The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, launched the OR Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) on 27 October 2020.
Named in honour of the former African National Congress leader, Oliver Reginald Tambo, the research chairs are intended to meet political, development and higher education objectives on the African continent.
Ten host institutions and individual holders of research chairs, across seven African countries, were selected after a rigorous review process. They will conduct research and support high-end skills development in areas such as climate, public health, entrepreneurship and youth employment. ORTARChI will provide five years of funding, amounting to approximately US$15 million.
ORTARChI is an initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and its entity the National Research Foundation (NRF), in partnership with the Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and seven councils of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Addressing a virtual event, the Minister described Oliver Tambo as an educator, a prolific and influential leader, and an internationalist who understood that building strong bonds with other nations was imperative, not only to ensure the liberation of South Africa, but also to ensure the liberation of Africa, and the world.
"The science and education systems in South Africa have undergone a radical transformation since Tambo was a student. Investing in strategic programmes, which synergistically seek to develop research groups, train a cadre of next-generation and emerging researchers, and build an individual researcher's career trajectory, is one of the innovative mechanisms that Africa must harness to contribute simultaneously to research excellence and human capital development."
The Minister said that ORTAChI sought to further a collective approach to enhancing the knowledge endeavour on the African continent.
"These are the ideals that OR Tambo had in mind for African unity for the many years he was in exile, and we are pleased to be able to honour his legacy through this initiative," said the Minister.
The Minister described ORTAChI as an innovative, value-adding and strategic initiative, which is driven by a deep believe of inclusivity, competitiveness, and the desire to champion scientific excellence on our beloved continent.
The initiative builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity with African nations.
"This is an important new chapter in the ORTARChI story. The initiative was first announced in 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most important leaders of South Africa's liberation struggle, OR Tambo, who led the African National Congress during the years of exile. Tambo was not only a committed pan-Africanist but also an advocate of science and technology," said Zengeziwe Msimang, CEO of the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation.
ORTARChI builds on existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening, the development of high-end skills, the recruitment and retention of excellent researchers, and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development.
The Minister also welcomed the progress of the Science Granting Councils Initiative, supported by the NRF, Canada's IDRC, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the German research foundation DFG, and Sida, Sweden's International Development Cooperation Agency, working with 15 countries on the continent.
In addition to the support provided through the grant for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, the NRF and the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation will provide funding for 55 female African doctoral students studying under the supervision of the respective chair holders.
"Through international and regional strategic partnerships, the chairs will contribute to the development of long-term, mutually beneficial, research collaboration on the African continent," said Dr Jean Lebel, President of the IDRC.
In South Africa, the OR Tambo Chairs complement the successful DSI-NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), which was established in 2006 as a strategic intervention to attract and retain research excellence and innovation in South African universities. Since inception, over 240 SARChI chairs have been awarded, some established through bilateral and trilateral international partnerships, or with private sector partners.
The lessons learned over the past decade and the foundations built through SARChI paved the way for the establishment of the OR Tambo Africa Research Chairs, which is seen as a bold and forward-looking approach to building capacity, promoting excellence and leveraging longstanding partnerships for science to contribute to development in Africa.
The table below holds more information about 10 chairs.
Chairholder |
Institution and country |
Thematic area |
Research focus |
Prof. Gizaw Mengistu Tsidu |
Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Botswana |
Climate change |
Climate change and adaptation in water, vegetation and livestock resources |
Prof. Almeida Sitoe |
Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique |
Climate change |
Ecosystems for arid and semi-arid zones |
Prof. Olga Lompo and Dr Samiratou Ouédraogo |
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso |
Health sciences |
Cancer and public health |
Prof. Firibu Kwesi Saalia |
University of Ghana |
Food security |
Food safety and quality |
Prof. Nathaniel Boso |
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana |
Humanities and social sciences |
Entrepreneurship and youth employment |
Prof. Gerald Misinzo |
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania |
Food security |
Animal health |
Prof. Noble Banadda |
Makerere University, Uganda |
Food security |
Sustainable agriculture |
Prof. Stephen Syampungani |
Copperbelt University, Zambia |
Environment and development |
Environmental management |
Prof. Imasiku Nyambe |
University of Zambia |
Water research |
Water quality and catchment protection |
Prof. Hulda Swai |
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania |
Nanotechnology |
Antimalarial drug delivery |