The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation remarks on the occasion of the signing of the Science, Technology and Innovation memorandum of understanding with the[...]

07 December 2022 Hits: 1

The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation remarks on the occasion of the signing of the Science, Technology and Innovation memorandum of understanding with the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ministry of Scientific Research and Technologica

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Honourable Minister Maître José Mpanda Kabangu, Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation;

Mr Ndambu Mwalanga Odon, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry;

Senior officials from the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation;

Ladies and gentlemen

This a memorable occasion for two countries that ought to have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) a while back.

Our efforts to finalise the MoU in the past 2 years did not materialise, for one reason or another, through with no fault of our own.

With our mutual relentlessness and understanding of the importance of formalising the Science, Technology and Innovation Bilateral relationship, towards improving the socio-economic conditions of our people it was therefore, imperative that we ensure the eventual signing of the Memorandum of Understanding today.

Minister, I would like to thank you for honouring my invitation to be part of the World Science Forum, your presence here taking time out of your busy schedule means a great deal to me and my department.

This is by no means a new relationship but a form of renewal of our long established relationship. The relationship between the two countries dates back to the role that the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC played in the emancipation of south African people in the fight against apartheid.

South Africa has been involved in the efforts to ensure peace and stability in the DRC since 1994. The general bilateral cooperation Agreement that was signed in 2004, strengthened trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, increasing the import and exports of goods between the DRC and South Africa.

The Signing of the Science, Technology and Innovation Memorandum of Understanding between our two countries gives an opportunity to position technology and innovation capabilities to catapult the bilateral efforts, programmes and activities, that were implemented as part of the foundation laid in the political and economic relationship between the two countries. Given that STI is regarded as a driving force towards the development of any key sector.

In an article published in Afrin in Focus in February 2022, it was reiterated that the key to transforming African socio-economic conditions lies in investing in Science, Technology and Innovation. However, Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people, which is estimated to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, contributes a mere 2% of the world research output, which accounts 1.to 3% of the research spending and 0.1% of the global patents.

The lack of investment in STI has undermined Africa's transformation, without the required infrastructure necessary for innovation Africa will continue to rely on the colonial developed model of resource extraction which has been found to be the main contributor to debilitating poverty and aid dependency.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is one effort away from changing that gloomy picture of our beautiful continent. In the joint Plan of Action that our officials have developed and implemented to a certain degree, the strategic areas of interest, namely agriculture, mining and geosciences, renewable energy, water, Intellectual property management, technology innovation, high-performance computing and space science and technology, are key and critical to socio-economic development in the two countries whose implementation will assist in laying the foundation for fast-tracking mutual development as follows:

In recent research done by the Mckinsey group an estimated 24% of Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is from agriculture, that is however scratching the surface because Africa has the potential to produce 3 times more agricultural output through the right investment in agricultural research, development and Innovation (RDI).

Investment in Agricultural RDI will result in yield improvement, land expansion, improved post-harvest and trade of the agricultural commodities. It does not make sense for us to rely on European countries like Russia for simple agricultural commodities such as grains.

In relation to Mining and Geosciences, the two countries are two of the resource-rich countries in the continent, a bilateral programme will not only include programmes around geological mapping and mineral beneficiation, through our institutions such as Mintek in South Africa but could include programmes to empower Africans to determine the value of our resources.

As you may be aware, I am the Minister responsible for South Africa's hydrogen programme, through our partnership, our two countries could potentially solve the energy crisis in the continent, given the DRC's Inga Dam potential and South Africa's investment in hydrogen technologies in the identified Renewable Energy programme.

Infrastructure, technology and human capital have been found to be the most pressing necessity in Health, a bilateral programme could focus on strengthening the capability of the health institution, especially in public health.

Besides the benefits of Space Science and Technology in the environment, earth, and the improvement of healthcare, Space Science and Technology is critical in fostering peace and security in African countries, through strengthening our militaries, based on the ability to detect threats and provide the technological solutions in our defence systems.

Intellectual Property management, High-Performance Computing and technological innovation are three areas that are not only cross-cutting but strategic in transforming our socio-economic condition, for instance, the management of intellectual property rights of innovations developed by African people, especially the youth, will ensure ownership, commercialisation and the development of critical industries.

In relation to High-performance Computing (HPC), I was happy to hear that the Centre for High-Performance Computing will be deploying some of the computer ranger racks to the DRC, and have also started with the technical training of DRC officials. The HPC will ensure that the DRC will have the capacity to manage big research data, especially in the ongoing effort to strengthen your National System of Innovation.

In closing, what will make our ambition possible Honourable Minister Kabangu is institution-to-institution collaboration, by ensuring that we strengthen institutional capability in the implementing activities under each of the identified areas of mutual interest.

The development of critical skills through co-investing in Human Capital Development, especially of the millions of youth in order for them to play a strategic role in developing the key sectors, especially in the identified areas of mutual interest. Our bilateral skills development programme could include the development of technical skills through what the DRC regard as the polytechnics, and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in the South African context. This could be done through the twinning of these institutions and the exchange of personnel for the co-development of knowledge and knowledge transfer.

The establishment of community-based development programmes, bringing RDI-led technologies to different communities in the two countries demonstrating the value of Scientific and Technological RDI could change the lives of ordinary citizens. And co-investing financial resources in the implementation of the identified bilateral programmes ensuring that we achieve what we need to achieve.

The changing times has made it critical that these MoUs that we sign are not just seen as a gesture of goodwill or intent, but are a leeway for meaningful collaborative projects and programmes in response to our pressing challenges.

The level of poverty in our countries is increasing, almost half of the youth are unemployed, and we live in the most unequal society, which in the South African case is the legacy of both apartheid and colonialism.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to be complacent and have this MoU be a symbol of today's meeting only but it must be a symbol of our joint commitment for changing the lives of our communities and the future of our beautiful continent.

Thank you.

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