using science, technology and innovation to grow our country and together resolve its challenges".
The role that innovation can play is key to grow our economies and serve as engines for growth and development. Therefore, supporting innovators is essential for driving progress and improving the quality of life for people globally.
It is through the first AU-EU STI Ministerial event, that Ministers agreed to focus efforts on the development of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda which we are discussing today.
This draws its strategic direction from the four AU-EU Research and Innovation (R&I) focus areas, namely Public Health, Green transition, Innovation and Technology and Capacities for Science.
The AU-EU Innovation Agenda provides an opportunity for both Africa and Europe to institutionalise cooperation in research and innovation.
The Agenda aligns with other continental policy priorities, such as those of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2024), which also highlights the need for increasing synergies and collaboration between science, private sector, government and civil society.
The Agenda also links with Agenda 2063, which supports developing the African continent in agri-business, health and education, as well as infrastructure development.
My Department also continues to participate in a number of AU-EU projects, that promote capacity building in the African continent, knowledge sharing, as well as provide a convening power for networking.
These include among others the corresponding Long-Term Europe-Africa Partnership in Renewable Energy (LEAP-RE) and the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (LEAP4FNSSA) which speak to creating long-term platforms in renewable energy and resilient food systems.
The LEAP-RE project continues to work on topical research as it pertains to sustainable energy and climate change, with LEAP4FNSSA, having launched the International Research Consortium (IRC), which provides immense potential for the youth, private sector as well as civil society, including open access platforms to provide technical support to smallholder farmers, non-traditional stakeholders that stand to gain from such cooperation with Africa and Europe.
That being said, the Innovation Festival, contributes towards the implementation of the Innovation Agenda, in that it gathers stakeholders among others, innovators as well as entrepreneurs from both Africa and Europe, to garner their interest into the work of the Agenda, but to also ready participating stakeholders for the eventual implementation thereof.
I therefore wish to also locate the relevance of the Agenda, firstly to South Africa.
South Africa’s investment in science, technology and innovation is driven by our government’s objective to accelerate sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
As Government, we are guided by South Africa’s National Development Plan, a comprehensive growth and development strategy, which emphasizes the role of science, technology and innovation in achieving its Vision 2030.
South Africa through its White Paper on Science and Innovation, implemented through the Decadal Plan on STI has adopted a whole-of-society approach to innovation.
The Decadal Plan supports local innovation ecosystems, such as local grassroots innovators and expanded and targeted strategic internationalization, specifically on expanding research and innovation collaboration between South African and international scientists and scholars, which also would include the development of international research partnerships.
South Africa is also looking forward to strengthening cooperation with the EU in innovation, as a key element of links to growth and job creation.
The partners need to further explore opportunities in new emerging areas such as the Green Economy, Hydrogen Energy and Circular Economy.
The digital agenda also remains a critical area for further cooperation. The opportunities that are presented in big data platforms and associated research infrastructures need to be further strengthened.
Human capacity development, education, skills and training through international exchange programmes remains another critical area for South Africa. The instruments provided through participation in the EU Framework Programme for RDI, Horizon Europe, such as the Erasmus Plus programme and the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, are seen as key areas for continued engagement for South Africa.
South Africa values the strategic role and contribution made by the participation of South African researchers in the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership-Global Health Partnerships (EDCTP/GHP) during the outbreak of the COVID 19 Pandemic. Participation in such programmes will contribute to ensuring future global pandemic preparedness.
The EU is a valued partner for South Africa. These sentiments were echoed at the EU-SA Summit that took place in November 2018 and highlighted STI cooperation.
South Africa wishes to use the opportunity of hosting the 8th SA-EU Summit to further reinforce the importance of STI in the strengthening of the SA-EU Cooperation.
I wish you a successful festival, and I encourage all innovators to use this festival as an opportunity to prospect avenues that provide for the internationalization of their work.
I thank you.
