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Title: | Human and Institutional Capacity Building and Utilization in Science and Technology in Africa: An Appraisal of Africa's Performance to-date and the Way Forward |
Author: | Abiodun, Adigun Ade |
Year: | 1998 |
Periodical: | African Development Review |
Volume: | 10 |
Issue: | 1 |
Period: | June |
Pages: | 10-51 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Africa |
Subjects: | science and technology policy science education technology Development and Technology Education and Oral Traditions |
External link: | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8268.1998.tb00095.x/pdf |
Abstract: | Considerable effort and resources have been invested in education and training Africans both at home and abroad. Similarly, a variety of scientific and engineering institutions have been established across the entire continent by African governments, in several cases with the support of donors and international organizations. However, Africa still has to reap the just rewards of these investments. Among the bottlenecks are the absence of national science and technology policies and programmes for translating policies into action and political commitment, and the concomitant lack of funding for African science and technology institutions, their subsequent decay and the exodus of highly educated personnel. The author assesses African efforts to build and utilize scientific and technological capacity in Africa since independence, focusing on institutional capacity building, the provision of an environment in which science and technology can thrive, and the development and utilization of Africa's human resources. The author concludes that if Africa is to be relevant in the 21st century, each African country must understand the dialectics of institution building, particularly in science and technology, and the roles of such institutions in the national development agenda. Above all, each African country must place a premium on visionary leadership and the recognition and effective utilization of the talents and creativity of its citizens. Notes, ref., sum. in English and French. |