EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Session June 2014 Malabo, EQUATORIAL GUINEA EX.CL/839(XXV) Original: English

Transcription

1 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: Fax: website: www. ST12302 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Session June 2014 Malabo, EQUATORIAL GUINEA EX.CL/839(XXV) Original: English REPORT OF THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF 5 TH AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (AMCOST V), BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO, APRIL 2014

2 EX.CL/839(XXV) Page 2 REPORT OF THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE 5TH AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (AMCOST V), BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO, APRIL 2014 INTRODUCTION 1. The Extra Ordinary Session of the Fifth African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST V) was held from 16th -18th April The Ministerial Session was held on the 18 th of April 2014, and was preceded by the Experts/Senior Officials Session on the 16 th and the 17 th of April The Meeting was hosted by the Republic of Congo in Brazzaville during the Science Week that focused on science, technology and innovation (STI) in Congo and Africa as a whole. PURPOSE 2. After the review of the Consolidated Plan of Action, the Extra Ordinary Session of AMCOST V was organized to consider and endorse the outcome document, the Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa-2024 (STISA 2024) and the governance and implementation institutional arrangements. ATTENDANCE 3. The Ministers and Heads of delegation from the following Member States attended the meeting: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, DRC Congo, Comoros, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 4. The Regional Economic Communities (RECs): COMESA, ECOWAS, and SADC and other regional institutions: NEPAD Planning Agency, AAS, COPAB, ELSERVIER, INNORPI, UNESCO, UNCTAD, NASAC, DIRDO, also attended the meeting. ISSUES DISCUSSED 5. The opening session consisted of two remarks and an opening address. 6. Ms. Lidia Brito, Director of UNESCO s Division of Science Policy and Sustainable Development addressed the Ministerial Session and highlighted the role of UNSECO in the STI agenda for Africa. 7. The Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, H.E Dr Martial De Paul Ikounga, underscored the role of STI in Africa s socio-economic development and the need for Africa to adopt an STI strategy within the overall longterm AU agenda 2063 in order to collectively to promote the transition of the continent towards innovation-led knowledge-intensive economies.

3 EX.CL/839(XXV) Page 3 8. In his opening address, the Chairperson of AMCOST V, H.E. Mr. Bruno Jean Richard ITOUA, Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of the Republic of Congo expressed profound gratitude to H.E Denis Sassou N GUESSO the President of The Republic of Congo his commitment to ensure that Congo and Africa builds a strong and robust foundation of STI. AMCOST is a critical tool to achieve this goal. 9. The Extra-Ordinary AMCOST V discussed the following issues: DECISIONS - African Union Agenda 2063; - Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa-2024 (STISA 2024); - Draft Statutes Of Pan African STI Institutions (The African, Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC); The African Observatory for STI and The Pan African Intellectual Property Organization (PAIPO); - Specialized Technical Committees (STCs); - Draft African Space Policy; and - Issues Proposed by Member States 10. The Extra Ordinary Session of the Fifth African Ministerial Conference on Science, and Technology considered the Report of the Experts/Senior Officials Session and adopted it with the following decisions: 1. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STRATEGY FOR AFRICA 2024 (STISA 2024) 1.1 ENDORSES the Draft STISA-2024 taking into account the recommendation of the Taskforce that should be incorporated into the final Strategy; 1.2 URGES AUC and NEPAD AGENCY to incorporate the recommendations of the Taskforce into the Strategy; 1.3 CALLS UPON Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and other stakeholders to integrate STISA-2024 in their STI development agendas, ensure its implementation, and popularization in the continent; 1.4 REQUESTS the Commission and NEPAD Agency (NPCA) to put in place the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) mechanisms to measure the progress of the implementation of the STISA-2024; 1.5 ENDEVOURS to strengthen and enhance STI cooperation in the continent; 1.6 FURTHER CALLS UPON the AUC and NEPAD Agency to provide assistance and technical support to Member States in STI policy development;

4 EX.CL/839(XXV) Page COMMENDS the efforts of the High Level Panel and the Working Group that reviewed the CPA and developed the draft STISA STATUTES OF PAN AFRICAN STI INSTITUTIONS 2.1 AFRICAN OBSERVATORY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (AOSTI) ENDORSES the Draft Statutes of AOSTI taking into account recommendations made by Member States; REQUESTS the Commission to take the necessary action to submit it for consideration and adoption by the AU Policy Organs; EXPRESSES APPRECIATION to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea for hosting and supporting the AOSTI in Malabo; CALLS UPON Member States and Regional Economic Communities to support the programmes of AOSTI and make use of its product and services. 2.2 PAN AFRICAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (PAIPO) ENDORSES the Draft Statutes of PAIPO taking into consideration the input provided by Member States; WELCOMES the offer by the Republic of Tunisia to host PAIPO and CALLS UPON the Heads of States and Governments to confirm Tunisia as the host country; RECOGNIZES ARIPO and OAPI as building blocks for the creation of a single Pan African Intellectual Property Organization and WELCOME their support in the implementation of the Heads of State and Government decision ASSEMBLY/AU/DEC.138 (VIII) to establish PAIPO. 2.3 AFRICAN, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL (ASRIC) ENDORSES the Draft statute of ASRIC taking into consideration the inputs provided by Member States; RECOMMENDS that all the Statues of the three institutions be finalized taking into consideration the inputs made by Member States;

5 EX.CL/839(XXV) Page URGES the Commission to circulate all the revised Statutes of the three institutions to the Member States. 3. INITIATIVES BY MEMBER STATES 3.1 WELCOMES the proposal of Republic of Congo to organize in Brazzaville every two years an International Salon on Invention and Innovation under the auspices of the African Union; 3.2 CALLS UP the AU Heads of State and Government to endorse this initiative; 3.3 REQUESTS the AUC to work with the Republic of Congo to prepare the terms of reference for the implementation of the International Salon Initiative and submit them for consideration by the AU January 2015 Summit; 3.4 INVITES the Commission to work with the host country to take the necessary steps to organize the first International Salon; 3.5 FURTHER WELCOMES the proposal to host a high level Ethics and Bioethics Forum in Brazzaville; 3.6 COMMENDS the progress made by the Republic of Congo, the African Union commission and the African Academy of science in the implementation of the Denis Sassou N GUESSO Innovation Prize. 4. AFRICAN SPACE POLICY 4.1 TAKES NOTE on the progress made in the development of the space policy and requests the working group and AUC to expedite the process in the finalization of the policy for submission through the AU policy organs. 5. SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL COMMITTEE STC 5.1 MANDATES the AMCOST V Bureau and the Commission to prepare the transition from AMCOST to STC. 6. VENUE AND DATE OF THE BUREAU OF AMCOST V 6.1 WELCOMES the offer by the Republic of Sudan to host the 2nd Bureau of AMCOST V in September 2014 in Khartoum and further requests the Commission to carry out the necessary consultation with the host country and inform AMCOST Members on time;

6 EX.CL/839(XXV) Page 6 7. APPRECIATION 7.1 EXPRESSES its appreciation to the Government and the people of the Republic of Congo, and in particular H.E. President Denis Sassou Nguesso; The hospitality of H.E. Mr. Bruno Jean Richard ITOUA, Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of the Republic of Congo is highly acknowledged; 7.2 APPRECIATES the offer by the Government of the Republic of Sudan to host the 2 nd Bureau of AMCOST V in September 2014; 7.3 COMMENDS the role of Development Partners in supporting the African Union STI programmes and INVITES them to continue supporting Africa s STI development agenda; 7.4 ACKNOWLEDGES the Commission for the efforts to make this Extra Ordinary Conference of AMCOST V a success and FURTHER REQUEST the Commission to avail the meetings documents in good time in future. Adopted on the 18 th of April 2014, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

