Combined Federal Campaign #9956

Science, Research & Technology

Preamble
Mindful of the considerable work that has been going on in the short life of the African Union and by its partners in the development of Science Research and Technology professional and institutional capacities in African countries, the following priority areas were identified by the Working Group for policy and program interventions by African Diaspora:

• Information and Communication Technology
• Biotechnology
• Energy and Transportation
• Scientific Research and Intellectual Property Rights
• Technology Transfer

It is the considered opinion of the working group that the decision of the AU member states, to accord high priority to the private sector and women, should be strengthened in program development and implementation activities.

Policy and Program Recommendations

Infrastructure: Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Energy, and Transportation

Policy Statement
For high level, capacity intensive projects and programs undertaken on the African continent, efforts should be made to conceptualize and execute these projects and programs within a regional or sub-regional framework in order to facilitate entry points for Diaspora contribution.

In addition to standard joint venture agreements, on all AU projects, preference should be given to bids containing a minimum of 20% contractual participation from the African Diaspora.

Programmatic Implementation
Develop an ongoing inventory of existing expertise in the African Diaspora in the areas of ICT, Energy, and Transportation.

• The AU should designate the organization charged with implementing the inventory database.
• The Diaspora should mobilize all funding to implement the development of the inventory database.

Biotechnology and Scientific Research

Policy Statement
The AU should promote a policy of utilizing institutions and individuals in the African Diaspora to enhance joint research between African research institutions and their counterparts in the African Diaspora.

Programmatic Implementation
The AU should:

• Develop an electronic inventory of institutions and individuals in the African Diaspora with expertise in the areas of biotechnology and intellectual property rights.
• Contribute to ongoing work on mapping of bio-diversity endowments in African countries.
• Develop a repository of expired patents.
• Designate/nominate the institution in the Diaspora to manage the repository.