Science with Africa: Accelerating Science and Technology in Africa

17 January 2008
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Science with Africa (Brussels)
press release

Brussels — The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and ISC-Intelligence in Science are organizing a conference titled "Science with Africa" that will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 3 to 7 March.

The timeliness of the 'Science with Africa' initiative is evidenced by the EU-Africa Summit's adoption of a renewed strategic partnership, including a chapter on Science, Information Society and Space.   The chapter emphasizes the priority to strengthen cooperation on science and technology programs and to promote the application of S&T to achieve specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as promote the participation of the African research community into European programs.

The conference will examine methodologies for improving science program participation by scientists and researchers in African nations. The three day event will be divided into three pillars: science and innovation policy, science themes and innovation and will consist of plenary sessions and workshops. Speakers will include senior policy makers from Africa and around the world, eminent scientists, research project managers, experts in proposal preparation and IP and patent specialists.

The 'Science with Africa' conference will be a follow-up to the January 2007 summit meeting of heads of African states in which the leaders declared 2007 the year of science and technology and strongly urged all member countries to allocate 1% of their gross domestic product to R&D by 2020. According to Abdoulie Janneh, UN Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary, "For Africa to accelerate its development and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, African countries have to scale up their investments in Science and Technology."

The event will play a major role in promoting and consolidating strategic research collaboration between African states and the rest of the world.

To further raise awareness of the 'Science with Africa' initiative on the global arena, a congressional briefing is scheduled on 8 February 2008 in Washington DC.

Registration is now open for the Science with Africa conference. The conference is free of charge.

To further conference details and registration, please visit: www.sciencewithafrica.com/

MEDIA CONTACT:

ISC –Intelligence in Science

Meropi Yiasemis

Meropi.yiasemis@iscintelligence.com

+32 (0)2.8888.112

Editors Note:

UN Economic Commission for Africa: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions. ECA's mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development.  www.uneca.org

ISC-Intelligence in Science: ISC –Intelligence in Science is a management consultancy that specializes in the field of science policy, science diplomacy, innovation policy and programmes. ISC builds links between academia, research, industry and the broader domains of media and public policy.  www.iscintelligence.com

Science with Africa sponsors : Official carrier: Ethiopian Airlines; Media partner: AllAfrica

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