Southern Africa is making progress towards the launch of a university that will focus on innovation and entrepreneurship as the region moves to establish a critical mass of qualified citizens to drive industrialisation.
Efforts to establish the proposed Southern African Development Community (SADC) University of Transformation are gathering pace following the appointment of a Technical Working Group in 2021.
The working group has developed guidelines for selecting centres of excellence and centres of specialisation that will be affiliated to the proposed university.
Using the guidelines, the working group is identifying some areas of research and innovation that are critical for the successful implementation of the SADC industrialisation agenda.
This process is expected to result in the development of programmes of study at the university.
The SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063 has prioritised interventions aimed at promoting the development of value chains focusing on agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, pharmaceutical and leather sectors.
Study programmes at the proposed regional university are expected to address issues related to the priority value chains.
The SADC University of Transformation is the initiative of King Mswati III of Eswatini and was approved at the 38th SADC Summit, during which it was agreed that the institution should be virtual.
The main advantage of a virtual university is that it offers educational access to those who would not be able to attend a physical campus.
The university is a timely intervention that is expected to support the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap.
Proposed interventions under the strategy include the modernisation of industry and support structures; measures to upgrade science, technology, engineering and research capabilities of member states; skills development; institutional reforms; and the adoption of macroeconomic policies for industrial development.
It is envisaged that the SADC economy would, by 2030, have moved from being factor-driven to efficiency-driven.
Measures will focus on diversification and productivity of sectors, and increasing competitiveness of the region by promoting the introduction of advanced technology in the identified value chains.
In addition to supporting industrialisation, the SADC University is expected to advance the rollout of other regional integration initiatives.
For example, SADC is considering strategies to embrace the "blue economy" concept that sees oceans as "development spaces" where coordinated planning integrates conservation, sustainable use, oil and mineral wealth extraction, and marine transport.
Nine SADC Member States are coastal or oceanic states - Angola, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and United Republic of Tanzania. Democratic Republic of Congo is normally counted as a coastal state as it has almost 40 kilometres of Atlantic coast, thus 10 of the 16 member states are directly impacted by the blue economy.
Angola is one of the top oil producers in Africa, and large offshore reserves of oil and natural gas have been announced in recent years in Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania.
The establishment of the university complements the theme of the 44th SADC Summit being hosted by Zimbabwe in August, which focuses on "Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC".
Supporting innovation is critical to the continued development of the SADC region but this demands a clear understanding of innovation ecosystems in the region and a strategic focus on solving key economic challenges.
The theme aims to advance the adoption of measures by the SADC region to respond to the opportunities presented by Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
SADC recognises the important role and contribution of STI to the economic and social development of the region, and a number of strategies have been identified to promote investment in this area.
These include implementation of the SADC Protocol on Science, Technology and Innovation which was ratified and entered into force in 2022. First adopted in 2008, the protocol aims to facilitate cooperation, development and transfer of STI among member states.
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Other opportunities for SADC member states as they harness the potential of STI in promoting industrialisation include collaborative regional research, development and innovation programmes in priority areas; and establishing and strengthening regional centres of excellence in priority areas. (sardc.net)
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SANF is produced by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), which has monitored regional developments since 1985. Email: sanf@sardc.net
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