Programme director
Dr E Peprah, Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Genomics and Global Health
Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Welcome Trust
Dr Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health
Prof Max Price, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town
Dr Charles Rotimi, Chair of the African Society of Human Genetics"
Prof Bongani Mayosi, Chair of the Working Group on Non-Communicable Diseases and Head of Medicine at the University of Cape Town
Dr Sekou Traore, Chair of the Working Group on Communicable Diseases
Scientists and Researchers
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning. I trust that your conference is proceeding well. I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak to you.
All of you are aware that our continent is grappling with many difficult challenges and that many in governments, academic institutions and non-government organisations are pooling resources to devise effective responses to our most pressing challenges.
One of the obvious features of what must be done is the reality that we will resolve intractable problems faster if we utilise opportunities for continental and global partnerships effectively.
Another self-evident fact is that we need to find durable solutions that hold the promise for long-term change and development. This implies that we should intensify our human-resource development efforts and ensure that Africa has the intellectual capacity to devote sustained attention to developing effective solutions.
Linked to this aspect is the need to ensure that we have the institutional, administrative and resource infrastructure to provide a secure base from which to carry out our search for responses.
We have to create a framework of opportunity that will attract African intellectuals with international experience back to Africa and develop a solutions and development-oriented African and Africa diaspora link.
We also need to ensure we are selective and focused in our choices so that we attend to ‘real’ issues of change that will mean a fundamental difference in the quality of life of the people of Africa.
Linked to this is the reality that all these worthy objectives require the active presence of democracy, the rule of law, and academic freedom. Science can only flourish free of authoritarian scrutiny and guided purely by the ethical and philosophical principles.
It is in this challenging context that I welcome the focus areas of the H3Africa conference.
In Africa scientists have not had the opportunity to develop science projects on the scale you intend and I am excited at the prospect for advancing African goals in expanding access to the knowledge-based economy.
All countries on the continent have committed to enhancing science, technology and innovation. Our action plan for science clearly sets out the objectives we wish to pursue.
The health sciences are a priority focus area for Africa. We bear a massive disease burden. We have to invest in research that provides answers and solutions.
The human wealth and heredity focus that you have adopted is very important, because its objectives are aligned with those that have been adopted by African ministers. H3 Africa resonates fully with our intention to create an enabling policy environment for scientists and to address our inadequate science and technology infrastructure.
The focus on the interplay between environmental and genetic factors in disease patterns and drug responses is innovative and urgent given changing settlement, diet and cultural practices on the continent.
I hope that the activities of H3 Africa will closely with other African initiatives, such as the African Network for Drug and Diagnostic Innovation (ANDI) and the NEPAD Biotechnology Network that already has four different hubs.
The Centre for High Performance Computing is a key part of our research cyber infrastructure. The South African Research Network is an essential part of our DST-funded national cyber infrastructure. The network means lower bandwidth costs for all research and higher education institutions in South Africa and world-class connectivity for researchers.
As H3 Africa grows, we will have to assess infrastructure needs and ensure that all participating countries have research infrastructure that allows them to play a full role in the project.
I am very proud of the role the African Society of Human Genetics has played in developing H3 Africa. It will continue to play a key role as an educational and organizational forum for the project and for African genetic scientists.
One of the most encouraging features of the project is the intention to establish integrative collaboration across health science and human science disciplines.
Building successful multi-disciplinary teams is not easy. Once done, H3 Africa will be a unique and valuable resource for scientists.
South Africans have long been concerned with the question of identity and research into the ancestors of humankind and the origins of our species in Africa.
We have made significant advances in trans-disciplinary research - linking specialists in philosophy, psychology, neurology, linguistics and information technology - to understanding the interplay between history, culture, genes and context.
This has been supported by the rich history of research into our origins and identity, including the palaeontological discoveries of the last century, archaeology, anatomy, the transformation of South African historiography, spreading to sociology, literary studies and most of the human sciences.
Recent leaps in the explanatory power of genetics through the Human Genome project have made South Africa a distinguished contributor to global knowledge.
The establishment of the Cradle of Humankind as a World Heritage Site, and the value of Museum Afrika, the Apartheid Museum and the Vredefort Dome, now also declared a World Heritage Site — have all contributed to “shifting our consciousness and perspective on the customs and traditions of our ancestors”.
South Africans have also long been concerned with understanding of the universe through research into astronomy and the cosmos.
We have been shortlisted to host the Square Kilometre Array project, a giant radio telescope developed by scientists in 17 countries.
The Southern African Large Telescope at Sutherland is a truly multinational project that will shed light on some of the oldest questions astronomers have asked.
We undertake collaborative space physics research and the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory.
Research undertaken within the disciplinary fields of nuclear physics, geology, geography, ecology and the earth and environmental sciences have led to a range of ecological, solar and renewable energy projects.
As the examples I have mentioned illustrate, our research varies greatly. Yet fundamental to all is a knowledge base generated within and across disciplinary boundaries, making possible innovation and multiple forms of collaboration — national, regional and international.
The global knowledge-based economy demands a strong research and innovation capacity. It is dependent on new forms of knowledge production and dissemination, and requires research contexts that are “network enabled”.
Ladies and gentlemen, the good work done by H3 Africa may be lost in the confines of genetics and health. But its implications are far reaching.
The most vibrant economies and wealth in the world are generated by healthy nations and working people. In turn, economic growth is able to churn out resources to further invest in the good health of a nation. So there is a clear link between the two.
May we continue to stimulate each other in the creation of new ideas with the ultimate purpose being able to improve the quality of life for all Africans.
Thank you.
