Lack of science capacity threatens Africa’s development

Lazarus Sauti

Chris Whitty, chief scientific adviser and director of research at the UK Department for International Development believes science for Africa is critical for Africa – and for the rest of the world.

He also believes that the ‘remarkable recent economic growth’ in many African countries may be able to sustain science through domestic funding (rather than through external sources) — but a lack of scientists and research capacity is threatening to reel back that economic growth.

Whitty noted: “The gross domestic product (GDP) of many African countries has been growing at a rate of 6–8 per cent each year, amounting to almost doubling of GDPs every decade.

“Unlike in China, South Asia, and South-East Asia, where there was a surplus of scientists, engineers, doctors and teachers trained at the early stages of countries’ development, in most African countries there are up to 1 000 times fewer scientists than in Asian countries in the equivalent state of development.”

This, Whitty added, is potentially a major block to the development of middle-income countries in Africa.

Accordingly, developing the capacity of science in African countries, by African scientists, is essential.

Whitty noted that capacity building is very difficult as practitioners in most – if not all – African countries still do not know what works and what does not.

Thus, he said: “Capacity building has to be long-term, as the time it takes for a primary school child to develop into an active adult researcher takes decades. It would also require a multi-disciplinary approach.”

Whitty also stressed that science is essential to ensuring African development, and that it had already played a key role in development advances on the continent.

He said there are many aspects of scientific discovery that affect Africa, citing examples of sweet potatoes enhanced with vitamin A, groundwater mapping, and using solar power to charge mobile phones and other devices.

He goes on to say: “A 40 percent fall in child mortality rates over the past decade was an ‘astonishing achievement,’ backed up by strong science and infrastructure improvements. And eradicating rinder pest (a cattle plague virus) was preceded by 40 years – or more – of scientific research before it managed to translate into a big advance for the continent.”

Whitty also said by the end of this century a third of the world’s population will be African and living in Africa.

Therefore, he noted, “Science is critical for Africa and for the rest of the world.”