ECA, the IUCEA bring scientists, researchers from East African Community together to launch the East African Network of Research Excellence (EANRE)

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ECA, the IUCEA bring scientists, researchers from East African Community together to launch the East African Network of Research Excellence (EANRE)

Addis Ababa, 23 February 2010 (ECA) - In collaboration with the Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA), the Information Communication Technologies (ICT), Science and Technology Division (ISTD) of ECA, facilitated a 2-day scientists workshop on “Building the East African Network of Research Excellence (EANRE) and observatory (EANREO)“ from 22-23 February, in Kampala, Uganda.

The main objective of the workshop was to provide a platform for in-depth exploration of the way in which East African research outputs can easily be consolidated, disseminated through increased collaboration and linkages between research institutions, universities, industries, financial institutions, private sector and Governments.

In his opening remarks, Professor Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, Executive Secretary of IUCEA noted that: “It is much easier to get access to research projects undertaken in the West than to get the same within our region. This state of affairs has been attributed mainly to the lack of appropriate mechanisms and structures for making these projects available to other interested parties. The result has been duplication of research work and the inability of other stakeholders to benefit from the findings of earlier studies”.

He then welcomed the network initiative that fit very well with the IUCEA mandate of promoting research strategies,

postgraduate programmes, regional collaboration, publication of research outputs, and regional centres of excellence in areas of comparative advantage and relevance to the regional developmental needs.

Echoing similar sentiments, Ms Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director, ICT, Science and Technology Division of ECA, after paying tribute to the partnership between ECA and IUCEA which dated back to 2003, advised participants that time has come for African to demonstrate that they are capable, ready and willing to help the continent advance its R&D agenda in the same way that academics in other parts of the world have done.

She therefore highlighted the following three areas of concerned to translate research into productive use for national economies: “ (i) Cultivate indigenous resources that support the continent’s own priorities for R&D and ensure that research results does not stay on the shelves; (ii) Promote the creation and network of Technology Transfer Office (TTO) within Universities; (iii) Promote the culture of research commercialization to link research with entrepreneurship and wealth creation”.

She concluded by advising the participants that ECA has no doubt on the relevance of the Network, however she explained that :

“We need to be more analytical on the function and expected achievements of the network, by having in place good indicators that can be used to measure progress”.

The workshop was a result of recommendations of the first Science with Africa conference as well as the first Committee on Development Information, Science and Technology (CODIST).

More than fifty Deans of technology departments, directors of research institutions, and scientists from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda participated in the event.

Participants are expected to come up with an implementable plan of action to operationalize the Network that will serve as a hub for scientific knowledge-sharing to foster collaborative research activities and technology transfer within and outside the region.