7 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION FOR AFRICA 2024 STRATEGY EX.CL/839(XXV) Annex 1

8 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA SESSION EXTRAORDINAIRE DE LA CONFERENCE DES MINISTRES AFRICAINS EN CHARGE DE LA SCIENCE ET DE LA TECHNOLOGIE (AMCOST V) DU 16 AU 18 AVRIL 2014 À BRAZZAVILLE, AU CONGO ST12303 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION FOR AFRICA 2024 STRATEGY

9 On the Wings of Innovation Science, Technology and Innovation for Africa 2024 STRATEGY STISA-2024

10 April 2014 We shall accumulate machinery and establish steel works, iron foundries and factories; we shall link the various states of our Continent with communications; we shall astound the world with our hydroelectric power; we shall drain marshes and swamps, clear infested areas, feed the undernourished, and rid our people of parasites and disease. It is within the possibility of science and technology to make even the Sahara bloom into a vast field with verdant vegetation for agricultural and industrial developments. President Kwame Nkrumah, First speech at the foundation Summit of the Organization of African Unity, Addis Ababa, 24 May 1963

11 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page i Table of Contents I Foreword... 1 II List of Acronyms... 2 III Executive Summary... 4 IV Vision of the African Union and Mission of STI... 6 Chapter 1: Introduction Historical Background CPA Review outcome Situational Analysis Rationale Chapter 2: Strategic Orientation Priority Areas Strategic Objectives Development of mobilizing programs Implementation Phases of the Strategy Chapter 3: Pillars Infrastructure Development Technical Competence Entrepreneurship Development Enabling Environment Chapter 4: Governance and implementation arrangements Decision making institutions Implementing institutions Implementation mechanisms International Cooperation Chapter 5: Funding mechanisms National and Regional Funding African Science and Technology Innovation Fund (ASTIF) Chapter 6: Communication and Publicity Popularization of the Strategy Scientific Knowledge Utilization Awards and Recognition Chapter 7: Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation Implementation Plan Reporting on Targets and Performance Indicators Risk Factors Success Factors Annexes Annex 1: CPA Review report AU Agenda 2063Availableat 36

12 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 1 I Foreword (To be written after the adoption of the STISA by head of states. Foreword from the Chair of the AUC or from the commissioner HRST on behalf of the chair of the AUC.)

13 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 2 II List of Acronyms AAU AfDB AIDA AMCOST AOSTI APF ASF ASTII ASRIC AU AUC CAADP CPA EU FARA FDI GDP HEI ICT ICSU-ROA IPR MDGs M&E NEPAD NPCA NSTIH PAIPO PAU PIDA PMPA R&D REC S&T STC STI Association of African Universities African Development Bank Accelerated Industrial Development for Africa African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology African Observatory of Science Technology and Innovation African Program Fund Africa Start-up Fund African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators African Scientific, Research and Innovation Council African Union African Union Commission Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme AU Africa s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action European Union Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa Foreign Direct Investment Gross Domestic Product Higher Education Institute Information and Communication Technologies International Council for Science - Regional Office for Africa Intellectual Property Right Millennium Development Goals Monitoring and Evaluation New Partnership for Africa s Development NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency NEPAD Science, Technology and Innovation Hub Pan African Intellectual Property Organization Pan African University Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa Research and Development Regional Economic Community Science and Technology Specialized Technical Committee Science, Technology and Innovation

14 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 3 STISA TVET UN UNECA UNESCO Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa Technical Vocational Education and Training United Nations United Nations Economic Commission for Africa United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

15 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 4 III Executive Summary On the Wings of Innovation, the AU Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024) places science, technology and innovation at the epicentre of Africa s social and economic development. The STISA-2024 has been developed during a crucial period when the African Union is developing an African Union 2063 Agenda. The STISA-2024 is therefore the first of the ten-year incremental phasing strategies to respond to the demand for science, technology and innovation from various impact sectors including agriculture, health, infrastructure development, mining, security, water, energy, and environment among others. The strategy is anchored on six distinct priority areas that contribute to the achievement of the AU vision. These priority areas are: Eradication of Hunger and Achieving Food Security; Prevention and Control of Diseases; Communication (Physical and Intellectual Mobility); Protection of our Space; Live Together- Build the Society; and Wealth Creation. The strategy further defines four mutually reinforcing pillars which are prerequisite conditions for its success. These pillars include upgrading and/or building research infrastructure, enhancing technical and professional competencies, innovation and entrepreneurship, and providing an enabling environment for STI. Continental, regional and national programmes will be designed and implemented that will ensure the strategic orientations and pillars achieve developmental impact. The implementation of this strategy will take place at three levels. At the national level, Member States should domesticate this strategy in their National Development Plans. At the regional level, RECs, regional research institutions, networks and partners should utilize the strategy as reference in designing and coordinating initiatives. At the continental level, the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Agency and their partners should advocate and create awareness, mobilize necessary institutional, human and financial resources, track progress and monitor implementation. Continental, regional and national targets and indicators will be defined to ensure regular evaluation of the programmes. AOSTI, ASRIC and NEPAD Agency shall put in place a harmonised mechanism that will support Member States and RECs to collect data and report on performance annually. The analysis of data, reports and progress reviews will constitute an important management tool of the entire system.

16 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 5 While there are conventional mechanisms for funding R&D and Innovation, it is essential to have efficient and effective financing mechanisms to implement the strategy. The AUC and NEPAD Agency shall mobilize resources for technical support in developing and implementing regional and national plans and priority programmes. AU Member States and RECs will take a lead role in mobilizing public, private and donor resources for implementing national and regional programmes.

17 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 6 IV Vision of the African Union and Mission of STI The African Union is committed to achieve its vision of An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena through its historical and long-term Agenda The AU Agenda 2063 recognizes Science, Technology and Innovation as a multifunctional TOOL and enabler for achieving continental development goals. The Agenda emphasizes that Africa s sustained growth, competitiveness and economic transformation will require investments in new technologies and innovations in areas such as education, health, agriculture, and clean energy. The Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) shall contribute to the achievement of the AU Vision (Fig. 1). Due to the cross cutting nature of STI, STISA-2024 is designed to meet the knowledge, technology and innovation demands in various AU economic and social sector development frameworks. STISA shall play a lead role in bringing efficiency (and avoiding duplication) in the design and implementation of national, regional and African Union policies on STI. The Mission of STISA-2024 is to Accelerate Africa s transition to an innovationled, Knowledge-based Economy. This will be achieved by: Improving the state of STI readiness in Africa in terms of infrastructure, technical and professional competence, and entrepreneurship development; and Implementing specific policies and programs in science, technology and innovation that address societal needs.

