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Pandor encourages funding innovation

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 08 Dec 2016
Minister Naledi Pandor delivered the opening address at the second installment of the SA Science Forum in Pretoria.
Minister Naledi Pandor delivered the opening address at the second installment of the SA Science Forum in Pretoria.

As funding for scientific and innovation projects trickles in, African countries must adopt the best policies that will attract further investment in order to train more researchers.

So says Naledi Pandor, minister of science and technology, as she delivered her speech to kick-start this year's Science Forum South Africa (SFSA) in Pretoria, this morning.

Now in its second year, SFSA seeks to build on the science and technology department's objective of providing a vibrant support base for the expansion of research and innovation on the African continent in partnership with the global science community, according to Pandor.

She explained that innovation grants and prizes will eventually create a revolution in scientific research, improve employment and will ensure great gains for the African continent.

"We need to build and strengthen on these initiatives and many others to ensure robust and sustainable research and innovation sector in all our African countries.

"Increased attention must be given to finding resources to increase our research focus beyond agriculture and health. Young researchers have a wide range of fields of interest and we need to support them to explore a diversity of disciplines."

According to Pandor, SA has tried to put in place the best policies for science and technology innovation, and the sector been made a national priority.

Investment into centres of excellence and research chairs has helped the country turn scientific research into technology, she said.

"We believe that high tech innovation will help employment grow over the long term. As new technology spreads from one sector to the other throughout the economy more and more opportunities will be created."

Pandor also noted some of the challenges for African scientific research. "Too few scientists, inadequate publication rates, innovation achievements are still very low and poorly resourced science institutions."

But, there is hope as more and more African researchers are broadening their horizons and engaging in much needed projects such as security, energy and health research, Pandor noted.

The SFSA 2016 is taking place at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria until December 9th.

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