The United Nations University Conversation Series: A conversation between Dr Blade Nzimande and Dr Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi on higher education, science and innovation for sustainability and unlocking Africa’s potential
Esteemed colleagues my co-chair Dr Yamaguchi
Professor Marwala
The broader academic community in attendance
Students
I wish a good afternoon
The African continent has undergone major structural transformation in the last few decades. This comes at a time when Africa had years of conflict, turmoil and economic stagnation which resulted in slow development. However, there is a positive growth path for the continent, and this has been steered through provision of higher education and collaborative engagements from governments.
This is seen through the significant strides that Africa continues to make with rebuilding its institutions, be it for education, political or economic integration. I would like to reiterate the words of Honourable Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma the then Chairperson of the African Union Commission who indicated that “A plethora of protocols, frameworks and plans are leading to increased harmonisation of policies and action, and advances in key areas such as infrastructure, trade, agriculture and other fields are laying a solid foundation for future progress.”
Agenda 2063 provides a roadmap which encompasses an appreciation for what binds Africa together.
This is seen in the first aspiration- a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development- various elements are listed for what needs to be done to meet this need, a key area for higher education is the development of Africa’s human and social capital through education and skills revolution emphasising science and technology.
Furthermore, universal access to quality, accredited educations is enshrined in law. In the case of South Africa this can be seen in practice through the Bill of Rights of our constitution.
In our implementation of Agenda 2063 which responds to SDG4, twelve flagship projects were identified, and all interlinked with higher education.
I would like to draw attention to the two, 1) the African Virtual and e-University was adopted to be the Pan African virtual E-university and approved in 2018 at the AU summit and is hosted at the Pan African University Rectorate headquarters located Yaounde Cameroon.
It is an institute of the Pan African university and aims to maximise student access and quality and relevant programmes through a use of variety of digital programmes. This, encompasses the broader continental stride to ensure universal access to education so that no-one is left behind.
The other initiative is the Pan Africa e-Networks (this features into the discussion on the broader decolonial project in higher education, be it the curriculum, internationalisation and the mind).
Higher education paves the way for economic development, and new forms of knowledge generation, building capacity to access the global storehouse of knowledge and adaptation of knowledge in local use, thus the transformation of the African continent.
Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA) has twelve pertinent strategic points that are linked to the SDGs:
- Revitalize the teaching profession to ensure quality and relevance at all levels of education.
- Build, rehabilitate, preserve education infrastructure and develop policies that ensure a permanent, healthy and conducive learning environment in all sub-sectors and for all, so as to expand access to quality education.
- Harness the capacity of ICT to improve access, quality and management of education and training systems.
- Ensure acquisition of requisite knowledge and skills as well as improved completion rates at all levels and groups through harmonization processes across all levels for national and regional integration.
- Accelerate processes leading to gender parity and equity.
- Launch comprehensive and effective literacy programmes across the continent to eradicate the scourge of illiteracy.
- Strengthen the science and math curricula in youth training and disseminate scientific knowledge and culture in society.
- Expand TVET opportunities at both secondary and tertiary levels and strengthen linkages between the world of work and education and training systems.
- Revitalize and expand tertiary education, research and innovation to address continental challenges and promote global competitiveness.
- Promote peace education and conflict prevention and resolution at all levels of education and for all age groups Pillars.
- Improve management of education system as well build and enhance capacity for data collection, management, analysis, communication.
- Set up a coalition of stakeholders to facilitate and support activities resulting from the implementation of CESA 16-25. This has resulted in the establishment of committee of 10 heads of state and government to champion education, science and technology development.
Although there has been progress in achieving SDG4 in terms of enrolment for primary education, many children remain out of school, particularly in countries affected by conflicts. It has come to my attention that sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) hosts more than 26% (over 18 million) of the worlds refugees. It is not surprising then that enrolments at tertiary levels were estimated at 9% in SSA compared to 52% in Latin America and Caribbean and 70% in Europe and Central Asia.
The youths who do not have access tertiary education inevitably constitute the growing cohort who are Not in Education Employment and Training (NEET), perhaps Japan can shed light on how it has dealt with this segment - thus, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Ideally all our complex problems should be solved through collaboration. There is no doubt in my mind that now more than ever before partnerships and collaboration are key if not pivotal in the coming years to resolve problems and create new solutions through impactful research and innovation.
In this regard, we have established mutually beneficial partnerships with the west, east, north and south through different modalities, including through promoting staff and student mobility as well as joint research in specified knowledge fields, namely:
- Energy; Water Resources and Pollution Treatment;
- Ecology and Climate Change;
- Computer Science and Information Security;
- Economics to promote development for all
Japanese industrial philosophy centred on Kaizen has placed Japanese motor industry in a class of its own, one of its pillars “empower people” is akin to ubuntu in South Africa , people matter , this I believe is significant to the success of higher education, people and the ideas they generate will sustain the sector for years to come.