18 Fig. 1: The role of STI in achieving the vision of the African Union AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 7

19 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 8 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Historical Background African countries made a bold attempt to turn around their development fortunes by adopting in July 1979, the Monrovia Strategy and in April 1980, the Lagos Plan of Action (LPA) for the Economic Development of Africa [ ] and the Final Act of Lagos. The LPA was a visionary, far-reaching and unprecedented blueprint on how to foster collective self-reliance and sustainable development of the continent. Subsequent attempts at charting Africa's development have drawn inspiration from that visionary framework. Among many conferences that followed the Lagos plan of Action was CASTAFRICAII organized by UNESCO/OAU/ECA bringing together 26 African ministers and experts of Science and technology, for the purpose of developing strategies for the economic recovery of Africa. The adoption of the Abuja Treaty in 1994 on the establishment of an African Economic Community (AEC) for the economic integration of Africa constituted an important and forward looking act by the African Heads of State and Government. The transformation of OAU to AU in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001 was envisioned to build an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena. It was also intended to accelerate the implementation of the Abuja Treaty, demonstrating a renewed commitment of African political leaders to the socio-economic advancement of the Continent. The Constitutive Act of the AU made provisions for the following organs and Continental Institutions in accordance with the stipulations in the Abuja Treaty and the Sirte Declaration on the creation of the AU: The Assembly of the Union; The Executive Council; The Pan-African Parliament; The Court of Justice; The Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC); The Specialized Technical Committees (STCs); The Economic, Social and Cultural Council; two financial institutions, namely the Central Bank and the African Monetary Union and The Commission of the AU. The creation of AU was also associated with the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD) at the July 2001 Summit in Lusaka. It also identified and established HRST as one of 8 technical departments of the African Union Commission with the mandate to advance science and technology education and human capital development in the continent. The African Union Commission set-up a Conference of Ministers in charge of Science and Technology (AMCOST), to enable the Union periodically deliberate on science and

20 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 9 technology issues in order to have a collective voice.the CPA was presented in 2005 as an instrument for the implementation of the decisions of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government on science, technology and innovation since the first Summit held July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique. It was endorsed for immediate implementation in 2006 at the Khartoum Summit of the African Heads of State. 1.2 CPA Review outcome The CPA was approved to be implemented within the following clustered key flagship research and development programmes: (1) Cluster 1: Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Indigenous Knowledge: Including (i) Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity; (ii) Safe Development and Application of Biotechnology; and (iii) Securing and Using Africa s Indigenous Knowledge Base; (2) Cluster 2: Energy, Water and Desertification: Including (i)building a Sustainable Energy Base; (ii) Securing and Sustaining Water; and (iii) Combating Drought and Desertification; (3) Cluster 3: Material Sciences, Manufacturing, Laser and Post-Harvest Technologies: Including (i) Building Africa s Capacity for Material Sciences; (ii) Building engineering capacity for Manufacturing; (iii) Strengthening the African Laser Centre (ALC); and (iv) Technologies to Reduce Post harvest Food Loss; (4) Cluster 4: Information and Communication Technologies: Including (i) Information and Communication Technologies and (ii) Establishing the African Institute of Space Science; and (5) Cluster 5: Mathematical Sciences: including the next Einstein Initiative. In order to ascertain the impact of the implementation of the CPA, strengthen the linkages with other AU and NEPAD development frameworks, boost investment, the CPA provided for a review to be conducted after five years of its implementation. The Bureau of the African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST IV) resolved that the CPA review process should be conducted under the oversight of a High Level Panel of eminent scientists with support of a Working Group comprising representatives from the African Academy of Sciences, African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency, African Development Bank, ICSU, UNECA and UNESCO. Significant achievements in the implementation of the CPA were realized in the following areas: (a) establishment of networks of excellence; (b) African Union Competitive Research Grants; (c) capacity development; and (d) improving policy conditions and building innovation mechanisms. Challenges were also encountered including (a) over-reliance on external financial support often targeting short-term activities and solutions, (b) limited scope of human and sustainable development; (c) inadequate linkage of the CPA to other continental frameworks and strategies.

21 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 10 The High Level Panel recommended and developed the African Union STI Strategy as a successor of the CPA taking into account the findings of the CPA review (Fig. 2) and the current development trends on the continent. In drafting the STISA-2024, one of the steps taken by the Working Group was to bring into the process wider consultations and perspectives including from the government, academia, industry and civil society, RECs, AMCOST and other regional and international forums. The achievements and the lessons learnt from the implementing the CPA (Annex 1) were used as a basis to build the current strategy. Fig. 2: Moving from the STI plan to the STI strategy 1.3 Situational Analysis The implementation of the CPA over the last years has influenced the role that science, technology and innovation play in Africa s socio-economic development. These influences were translated at various levels of policy making processes into policy instruments to achieve transformative and emancipatory goals by means of institutions building and programmes implementation. The situational analysis builds on evidence generated by the surveys conducted on Science, Technology and Innovation Policymaking in Africa: An Assessment of Capacity Needs and Priorities 1, and the 1 AOSTI (2013), Science, Technology and Innovation Policy-making in Africa: An Assessment of Capacity Needs and Priorities, AOSTI Working Papers No. 2

22 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 11 environment scan which supported the review of the CPA. The situational analysis of STI in Africa is described below. a) Increased recognition by African leadership and the public of the critical role that STI plays in economic growth and human development. Recent political, policy statements and instruments underscore the need for increased investment in STI to achieve socio-economic growth, reduce poverty, fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and stem environment degradation. This is evidenced by the launch of a number of regional networks as implementation mechanisms for the CPA R&D flagship programmes in the areas of biosciences, biotechnology, biosafety, laser technology, mathematical sciences, water and energy as well as those programmes related to measurements of STI support to evidence based policy making. b) Insufficient funding for STI. STI activities rely on short-term project funding and often linked to events such as workshops and consultancies. Important aspects of STI policy development such as monitoring and evaluation are not budgeted for and thus not resourced in most Member States. By and large, this reflects the gap in reaching the target of 1% of the GDP agreed by AU Member States as Gross Domestic Expenditures on R&D. Recent statistics from UNESCO and ASTII show that Africa is the continent that invests least in R&D and more than half of investment is from abroad. c) Organisational capacity by entities responsible for STI policy making. Most of the entities in charge of STI policy making have operated in isolation from the rest of other policy agencies and continue to have weak links to academic institutions and private sector. They are also not adequately linked to international and the few African think tanks in policy research. In these circumstances, these entities are not able to easily access empirical material and recent knowledge in STI policy-making. Ignoring inter-sectoral linkages and policy mixes make the impact study less reliable. d) Infrastructure to support innovation. Readiness to support innovation and to facilitate competitive business activities require infrastructure such as broadband Internet access, basic telecommunication services, reliable electricity supply, water, good transportation networks, laboratories facilities, and tax systems aligned to support innovation in the private sector, to name a few. The AU Programme on Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA) revealed different level of infrastructure readiness to support innovation in African economies. It is also reflected in the low score by Africa In many of the major classifications or indices such as the world s leading universities, competiveness index, etc..

23 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 12 e) Inadequate Expertise on STI policy development. Many of the officials involved in or required to be in charge of drafting policy documents are not sufficiently versed with or trained in STI policy and have no experience in evidence based policy making. Moreover, in most countries, entities in charge of STI policy do not have libraries or their staffs do not have easy access to sources of relevant information for policy-making purposes. There is a very limited evidence-based policy development in African countries. f) Emergence of African civil society organisations and think tanks dedicated to raise awareness of STI. Civil society organisations and think-tanks are championing the use of African traditional system as a support to sustained economic growth, public attitudes and understanding of science. They also contribute to STI policy debate in biosafety, climate change, biodiversity and environment regulation, ICT to name a few. However, the debates are not supported by evidence. g) Bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Bilateral and multilateral partnerships have shaped STI development in Africa for example the European Union Africa Joint Strategy, the India Africa science and technology initiatives and the China Africa Science and Technology Partnership. However, most of these interventions and cooperation mechanisms are not adequately evaluated to promote ownership, accountability and sustainability. h) Scientific Output. Africa is registering an increased number of scientific publications as well as acquisition of capital goods. Tunisia s number of scientific publications, for example, increased from about 300 to 3000 between 1990 and 2010 while the number of scientific papers published by Uganda increased by more than 1,200% during the same period. In terms of capital goods imports, about 18 African countries have seen a fourfold increase in imports of capital goods between 2000 and Steady investment in science and technology, expansion of R&D institutions and political support may account for this surge in technology acquisition and number of papers published. 1.4 Rationale The STISA-2024 is developed during an important period when the African Union is simultaneously developing an African Union 2063 Agenda. The Agenda 2063 recognizes Science, Technology and Innovation as one of the major drivers and enablers for achieving development goals of the African Union and its Member States. The Agenda articulates that Africa s sustained growth, competitiveness and economic transformation will require investments in new technologies and innovations including in

