Science Engineering, Technology Training, and the African Renaissance

Prof. Shem. O. WandigaDepartment of Chemistry

College of Biological and Physical SciencesUniversity of Nairobi

P.O. Box 30197-00100Nairobi, Kenya

E-mail: wandigas@uonbi.ac.ke; sowandiga@iconnect.co.ke

Vision of Renaissance:

Pillars of African Renaissance

Building on success

Science Technology and Innovation

Social cohesion Democracy

Africa plays important role in International

affairs

Economic rebuilding and

growth

What Role Science Technology and Innovation play in Vision achievement?

• “But I ask you to consider, if we are to realize the rebirth of Africa, taking its place at the forefront of Arts, Science and Technology - as is required of a true Renaissance movement: what opportunities can be harnessed for Africa in this?

• And how the foreseeable risks may be assessed, contained and hopefully eliminated.”

• Dr. Sheila Ochogboju asks?

Renaissance Building Blocks

• Science Technology and Innovation form the foundation stone for Africa’s Renaissance

• Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) will be central in the socio-economic transformation of the continent.

• Progress in social and economic activities is principally achieved through the advancement of knowledge.

• Universities have the capability of effective creation, dissemination and application of knowledge, training and retaining technical and professional capacity.

Investment in Knowledge Management Opens Doors to:

• Rapid socio-economic development

• Resolution to the following problems:

-Food security

-Better health standards

-Water supply

-Sustainable energy and

-Cleaner environment

Upgrading of Training programmes

• Training programmes in Africa cannot play the catching up game but must be reorganized to take major knowledge quantum jumps to the leading frontiers of economic activities.

• In addition to strengthening the quality and relevance of academic programmes time is opportune to introduce new methods of mobilising national research talent in the academic, private and public sectors and apply it to the task of developing the economy and improving the quality of life of the citizens.

Africa’s Challenges:

• Climate/Global Environment Change• Clean Water• Food Security• Better Health• Social Cohesion, Peace and Secure

Borders/Neighborhoods• Transport and Communication• Energy, etc.

CausesCausesEl Niño /El Niño /LA LA NiNiñaña

Climate related Hazards / Exposures

DROUGHTS AND FLOODS COMON IN AFRICA

HailHail&Lightning&Lightning

AvalanchesAvalanchesFlash floodsFlash floods

TornadoesTornadoes

Wildland firesWildland fires& haze& haze

Hot & cold spellsHot & cold spells

Heavy precipitationsHeavy precipitations(rain or snow)(rain or snow)

DroughtsDroughts

Storm surgesStorm surges

Storm (winds)Storm (winds)

River basin floodingRiver basin flooding

Mud & landslidesMud & landslides

Ice StormsIce Storms

Tropical cyclonesTropical cyclones

Dust stormsDust storms

Many socio-economic sectors in Africa are Climate-sensitive including agriculture, water resources, food security, health, and livelihoods.

THE CROPS DRIED UP DUE TO DROUGHT

Floods often follow or precede droughts

AFRICA IS THE MOST VULNERABLE AFRICA IS THE MOST VULNERABLE CONTINENT OF THE GLOBECONTINENT OF THE GLOBE

Africa will Africa will experiencexperience severe e severe impacts impacts due to due to climate climate change change

and and climate climate

variabilityvariability

++

Africa Africa has the has the lowest lowest

capacity capacity to to

Adapt Adapt to to

Projected Projected Climate Climate ChangeChange

==

AFRICAAFRICAIS IS

THE THE MOST MOST

VULNERABLE VULNERABLE CONTINENT CONTINENT

OF OF THE THE

GLOBEGLOBE

Universities are Drivers and Centres of Societal Change

• The Department of Botany at the University of São Paulo and the University of Campinas in Brazil house the latest gene sequencing equipment and analyser and the advanced computing facilities. The two institutions joined forces with 200 researchers from 34 laboratories throughout São Paulo state to crack the genetic code of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa which has decimated vineyards in Southern California. The centre received world recognition when they published in the leading journal Nature the analysis of a Xylella strain that attack orange trees. Their initial funding for this work came from the City of São Paulo which sets aside 2% of its income for research. Under a unique project, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the American Vineyard Foundation contracted them to find a solution to their problem (The World Bank, 2002).

Drivers and Centres of Change contd.

