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India to expand science, tech cooperation with Africa
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SME Times News Bureau | 05 Mar, 2012
Building upon growing political and economic ties, India and the
54-nation African continent are now poised to expand their cooperation
in frontier areas of research, capacity building and knowledge
industries.
Empowerment through knowledge and technology was the
buzzword at a two-day science and technology conclave here that brought
together more than 100 scientists, diplomats and 31 science and
technology (S&T) ministers from African countries.
The March
1-2 conclave, at the Vigyan Bhavan convention centre, focussed on
building capacities in research and development, social entrepreneurship
and innovation technologies.
"There exists an enormous potential
for cooperation in science and technology between India and Africa,
given the fact that we both are emerging economies, share common
problems and have to meet the aspirations of our people," said Jean
Pierre O. Ezin, Commissioner, Human Resources, Science and Technology,
at the African Union Commission.
He called for strengthening ties
between India and Africa in sectors of research and development, human
resource development and exchange of technical know-how.
Among
the key areas the two sides agreed to work on are all people-related
sectors to provide the over two billion population living in India and
Africa better living conditions, quality food and water, affordable
healthcare and meeting energy needs of two fast-growing economies.
The
African Union, which represents 54 nations of the African continent,
expressed its keenness to have a long-term strategic partnership with
India in science and technology (S&T), given India's "remarkable
progress" in this area in the last decade.
"The challenges faced
by nations of Africa is similar to ours. Some of our solutions may also
be similar," India's S&T and Earth Sciences Minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh told the conference, and flagged social entrepreneurship and
innovation as key areas for collaboration.
At the end of the
conference, hosted by the Indian ministries of S&T and external
affairs, the ministers from India and Africa adopted a declaration that
reaffirmed the commitments for a strong engagement made at the
India-Africa Forum Summits, recalled their common challenges and growth
potential, and outlined means to achieve development by becoming
knowledge economies.
The areas identified for future cooperation
included capacity building, with India assisting the Commission of the
AU and Regional Economic Communities by providing training and other
capacity interventions towards improving policy enabling environment in
the African nations.
With India being the lead thematic partner
at the Pan African University's Institute of Earth and Life Sciences in
the Western African region at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, it
was agreed to enhance interactions between researchers from both sides,
apart from an outreach programme in African countries for the C.V. Raman
Scholarship and Fellowship Programmes.
The conference also
explored institutional relationships of Indian scientific establishments
with Institute Pasteur in Tunis, Institute of Mathematics and Physical
Sciences at Benin, and School of Science and Technology at Masuku in
Gabon. India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will
help Mozambique to set up a similar institution.
The foundation
of cooperation in science and technology was laid during the
India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in 2008. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh had announced substantive commitments of India to engage
with African nations during the second summit in Addis Ababa in 2011.
India
has committed $5 billion in lines of credit for the next three years to
help Africa to achieve its development goals. An additional $700
million was pledged to establish new institutions and training
programmes. Of this, $185 million was set aside for science and
technology.
Among those who provided fillip to the India-Africa
science diplomacy at the conference were Egypt's Minister of Scientific
Research Nadia Eskander Zakhary, who is also the chair of the African
Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST), India's
Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, Minister of State
for S&T Ashwani Kumar, and former minister of state for external
affairs Shashi Tharoor.
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