24 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 13 the areas of education, health and bio-sciences, agriculture, and clean energy. The Agenda also highlights the need to curb brain drain and retain high caliber and critical mass of individuals who excel in science, research and technology. The focus of the STISA-2024 is to address the aspirations that identified under the Agenda 2063 (Annex 2) and to link the achievement realized under the CPA implementation (the past) and the current and future opportunities. STISA-2024 is a short term strategy (1st decade incremental strategy) that is designed to address the Africa s challenges with the ultimate goal of contributing significantly to the AU vision (Fig. 3). STISA-2024 responds to the demand for science, technology and innovation from various impact sectors including agriculture, health, infrastructure, mining, security, water, energy, and environment among others. Each of the anticipated five 10 year strategies will represent a milestone of a journey towards 2063 which will be evaluated at the end of its life span and based on the needs on the continent, another set milestones will be set for the subsequent 10 year period as we move towards Fig. 3: Timing of the STI strategy within Agenda 2063 Chapter 2: Strategic Orientation 2.1 Priority Areas This strategy is designed to respond to the need of transforming Africa into a knowledge based and innovation led society. This response is tailored along the various priorities that have been identified for the continent and contained in the AU sectorial frameworks

25 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 14 and also reflects AU Vision. The priority action areas have been developed by stakeholders of the research systems in impact areas including agriculture and food security, information and communication technologies, public health, and human studies, natural resources, biosciences, trade, governance and African integration basis for African renaissance. It is envisaged that the joint implementation of these priorities areas outlined below is a pathway to building an integrated and prosperous Africa where citizen are assured of; sufficient and quality food, good health, efficient communication systems, sustainable environment for future generation and peaceful communities. Priority 1: Eradication of hunger and achieving food security To alleviate poverty and spur social and economic transformation on the continent, the African Union pays a special attention to the development of Rural Economy and Agriculture. Statistics show that 239 million African do not have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs, and also that 30% to 40% of children population under the edge of 5 years continue to suffer from chronic under-nutrition as result of food insecurity 2. In view of this fact, the Heads of State and Government of African Union Member States, together with representatives of international organizations, civil society organizations, private sector, cooperatives, farmers, youths, academia and other partners unanimously adopted a Declaration to end hunger in Africa by 2025, in Addis Ababa in January In this regard, Africa is required to build its response capacities and capabilities, to deal with emerging challenges, such as low commodity yields, climate change and variability, water and land management, and increasing price volatility in global markets which could undermine and scuffle its efforts to eradicate hunger and achieve food and nutrition security. Processing, conservation and distribution of agricultural products go far beyond the framework of rural and agricultural development sectors but requires a concerted intervention of STI. Priority 2: Prevention and control of diseases Every year millions of Africans are dying of diseases that are preventable and treatable; as a result of weak and fragmented health systems; inadequate resources for scaling up proven interventions; limited access to the health services and technologies; poor management of human resources; and extreme poverty. African countries will not develop economically and socially without substantial improvements in the health of their people. 2 State of food insecurity in the world, FAO, 2013

26 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 15 The 2013 Abuja special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria highlighted the need to utilize/build on our research capacities to produce new and effective medicines, diagnostic tools, vector control tools and vaccines, and to promote research, invention and innovation in traditional medicine and strengthen health systems, taking into account the socio-cultural and environmental situation of the people. In addition, the AU and its Member States need to establish and strengthen coordination within the health sector and among other sectors contributing to the development of science and technology as well as to build governance structures in order to promote ethics and increase public trust in research. This will require a collaborative effort among various actors to promote and implement key policies and programmes on primary health care, prevention and control of diseases. Priority 3: Communication (Physical & Intellectual Mobility) Africa is investing heavily in infrastructural development projects guided by the AU Programme on Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA). The development of a major infrastructure project needs to be supported by a sustainable knowledge system. While most of this knowledge has traditionally come from outside the continent, it is important for African institutions to build strong and sustainable knowledge production systems around the major physical and digital infrastructure programmes. Physical communication is envisioned in terms of land, air, river and maritime routes and equipment, infrastructure and energy while ICT is referred as intellectual communications (Table 1). Priority 4: Protection of our space Monitoring and benefiting from Africa s abundant mineral and other natural resources, including biodiversity and associated indigenous knowledge, have high potential to contribute to the welfare of the people needs a robust space observation system. However, there is a huge gap in terms of the requisite infrastructure and suitably qualified human resource at all levels to fully realize the benefits that would accrue from these untapped resources. Space Sciences presents a unique opportunity for cooperation and sharing of enabling infrastructure (including data) in proactively managing, among others, disease outbreaks; our natural resources and the environment; our response to natural hazards and disasters; weather forecasting (meteorology); climate change mitigation and adaptation; our agriculture and food security; peacekeeping missions and conflicts. Space derived services (earth observation, space observation, telecommunication, navigation and positioning) are critical to the economic development of the continent.

27 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 16 Priority 5: Live together build the society Live together in peace is becoming more and more a main challenge for Africans on the continent. In few years, Africa will have more than hundred (100) mega cities with more than one million habitants. Democracy and integration related issues are solved through the knowledge of African shared value to build the community. Africa is building skills in governance as many African countries are reorganizing their state structures to make them more entrepreneurial so that government can be responsive to the needs of the people and act as a champion of innovation. STI will help strengthen the capacity of AU Member States to build necessary infrastructure, to train future generations of leaders, businesspeople, and scientists, and to generate and use science and innovation advice for economic development. This will involve a mix of disciplines including social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences and also fields as much important as African integration, human and social sciences which are looking for research outputs. Priority 6: Wealth creation Africa s greatest wealth for the continent development is obviously its human resource. The human resource that will lead Africa must be prepared through a better training which will certainly require innovations in training and technology acquisition. There is therefore the need to build creativity and innovation technology to locally process the continent s abundant natural resources in order to create more wealth and jobs for the youth on the continent. This priority seeks to develop internal capacities, spur the co-creation, development and marketing of new or improved products and services through engagement with end-user communities, with the goal of creating new opportunities for value-added employment by adapting and commercializing the outputs of national and regional Innovation across Africa. Conducive political and financial environment is a must to strengthening creativity and technological innovation to trigger entrepreneurship by in new areas such as nanotechnology.

28 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 17 Table 1: Summary of STISA-2024 priority areas. 2.2 Strategic Objectives a) Enhance effectiveness of science, technology and innovation (STI) in addressing/implementing priority areas. b) Improve technical competencies and institutional capacity for STI development c) Promote economic competitiveness through fostering Innovation, Value Addition and Industrial Development /Entrepreneurship d) Protect knowledge production (inventions, and indigenous knowledge, etc) by strengthening Intellectual Property (IP) and regulatory regimes at all levels e) Facilitate STI policy reforms, harmonization, science diplomacy and Resources Mobilisation

29 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page Development of mobilizing programs The centerpiece of this strategy is the development of mobilizing programmes and R&D flagship projects that effectively address each of the six priority areas. The mobilizing programmes are the delivery vehicle of the strategy. According to the implementation phases of this strategy, transformative programmes and projects will be developed periodically by the scientific community through the African, Scientific, Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC). Fig. 4:.Example of Mobilising Programmes on Water In fig. 4, Water, without which no life is possible, is needed to alleviate hunger, to prevent diseases and to ensure well-being as well as physical communication, construction of a city and safety of our space. It constitutes a typical example of a major field or key domain. Its importance will require setting up of MOBILIZING PROGRAMMES such as those dealing with the knowledge of processes required to control hydrological cycles and types of common water reservoirs or rivers in different