The Department and Japan share a sound higher education cooperation which continues to assist in achieving South Africa’s knowledge, skills and economic objectives.
The cooperation with Japan is through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which provides support to the Department in four areas namely: Volunteers Programme to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, Employability Improvement Project (EIP), Capacity Development of Pilot TVET Colleges for Artisans; and the African Business Education (ABE) Scholarships Initiative.
We have established partnerships with Toyota in our TVET sector and we have seen the impact you have had on young engineering minds.
Other areas of the Department’s cooperation with Japan includes the South Africa - Japan University Forum (SAJU) and the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Stellenbosch University (SUN).
I wish to propose that we step-up our partnership to the development of our postgraduates.
I have introduced the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) and the Sibusiso Bengu Development Programme, which is a strategic national programme that seeks to contribute to the development of all 26 universities, and enable the Historically Disadvantaged universities to catch-up with the established universities such as UCT, Stellenbosch and University of Pretoria:
- Equitable access and high levels of success for all undergraduate and postgraduate students;
- The creation of an academic pipeline that enables the recruitment and development of adequate numbers of new academics;
- Provision of development opportunities for professional staff in universities including management staff that lead key portfolios and professionals that manage specific portfolios; and
- The development and/or renewal of academic programmes and curricula that are of strategic importance and are national priorities.
Please consider supporting our programme, we would like to develop more capacity in the hard sciences or STEM programmes in our universities in partnership with universities in Japan, this I believe will foster dynamic research, innovation and curriculum transformation so that we meet the needs of our times and overcome adversity.
Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainability
My Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) 2021 Decadal Plan Priorities include Climate change and the Circular Economy, Education for the future, the Future of Society, ICTs and Smart Systems, Health innovation, and Sustainable energy which includes renewables and the hydrogen economy.
In South Africa we have independent power producer (IPP) initiative that allows private companies to generate power from renewables and load it into the national grid. Thus, attracting investment in the use sustainable technologies in the energy sector.
Through the DSI, we have invested in hydrogen research that led to several IP being registered and have spurn out several companies that are tasked with commercializing this publicly funded IP in hydrogen.
Similarly, the minerals for hydrogen are in Africa and there is a need to process these minerals in the Continent for improved economic development.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for sustainability in the health sector for the global south. Hence, I am championing the need to establish a Pandemic Preparedness Initiative for Africa.
Circular Economy in the South African context is not about recycling waste, but rather changing the way we do business. Circularity should be at the core of the business model and thus creating enabling of new industries in the downstream of generated “waste” as an input into the next industry.
Science, Technology, Innovation, and Education in Africa
The African Science, Technology, and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) Initiative originated from the first Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST) meeting in Johannesburg in 2003, which resolved to “Develop and adopt common sets of indicators to benchmark our national and regional systems of innovation”.
A big challenge with collecting, and analyzing, R&D data in Africa is that data supplied by countries are often not complete usually because the data does not cover all four sectors: Business, Government, Higher Education and Private Non-Profit institutions.
In fact, reliable GERD data only exist for 11 countries: Botswana (0.54% of GDP), Egypt (0.80%), Eswatini (0.32%), Ethiopia (0.62%), Ghana (0.38%), Kenya (0.81%), Mozambique (0.38%), Namibia (0.40%), Senegal (0.54%), South Africa (0.82%, latest figure), and Uganda (0.18%).
Although the GERD intensity data are over 2% of GDP in the OECD countries, in (contrast to less than 1% in Africa), the situation is quite different when we look at “Public Sector R&D” in different countries. Public sector spending on R&D is typically 0.64% of GDP in the OECD area. This could be compared to Africa (between 0.20% and 0.78%), and Latin America (Argentina 0.40%, Mexico 0.23% and Chile 0.21%). In other words, public spending on R&D in Africa has a very similar pattern, or intensity, as in most other countries.
Researchers (full time equivalents: FTE) per million inhabitants is an interesting indicator. It varies considerably: from 27 in Uganda to 435 in South Africa, 555 in Senegal and 715 in Egypt (and even 1568 in the Seychelles). In an international comparison, the researcher density in Africa is modest in relation to most OECD countries. For instance, Sweden 7593 researchers (FTE) per million inhabitants; Republic of Korea 7514; Germany 5036 and Japan 5305; but relatively competitive with Argentina 1233; Chile 533 and Mexico 244.
The personnel data in the R&D surveys also reveal differences by gender. On the average, 30% to 40% among the researchers are females. But it ranges from 9% in Togo and 13% in Ethiopia, to 44% in South Africa and 47% in Eswatini. Internationally, between 30% to 40% of the researchers are females. So, Africa stands out well in this comparison.
Conclusion
Let me take this time to express my appreciation for your contribution to South Africa and interest in the future and development of our youth, its incumbent on those we develop to further nurture our partnership, in essence the legacy we have together created for them to grow – Kaizen at work.
I thank you very much.
