Scientific Development, Innovation and the Knowledge Society: premises for development

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Scientific Development, Innovation and the
Knowledge Society premises for development?
Lidia Brito1 1st Meeting of CODIST April, 29th
,2009 Addis Ababa
1 in collaboration with João Noronha
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Introduction

• Issues to deal with
• Absolute poverty
• Food Crisis
• Energy crisis
• Financial crises
• Global Environmental Changes
• HIV/AIDS, Malaria and others
• Low-income, populations living in rural areas,
  most are unskilled labourers working as
  subsistence farmers and above 60 are illiterate,
  peripheral in the decision making, central in the
  impacts of global policies and actions, and
  vulnerable.

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Fact we are not producing more!
Adapted from Anabela Mabota A Realidades Acerca
da Subida dos Preços O Impacto Sobre a Segurança
Alimentar, Maputo 2008
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Fact We are vulnerable to international market
International Rice prices comparison between
Thailand and Maputo Jan 1996 to Fev. 2008
Adapted from Anabela Mabota A Realidades Acerca
da Subida dos Preços O Impacto Sobre a Segurança
Alimentar, Maputo 2008
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Fact cost of food is increasingly drastically
Basic Food Total cost for a family of 5 in
Mozambique per month
Adapted from Anabela Mabota A Realidades Acerca
da Subida dos Preços O Impacto Sobre a Segurança
Alimentar, Maputo 2008
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Running out of time!

• 7th worst-affected country by HIV/AIDS
• HIV prevalence estimated at 16.2 in 2004, above
  projections
• 100,000 children living with HIV/AIDS
• Estimated 1.9 million orphans (20 of all
  children)
• Children orphaned due to AIDS 20 of the total,
  and will rise rapidly in the next decade
• 2.6m vulnerable children
• Total of 4.5m OVC

Multi-Sectoral Nucleo on OVC, Maputo 2006
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Poverty trap? Can we break it?
Economic growth/access to markets
Innovation/high productivity \
MDGs
Literacy/health/elect./water
Equality/democracy
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Our biggest challenge?
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• The availability on the national market of
  skilled labor that is able to apply new knowledge
  and technologies
• The identification of potential products and
  services that a country can offer with
  comparative advantages
• Good governance practices that promote democracy
  and an active participation of the citizens in
  the decision-making processes
• Solid economic and financial systems, based in
  new models of development, that promote
  entrepreneurship and development
• Strengthen the social and cultural
  characteristics of its people, and using those
  characteristics to promote innovation based in
  local and global knowledge.

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Are you doing it?

• An Africa well integrated into the global economy
  and
• free of poverty
• (AST - CPA, NEPAD 2007)
• A new Vision?
• Science and Technology to mobilize, through
  innovation, the social energy needed for the
  development of Africa and its People.

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STI as a tool for transformation
Education processes
Social and Economic Processes
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ICT and future development of Africa

• Lagging behind fixed lines less than 2 world
  subscribers of internet less then 0.4 African
  Internet users account only for 3.8 of world
  users 7.2 of world mobile users
• Internal divide
• Not using all the potential pro-poor focus
• Education, public health, public safety
• Content and Access!

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 Spatial technologies and geo-information as
tools for better policy design in Africa

• a critical component due to ability to integrate
  data from disparate sources
• analyses that enable priority areas to be
  identified at a sub-national level
• promote and develop links between national policy
  goals, to sector interventions and programme
  activities, closing the cycle of policy making,
  implementation and monitoring and evaluation,
• development agents that usually operate at
  project/programme level, align their
  interventions with the sector and national
  approach to development

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Advantages of Geo-spatial technology

• the results of the analyses are better perceived
  by the public in general and also for the
  decision makers. It will support the shift needed
  for improvement of content and access to
  knowledge by the more excluded strata of society.
  
• by integrating data and providing a common
  dimension of analysis (the spatial dimension),
  promote integration of policies and the
  reinforcement of the common
• strongly linked to social and environmental
  sciences creating the space for these dimensions
  to be brought to the development models and the
  policy debate

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What are the challenges?

• Infra-structure
• Human-resources
• Institutional setting
• the lack of long-term vision and commitment
  towards an integration of policies and approaches
  in the development strategies in Africa.

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Conclusions

• African STI development faces 3 hard realities
• The lack of leadership
• The emulation of National innovation Systems from
  abroad
• The very small amounts of financial resources
  that are available for STI programs

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Challenges

• Common vision for the role of STI for development
  in Africa and STI Indicators
• Strategic thinking prioritize and mobilize the
  social energy that exists in society and spurs
  innovation
• STI policies that are cross-cutting, integrated
  and that create a structural base for the other
  policies 
• An approach of research that goes beyond research
  about Africa, moving towards research for Africa
  and by Africans.
• Human capital more and with highest quality
• Commitment Invest consistently and at long-term
  the necessary resources to initiate the building
  up of knowledge societies

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Recommendations for action

• Ensure the Knowledge cycle in society
  (Identification, production, transfer,
  appropriation and re-creation of knowledge)
• On Higher Education new focus- post-graduation
  and research
• On Science Education strengthened and useful for
  the people
• On Primary school network as the main network for
  national diffusion of KT
• On Access to KT outside formal education systems
  through ST communication programs
• On institutional design and development pursue
  institutional models that are based on knowledge
  management principles and able to transform the
  institutional framework to respond effectively to
  the development demands.

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Recommendations for action

• Build Networks of Excellence that ensures
  knowledge production and identification of
  existing knowledge.
• Deep understanding of factors influencing global
  policy making processes
• Capacity to contextualize the policies at
  national and regional level
• Capacity to critically analyze impacts
• Capacity to develop alternative policies
•  Building bridges between development actors

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Recommendations for action

• Develop Science policies that are cross-cutting
  and creating structural base for the other
  policies
• Strengthening Science education at all levels
• Promote policy integration in the country, region
  and continent
• Improve and scale-up research programs in crucial
  areas for development
• Spur innovation in the productive sector,
  including SMEs
• Popularize Science in society
• Develop mechanisms to measure and produce high
  quality STI indicators

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Recommendations for action

• Strategically choosing the niche more STI
  programs with impact, more capacity building not
  only on policy areas but also in technical
  aspects.
• Agriculture focus in key cultures and develop
  strategic agro-industry that can respond to
  changes in market demands and conditions
• Health incorporate actors that are not yet
  included
• Social/Economical alternative models for growth
• Develop Steering mechanisms peer-review,
  financial, institutional and research agendas

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Recommendations for action

• Build ownership and commitment engage local
  stakeholders in the design, implementation and
  resources mobilization
• Building Centers of Excellence that are embedded
  in the society
• Build Partnerships with Governments, productive
  sector, civil society
• Develop link between knowledge-technology and
  practical solutions to everyday problems
•  Building sustainability from pilot to full
  scale programs capacity to intervene and to
  maintain systems, to connect production systems
  and knowledge management systems  developing
  local industry

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Recommendations for action

• Building partnerships stronger collaboration
  with other actors (avoid fragmentation and
  duplication) and bring potential partners
  together
•  
• Fair trade negotiate better Intellectual
  property rights and market conditions, and
  acquire capacity to influence international power
  structures

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Thank you