30 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 19 regions of the continent. A similar analogy applies to other key domains such as energy, space and agriculture. Using the image of a bicycle wheel, a lead program will serve as the hub that supports many spokes which are the various programs developed at different levels including RECs, Member States and laboratories. Similarly through its priorities, mobilizing programs will be developed for STISA Accordingly, this Strategy is indicative. It provides guidance on the types of instruments and measures that are needed. It can be used as a model for national and regional STI Strategic Plans. And, it recognizes that implementation is the responsibility of the national governments and, where applicable, the RECs. 2.4 Implementation Phases of the Strategy STISA-2024 is a ten year strategy which rolling out will be accomplished along the following phases (fig. 5): Phase 1: 2014: Institutional Setting: This includes putting in place required institutions at national, regional and continental levels through undertaking comprehensive stakeholder consultations, and launching of communication campaign of the strategy to garner buy in and support from every stakeholders. This will also facilitate the integration of the strategy in national and regional STI processes. The development of this phase will mainly be the responsibility of the African Union Commission. Phase 2: : Development and Implementation of the first Set of Mobilizing Programs. Three year programs will be elaborated, adopted and implemented. Mobilizing programmes will build on past or on-going program at national and regional levels. Networks and/or centers of excellence will be appointed to coordinate implementation of these programs. Development of mobilizing programs will be led by the ASRIC. Phase 3: : As in phase two, the second set of mobilizing programs will be elaborated, implemented and evaluated. Phase 4: : As in phase three, the third set of mobilizing programs will be elaborated, implemented and evaluated. Phase 5: 2024: Final evaluation of the strategy, lessons learned and responses to various priorities will guide the adoption of milestones for the next strategic plan.

31 Fig. 5: Detailed timing of STISA 2024 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 20

32 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 21 Chapter 3: Pillars The implementation of the strategy requires a minimum set of requisite infrastructure, human resource with necessary skills and an enabling environment for the achievement of a knowledge economy. The strategic priorities mentioned in the previous chapter require specific efforts from Member States for the implementation of the derived mobilizing programs. African Union countries and regions are at different stage of readiness in terms of infrastructural, human and organizational capacity to properly undertake STI activities. Therefore, to implement the STISA-2024 in the identified six priority areas, appropriate support will be provided to African countries in building their capacity to implement envisaged national STI priorities plans. This chapter outlines necessary or essential actions that will be implemented to improve the level of STI readiness of member states. Monitoring will be undertaken to assess progress in STI readiness of the Member States and RECs and ascertain their participation in the continental mobilizing programs. In line with this, after taking stock in every Member State and with the support of RECs, upgrade programmes will be defined to regional or national plans in order to achieve required critical mass to undertake a coherent and especially efficient STI activity. 3.1 Infrastructure Development The development of science, technology and innovation in Africa requires the upgrading of science laboratories and the establishment of world class STI infrastructure. This includes research facilities such as teaching labs, engineering labs, clinical trials and teaching hospitals, ICT infrastructure and equipment, innovation spaces, living labs, technology and prototyping centres etc. Existing physical and digital infrastructure and resources will be leveraged and networked to save cost of maintenance and increase utilization efficiency at the regional level. National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) will facilitate coordinated collaboration by education and research institutions with Innovation Spaces and Living Labs, thus strengthening the support available to entrepreneurs and other innovators. Engineering applications will be used to develop and maintain scientific equipment that would allow the conduct of good science. This will require partnerships between scientists and engineers in order to provide solutions for producing scientific equipment, and research and inventive genius led products.

33 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page Technical Competence In order for Africa to realise the full potential of Science, Technology and Innovation to support sustainable economic growth and development, it is necessary for Member States to establish a coordinated approach to creating the necessary critical mass of scientists, and computer engineers. The focus on human capacity development will be at both secondary and higher education levels (including TVETs) with the aim of popularising science, technology, innovation and ICT research as potential career paths. The targets of these efforts are to increase the number of Africans trained in STI, significantly enhance research output at national and regional level and promote the expansion of research-intensive HEIs, TVETs and research centres (especially multistakeholder Centres of Excellence) on the continent. STI management should be considered as a full job, hence given the deserved attention in terms of human resource training and working conditions and resources. 3.3 Entrepreneurship Development Collaborative Innovation and Entrepreneurship are essential to achieving the Knowledge Economy and sustainable socio-economic development. One of the prerequisites to the successful implementation of the strategy is the commitment of Member States and RECs to valorise results of research. Such commitment will bring ownership, utilization of research outputs and technology acquisition for bettering the socio-economic situation of the continent. Technology transfer and commercialization efforts will target the development of those critical innovation systems needed to spur the development and marketing of new products, services, processes, business models and policies which will result in better public services, the creation of new economic sectors, wider employment opportunities in the formal economy and commercialization of technologies with regional relevance and global potential. 3.4 Enabling Environment An overall enabling environment for STI must be created for Members States and RECs to achieve the priorities identified in the strategy. The creation of such an environment involves Member States, RECs and the AU having evidence based policies and programmes that encourage STI development. Every Member State requires a coherent national framework for actions that directly affect the promotion of STI. National STI programmes should be developed by governments in consultation with all national and regional innovation stakeholders including public, private, education and research. Enabling environment would also imply building a science culture and strengthening IP and regulatory systems. In this regards, policies will be developed and

34 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 23 implemented to initiate and promote a movement for science culture across gender to eliminate many inhibiting prejudices. In addition, appropriate functional legal and regulatory systems that enable science, technology and innovation will be put in place at the national and regional levelsto promote the effective use of the IP systems as well as set intellectual property standards that reflect the needs of the African Union Member States.

35 IMPLEMNETATION PROCESS DECISION MAKING AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 24 Chapter 4: Governance and implementation arrangements The success achieved when implementing STI policy primarily depends on the suitability of the chosen institutional arrangement and the institutions involved. Fig. 6 provides an overarching arrangement of the different structures involved in the STISA processes. The most relevant stakeholders/actors include the following: DECISION MAKING STRUCTURE DECISIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURE Executive Council PRC AfDB and Development Partners STC African Union Commission Council for Coordination of mobilizing programs African Research & Innovation Council NEPAD PLANNIN G & COORDIN ATING AGENCY Private Sector REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES Countries PROJECTS AND PROGRAM PROPOSALS AND REPORTING Specialized Institutions and Agencies AOSTI & others Fig. 6 : Overview of Institutional Architecture for implementation of STISA Decision making institutions African Head of State and Government: They will support the STISA-2024 Strategy and also adopt its priorities. Heads of State and Government will champion

36 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 25 and popularize the integration of STISA-2024 in the national, regional and continental development programmes and frameworks. To strengthen and champion STISA at the continental level, it is important that a high level Support Committee composed of at least six Heads of State and Government supported by high level scientists from Africa or the Diaspora be formed to serve as STI ambassadors. From time to time, the Support Committee may invite eminent persons from the public, private, education and research, and funding sectors based on their expertise and complementary commitment without any form of discrimination to contribute to the activities of the Committee. Executive Council: The Executive Council will adopt the key domains of the strategy as well as the mobilizing programs. They will deliberate on the programs based on the follow-up reports every three years. Ministerial Conference for Coordination and Harmonization of Mobilizing Programs: To take into account the STI demand from all sectors, it is necessary to create over and above the current Conference of Ministers of the African Union, a coordination body responsible for examining the key sectors and mobilizing programs for the entire continent in order to harmonize them. This body will be chaired by the President of the STC on education science and technology and its membership will comprise all the chairs (with or without) the vice chairs of all the other STC. This council will use the ASRIC-STRC as its main tool and could meet once, every two or three years. Specialized Technical Committee (STC) in charge of Education and Science and Technology: The African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) in charge of Education and Science and technology will serve as a technical committee to advice of the AU Heads of State and Government on Science, Technology and Innovation matters. The Ministerial Conference segment on STI will be composed of all Ministers in charge of STI in AU member States. The STC is responsible for establishing policies, strategic priorities and coherent, coordinated approaches for developing and implementing strategies for STI. The STC will exercise policy oversight and mobilize resources in the implementation of STISA African Union Commission: The African Union Commission as the AU secretariat shall be responsible for providing political and policy leadership for implementation of this Strategy. Its specific roles will include: (a) convening meetings of the STC and ensuring that resolutions of such meetings are transmitted to the AU summits (b) initiating policy processes that are aimed at addressing specific science, technology and innovation issues (c) leading delegations to international processes and