• The Centre for Advanced Software and Intelligent Systems at the University of Wales Aberystwyth and the Computer Science Department at Cardiff University provide a complete software-lifecycle facility involving problem analysis, specification, design, development and implementation of bespoke solutions and software innovation, development and exploitation for engineering, science, business, commerce and industry. Training courses are developed and delivered using the staff’s extensive expertise in these areas. The Centre has combined forces with a supermarket to produce iconic tiles no longer in production for the market. The project promoter did the market survey and as soon as the tiles were produced there was ready market demand for it.

Centres of Excellence• Centres of Excellence are InnovationInnovation centres centres • Innovation is defined as the process through which new

economic and social benefits are extracted from knowledge.

• Africa, except for South Africa which has recently established six such centres, has very few such centres at African Universities.

• The established National Centres of Excellence scheme create the scale and focus necessary to maintain and develop a country’s international standing in its areas of research priority.

• They conduct highly innovative research that addresses challenging and significant problems within the priority areas.

• The centres build national research capabilities and produce outcomes of economic, social and cultural benefit to a country.

Participatory Action Research

• The learning-by-doing at the heart of participatory action research (PAR) builds capacity while laying the groundwork for development initiatives that address the urgency of the challenge

• “A methodology that aims to bring about improvements in areas of social concern by activating in the people involved in the situation a learning cycle which is ideally never ending.” Bullow, 1998

PAR Framework in Africa- CCAA an IDRC/DfID Project

Technical Experts Program Management Unit

(PMU)

Advisory Board DFID and IDRC Agencies)

Poorest and most vulnerable individuals in Africa

Boundary Partners

Rural Poverty & Environment Program

Researchers At-risk groups Policy-

makers

Capacity developers

Community Pilot Projects• Kenya: Increasing Community Resilience to

Drought in Makueni District

• Mozambique: Community-based Fire Management Strategy in Central Mozambique

• Rwanda: Reducing the Vulnerability of the Energy Sector to the Impacts of Climate Change

• Observer Countries: Madagascar and Tanzania

Kenya Project Site: Kisau Division of Makueni District. Major source of livelihood

is rainfed agricultureStatus: Implementation Plan Developed; Project Activities going

on.Partners: Arid Lands Resource Management Programme, FAO-

Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta UniversityField Activities: • Downscaling climate forecasts/weather information to guide

choice of crops to be planted and timing of agricultural activities • Strengthening and diversifying production systems through

activities such as: – promoting rainwater harvesting technologies-sand dams;– introducing agro-forestry systems for soil and water

conservation;– Introduction of micro-financing to women groups;– Establishing alternative sources of energy-biogas;

Drought tolerant crop varieties grown under rain fed cropping system

A Farmer training session Early land preparation for planting

Early crop germination in one of the plots

A typical farm without interventionA typical farm without intervention

Sorghum plot early 2007

A flourishing cash and/or food crop – Pigeon peas

Same sorghum plot one month laterSame sorghum plot one month later

A farmers field dayA farmers field day

A maize crop in a demo site in an adjacent farmA maize crop in a demo site in an adjacent farm

Highland Malaria EpidemicsMax temperature variation for Kericho between 1978 - 2004

20.0

21.0

22.0

23.0

24.0

25.0

26.0

Years

Tem

p (

C)

MAM

JJA

SOND

ANN

Linear (ANN)

Anomalies of Climate Parameters with Malaria

-2.00

-1.00

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

Jan

97

Mar

May

Ju

ly

Sep

No

v

Jan

98

Mar

May

Ju

ly

Sep

No

v

Jan

99

Mar

May

Ju

ly

Sep

No

v

Jan

00

Mar

May

Ju

ly

Sep

No

v

Jan

01

Mar

May

Ju

ly

Sep

No

v

Months of the Year

An

om

ali

es

MaxTemp_Anom

Rainfall_Anom

Malaria_Anom

UCL

LCL

Nairobi River Basin Programme

Images of Nairobi River

0

500

1000

1500

2000

CO

NC

(mg/

l)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

DOCOD

BODTDS

SAMPLING POINTS

DO

COD

BOD

TDS

020

40

60

CO

NC

(m

g/l

)

PO4 SO4 F CL Ca K Mg

U/S MATHARE

D/S MATHARI

U/S NAIROBI RIVER CONFLUENCE

PARAMETERS

U/S MATHARE

D/S MATHARI

U/S NAIROBIRIVERCONFLUENCE

Missing Links in Relation Between University and Private Sector

• Lack of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Research Office in all universities

• Exploitation offices

• Glue money to partner university, private sector and government

• Community and Private Sector Linkages and Partnership Relations Offices in all universities

• THANK YOU FOR LISTENING