37 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 26 negotiations on science, technology and innovation issues (d) providing a focal point for liaising with the United Nations agencies, it s conventions and related scientific bodies on matters pertaining to policy, (e) convening annual partnership platforms and (f) creating various advocacy schemes for promoting science, technology, innovation and ICT. 4.2 Implementing institutions Member States: Member States will mobilize funds, active participation and contribution of public, private, education and research, societal and funding sector stakeholders to implement the various initiatives emanating from this Strategy. Regional Economic Communities: RECs will mobilize funding and align regional STI and ICT plans to this STI Strategy by integrating the Strategy in other sectoral development plans and coordinating programme implementation at regional level. They will also coordinate with the AUC and NEPAD Agency in implementation of the STI Strategy and submit implementation status reports bi-annually to the AMCOST. NEPAD Agency: The NEPAD Agency, through its Science, Technology and Innovation Hub (NSTIH), shall support the technical implementation of the program and in resource mobilization. Its specific roles will include: (a) mobilizing and directing technical expertise, including regional and continental networks of centres of excellence to implement the programmes and projects established during the implementation of this Strategy; (b) mobilizing financial resources for the provision of technical support to implement strategic programmes; (c) providing support to ASRIC-STRC in the development of national and regional strategies and action plans; (d) providing technical support to AU Commission s policy processes and activities. Bodies under the African Union Commission African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC): The African Research and Innovation Council is yet to be created. It will be an operational unit of the Ministerial Conference for Coordination of Mobilizing Programs and will be responsible of developing key areas and mobilizing programs. It will support RECs and Member States with its expertise. In order to make ASRIC less burdened, it will not be a permanent organ. It will meet every six months or every year depending on its regulations. The STRC, which is an existing Specialize technical Office, will serve as the secretariat of ASRIC. On request from the African Union Commission (HRST Department), ASRIC-STRC can establish experts commissions to deliberate on the mobilizing program.

38 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 27 STRC: As the secretariat of ASRIC, the STRC will also be responsible for the inventory of research institutions, plans, programs, and others belonging to the African Union and to present a mapping to establish a harmonization policy. ASRIC will submit an inception report through the AUC (HRST) to the Ministerial Conference for Coordination and Harmonization of Mobilizing Programs. African Observatory of Science Technology and Innovation: AOSTI is a specialized Technical Office of the African Union. It is mandated to serve as the continental repository for STI statistics and a source of policy analysis. It shall liaise with RECs and Member States in the implementation of measurement of STI programmes. Pan-African University: PAU is the pilot organ of the AUC for university research. Its five institutes that will support at least ten centers each were established based on thematic that largely include response to the demand for STI on the continent. Its research programs will be systematically based on STISA-2024 problems. PAIPO: Creation of PAIPO is currently in progress as a body that will deal with intellectual and industrial property (patents). It will be like other existing structures commissioned to implement the AU policy in the field of Intellectual Property. It will ensure dissemination of patent information and technical and financial support to invention, innovation and the promotion of research results. African Development Bank (AfDB): AfDB undertakes specific programs on STI and like the other partners, synergy and complementarity will be best achieved when such programs are aligned to the continental strategy. Development Partners: Similarly, international, continental and national development partner institutions, including civil society and the media will support the implementation of the STI Strategy at all levels by aligning their programmes and providing financial and technical assistance to the goals of the this Strategy. They will also play an important role in popularizing the importance of innovation in Africa s development. Regional and International Research Institutions: These institutions with regional or international mandate to perform research are encouraged to align their priorities to the strategy. They include but not limited to: CAMES, AAS, AAU, OAPI, ARIPO etc. They will provide technical support to the implementation of the strategy.

39 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 28 Private Sector: The private sector will work closely with academia, R&D institutions and development agencies boost value added chain, technology transfer and to support building the necessary capacities and technical competencies required to achieve the objectives of the Strategy. 4.3 Implementation mechanisms The strategy will be implemented at continental, regional and national levels. At each of these levels, programs will be designed, elaborated, implemented, communicated and evaluated. Member States will provide leadership to garner active participation and contribution of public, private, education and research, societal and funding sector stakeholders to design and implement the various mobilizing programs and initiatives resulting from STISA-2024 (table 2). RECs and AU Member States will also coordinate with the AUC and NEPAD Agency in implementing the STI Strategy and submitting implementation status reports bi-annually to the STC on education science and technology. International and continental development partner institutions (AfDB and UNECA) and other stakeholders, including civil society and the media will support the implementation of STISA-2024 by developing and/or aligning their programmes and providing financial and technical assistance. They will also play an important role in popularizing the importance of innovation in Africa s development. The private sector will work closely with governments, academia, R&D institutions and development agencies to support building the necessary capacities and technical competencies required for Member States, RECs and other continental organizations to reach the requirement for meaningful contribution towards addressing the priorities set forth in this Strategy. Table 1: Institutional Architecture for Implementation of STISA 2024 Institutions Priority Key domain Mobilizing or collaborative programs Regional or national program Implementatio n Assembly Adoption Executive council Ministers Other sectoral ministers Conference Adoption Harmonisation and Consolidation

40 AMCOST African Union Commission ASRIC AOSTI Others organs PAU, PAIPO NEPAD Planning& STRC Coordinating Agency R.E.C.s Overseeing implementatio n Coordination Development conception AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 29 Support Technical implementation and resource mobilization Monitoring of implementation Adoption and monitoring Implementatio n Implementatio n State organs Funding Implementatio Member states n Private sector Implementatio n International private sector Implementatio n AfDB and Others Funding Development partners Advisory, Funding, Implementation 4.4 International Cooperation In view of the importance of cooperation in repositioning STI in Africa, a number of partnership between Africa and other continents or countries exist and are managed within the African Union Commission. Cooperation in STI among African countries and bilateral between African countries and other countries in the world are also on the rise. STISA will promote mutually beneficial north south and south-south cooperation to achieve its ambitious goals. This requires concerted efforts among all the actors involved (scientists, member states, RECS and African Union Commission etc.) so as to ensure that cooperation is anchored on the African priorities as indicated in this strategy. STISA-2024 will seek to strengthen, widen and nurture effective partnerships that complement the African research infrastructure. It will endeavor to achieve scientific excellence, improved competitiveness and innovation through cooperation between researchers including the African Diaspora and industry and maximize the African participation in competitive research framework such as the Horizon 2020 on the basis of African research agenda.

41 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 30 Intra African and international cooperation will be revitalized both at bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure a robust STI component with agreed financial instrument and measurable goals. Through these smart partnerships, the stakeholders will be able to jointly mobilize and fund bilateral and multilateral projects and programs derived from the strategy. African engagement in international programs will be monitored and critical indicators on promotion and collaboration on international programs will be reported periodically.

42 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 31 Chapter 5: Funding mechanisms STISA-2024 offers the continent an opportunity to rapidly move towards an innovationled economy. The success of STISA-2024 depends on a number of factors, among them, is the increase R&D budgets at all levels. Each country is encouraged to take concrete actions to allocate at least 1% of GDP to R&D. To ensure effectively implementation of STISA-2024 at the regional and continental level, a strategy to mobilize domestic and alternative financial resources should be developed. Increased domestic funding would improve implementation and reduce over-reliance on external resources. 5.1 National and Regional Funding Some African Member States have already established National Funds for Research, Innovation and, in some cases, entrepreneurship. A number of Member States have also established bi-lateral STI Calls to promote research collaboration. For instance, over the last five years, more than 60 million has been secured from the European Framework Programme by African institutions participating in collaborative research projects. However, some Member States have not yet adequately prioritized investment in STI and entrepreneurship. At the national level, Member States are urged to streamline STI in their national development strategies. More importantly, they should establish STI funds that support the implementation of STISA At the regional level, RECs are encouraged to set up regional funds to support existing or new regional centers of excellence that respond to STISA priority areas. The funds will drive regional initiatives and ensure sustainability. 5.2 African Science and Technology Innovation Fund (ASTIF) STISA-2024 recommends that domestic resources should be mobilised for STI. The external technical and financial support should help strengthen the domestic funding base. Further, there is urgent need to set-up an African Science and Technology Innovation Fund (ASTIF) as a pan African financial instrument. To ensure that the proposed ASTIF is well endowed and functional, it is crucial that adequate financial resources are mobilized from the public and private sectors, financing partners/donor and funding communities both inside and outside Africa and other alternative sources of funding.

43 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 32 Chapter 6: Communication and Publicity Communication and outreach on STI are important to secure necessary political buy-in at government level, raise wider public awareness at grassroots level, and garner support from all key stakeholder groups. Public appreciation of STI is critical for successful implementation of STI policies and programs at national, regional and continent levels. Key public, private, education and research, societal and funding stakeholders need to be well informed on relevant programs. The practical and tangible benefits of STI must be communicated in simple, easily understandable language to build public trust and confidence. A comprehensive communication strategy will be an integral component of STISA-2024 and will contain, among others, the following: 6.1 Popularization of the Strategy STISA-2024 will be popularized within AU structures, national, regional and international stakeholders. AU Member States and RECs need to develop appropriate and complementary national and regional plans for STI communication and outreach activities. Communication and outreach Plan should encourage dialogue with the public using their local language. A key aspect of communication and outreach is to regularly report progress and showcase local, national and regional achievements through case studies. AUC, NEPAD and Member State STI communication and outreach programs should utilize a multi-channel approach. In Africa, the perceived relevance of STI by the society is weak. Often the public does not appreciate the impact of scientific and technological developments on their day to day lives. To increase public appreciation of STI and its role in development, there is need for; engaging STI ambassadors / champions, building capacity of the media in STI, and sensitizing the youth communities. To achieve the goal of an innovation-led development pathway in Africa, utilization of scientific knowledge is critical. For STI champions, the media and youth communities to effectively advocate for STI, they need simple scientific information. The advocates for STI should be well-versed in the subject matter to convey consistent messages that clearly addresses the needs of the target communities. More importantly, suitable information, the medium of communication and preferred languages are essential elements for effective dissemination. The STISA communication strategy shall formulate training programmes on communication that will empower advocates for STI, the public, policy makers and decision makers. Access to tailor-made information will help stimulate demand for the utilization of STI knowledge in different socio-economic sectors in Africa.

44 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page Scientific Knowledge Utilization Scientific and technological productions are outputs of the S&T system. To this end, optimal knowledge flows between research communities and industries as well as the management of technical change could be used to underpin the creation of competitive goods and services. These interactions between government, industry, universities and civil society are necessary conditions in nurturing innovation for development. In addition, the African STI community needs to contextualize excellence and relevance of S&T production by taking into account for example the African traditional knowledge system as a support to sustain economic growth. 6.3 Awards and Recognition Science, Technology and Innovation are at the top of Africa s development, cooperation and political agendas. In January 2007, the AU Heads of State and Government declared 2007 as the launching year for building constituencies and champions for Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa. In response to this political momentum and commitment, STISA-2024 underscores the need for AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities and other key stakeholders to contribute towards raising the profile of science and technology sector and building a scientific culture amongst African citizens.

45 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 34 Chapter 7: Monitoring and Evaluation The absence of a Monitoring and Evolution (M & E) system at the inception of the CPA made it difficult to demonstrate the achievements of the CPA and the contribution of STI in addressing Africa s challenges. There has been a limited focus on assessing how research efforts are contributing to solving the needs in agriculture, food and nutrition security, infrastructure, health, human capacity development and poverty reduction. STISA is a strategic intervention of Africa s STI sector in support of the AU Agenda It has adopted a cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach which intends to strengthen the use of STI in addressing socio economic challenges. An important feature of STISA-2024 is that it has, at inception, embedded Monitoring and Evaluation mechanisms that will enable continuous performance assessment as programmes and projects are rolled out by stakeholders. The M & E system will: Facilitate learning, transparency and accountability; Guide the design, implementation and review of policies and programs; Enhance the processes of embedding STI in all development sectors; Ensure effective communication and build trust among stakeholders; Strengthen knowledge generation, management and translation; and Support the implementation and coordination of STI programmes. 7.1 Monitoring and Evaluation Implementation Plan The M&E Plan shall consist of a Conceptual framework which outlines the problem definition, major drivers of the performance with regard to the effectiveness and efficiency; and a Logical framework which links goals, objectives and actions. The following will be undertaken to implement the M&E plan: 1. Definition of performance indicators - In consultation with national, regional and continental stakeholders, the NEPAD Agency, AOSTI and ASRIC will, as part of the M & E Planning, define a set of agreed targets and performance indicators ( ); 2. Tracking performance - NEPAD Agency and AOSTI will track a minimum set of performance indicators at continental level to measure achievement of priorities set in the STI Strategy ( ). Each Member State and regional

46 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 35 STI programme will incorporate a standardised monitoring and evaluation system to enable comparability ( ). The need for comparability should not exclude the identification of context-specific national and regional targets and indicators; 3. Integrated learning - Lessons learnt, good practices and unintended impacts will be systematically documented by responsible institutions at national and regional level to allow knowledge sharing and inform bi-annual reviews of the STI Strategy 2024 ( ). Based on lessons learnt, multi-stakeholder dialogues will be established to ensure positive feedback into planning at national, regional and continental levels ( ). 7.2 Reporting on Targets and Performance Indicators Member States and RECs shall put in place an up-to-date and harmonised mechanism allowing both AUC (AOSTI) and NEPAD Agency to collect performance data annually, analyse the data, synthesize the reports, review progress and disseminate the results among the relevant stakeholders. 7.3 Risk Factors The implementation of this Strategy is, to a large extent, dependent on the commitment and support from Member States and RECs. The awareness levels of the AU STI Strategy may not be sufficient to secure the necessary buy-in from these critical stakeholders. This risk should be mitigated by the AUC and NEPAD actively advocating and promoting the Strategy. An advocacy plan that outlines the key messages to different stakeholders should be developed. The contribution and impact of STI and ICT in Africa s development is not adequately assessed, recognized and prioritized in policy formulation. This risk should be lessened by integrating STI and ICT into all AU development frameworks, this response is expected to diffuse to national and regional initiatives. 7.4 Success Factors The Strategy relies on active engagement by 54 Member States, all the Regional Economic Communities and several international agencies, which reduces the risk of failure. The proposed implementation mechanism is based on the experience gained over the last seven years of CPA that includes lessons learnt, best practices, failures and success stories.

47 AU/AMCOST/V/STISA Page 36 Annexes 8.1 Annex 1: CPA Review report 8.2 AU Agenda 2063Availableat

48 DRAFT STATUTE OF AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL (ASRIC) EX.CL/839(XXV) Annex 2

49 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA ST12416 EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (AMCOST V) APRIL, 2014 BRAZZAVILLE, THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN DRAFT STATUTE OF AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL (ASRIC)

50 DRAFT STATUTE OF AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL (ASRIC) PREAMBLE We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union GUIDED by the objectives and principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) that underscores the importance of science, technology and innovation as a tool for socio-economic transformation; RECALLING Decision EX.CL/Dec.254 (VIII) adopted by the Executive Council endorsing the Africa s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA); NOTING the review process of the CPA that resulted in a ten-year incremental Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy that responds to the continental development challenges; FURTHER RECALLING Decision Ex.CL/Dec.747 (XXII) and Decision Ex/CL/Dec.216 (VII) adopted by the Executive Council on the establishment of the African Research and Innovation Council as the institutional setting for the implementation of Africa Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda and RECOGNIZING the role such a council would play in promoting scientific research and innovation in Africa; HEREBY ESTABLISHES the African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC) in accordance with this Statute. In this Statute: Article 1 Definitions ASRIC means African Scientific Research and Innovation Council; Assembly means Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union; AU means the African Union established by the Constitutive Act of the African Union; AU-STRC means the African Union Scientific, Technical and Research Commission; Commission means the African Union Commission as established by the Constitutive Act of the African Union;

51 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 2 Congress means the General Conference of ASRIC as established by Article 5 of this Statute; Member States means Member States of the African Union; RECs means Regional Economic Communities recognized by the African Union; Secretariat means the ASRIC Secretariat as established by Article 7; Scientific Committee means the committee established by Article 6 of this Statute; Statute means the Statute of the African Scientific Research and Innovation Council; STI means Science, Technology and Innovation; Article 2 Establishment and Legal Status of ASRIC ASRIC is hereby established under the African Union and shall operate and be governed according to the provisions of this Statute. Article 3 Mandate and Objectives of ASRIC 1. The Mandate of ASRIC shall be to promote scientific research and innovation; and addressing the challenges of Africa s socio-economic development. 2. The objectives of the ASRIC s shall be to: (a) Mobilize African research excellence to advance the African development agenda; (b) Build and sustain a continental research-policy nexus; (c) Mobilize resources to support research activities and programmes in accordance with the AU policy in this area ; (d) Promote dialogue and provide voice of the scientific community that expresses continental excellence; (e) Advocate for knowledge exchange and technology acquisition and link the scientific community with the productive sector;

52 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 3 (f) Support and strengthen STI national and regional councils capacity and facilitate collaboration among them; (g) Identify strategies and means to bridge the gap between research and policy; (h) Promote intra-africa and international collaboration in STI. Article 4 Governance of the ASRIC The Governance of the ASRIC shall consist of: (a) (b) (c) The Congress and Bureau; The Scientific Committee; and The Secretariat. Article 5 The ASRIC Congress and Bureau 1) The Congress is the body that directs the overall policies of ASRIC and shall be responsible to the Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science and Technology. 2) The Congress shall meet annually but may conduct an extraordinary session when needed; I. Composition of the Congress The Congress shall be composed of members from: (a) National Research Councils or other similar Institutions nominated by Member States (voting members); (b) Regional Economic Communities; (c) Members of the ASRIC Scientific Committee; (d) African STI Institutions including the African Academy of Sciences; (e) Financial institutions of the African Union; (f) Laureates of the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific awards of the three years prior to the year of election (6) ; (g) Two representatives of the African Diaspora; (h) Two representatives of the African STI Civil society; (i) African Representatives of industry, two from each region (public and private sectors); (j) The Executive Director of the ASRIC; and; (k) International STI institutions or organisations approved by the Scientific Committee as observers.

53 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 4 II. Functions of the Congress are to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) Direct the overall policies of ASRIC, including formulation and review of the annual ASRIC Work Programmes, approves action plans, funding and resource mobilisation strategies in accordance with the AU policy in this area; Develop its internal guidelines and rules of procedures in line with the relevant AU legal instruments ; Elect the Bureau; Define and adopt interdisciplinary flagship programs, approves associated draft budget and produce annual reports to be submitted to the AU Policy organs; Propose to the Policy Organs the establishment of AU Science, Technology and Innovation Funds; Consider reports of the Scientific Committee; and Establish strategic partnership with similar global institutions. III. Composition and Functions of the Bureau i) The Bureau shall be mandated to oversee and follow-up the implementation of the decisions of the Congress. ii) The Bureau shall serve for a term of three (3) years and shall preside over the Congress and Scientific Committee. iii) The Bureau shall be composed of the following: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) The Chairperson, The 1 st Vice-Chairperson (Scientific Programme) The 2 nd Vice-Chairperson (Innovation) The 3 rd Vice-Chairperson (Communication) The 4 th Vice-Chairperson (Resource mobilization) The Secretary The Executive Director of ASRIC Article 6 Scientific Committee The Scientific Committee will meet biannually and may also convene when the need arises. I. Composition of the Scientific Committee The Scientific Committee shall be composed of:

54 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 5 (a) Members of the Bureau of ASRIC where the Chairperson and the 1 st Vice- Chairperson of the Bureau shall serve as Chairperson and Vicechairperson; of the Scientific Committee; (b) The Chairpersons of the thematic and programmatic Scientific sub committee; (c) The outgoing Chairperson and the 1 st Vice-Chairperson of the Scientific Committee shall continue to serve as members for the year following the end of their tenure; (d) (e) The Executive Director of the ASRIC; and Representatives of the AU STI institutions and the New Partnership for Africa s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA). II. Functions of the Scientific Committee (SC) The Scientific Committee shall have the following functions: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Implement the decisions of the Congress; Ensures scientific excellence, promote creativity and innovative research for all programs/projects supported by ASRIC; Establish/strengthen networks, associations to implement flagship programs identified by the Congress; Coordinate research activities in Africa; Develop the terms of references and rules of procedures for ad-hoc Scientific sub-committees; Recommend to the Congress the reports of the scientific sub-committees. Article 7 The ASRIC Secretariat 1. The ASRIC Secretariat is the executive body that will attend to the day to day administrative, financial and operational matters to achieve the overall goals setup by the Congress. The Secretariat serves as the link between the ASRIC structures and partners. 2. The AU-STRC shall be the Secretariat of the ASRIC. 3. The Executive Director of ASRIC is the head of the Secretariat. (I) Structure of ASRIC Secretariat The structure and function of staff of ASRIC secretariat shall be determined in accordance with the relevant AU rules.

55 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 6 (II) Functions of the Secretariat (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) Provide administrative and secretarial services to the operation of ASRIC; Manage the overall activities related to the implementation of the flagship programs in coordination with the scientific sub-committees; Prepare and implement ASRIC draft budget and carry out financial programming and resource mobilization in accordance with the AU policy in this area; Establish Pan African platforms connecting institutions, networks, and other actors to strengthen synergies and scientific knowledge exchange; Administer calls and grants that address the priority areas identified by the Congress; Promote the establishment of strategic partnerships, and advance Africa s positions in international negotiations on research matters such as research ethics, integrity and open-access to publications and; Perform any other functions to ensure the smooth running of ASRIC. Article 8 Finances (I) Operational budget of the ASRIC Secretariat The operational budget of the ASRIC Secretariat is that allocated for the AU- STRC by the African Union Commission. (II) Programme budget Programme activities will be funded by: (a) Annual allocation by the African Union Commission through its programme budgetary processes; (b) Voluntarily contributions from AU Member States and partners; (c) National and Regional financial institutions and other financing mechanisms; (d) AU Science, Technology and Innovation Funds; and (e) Any other sources approved by the Congress. Article 9 Working Languages The official working languages of the ASRIC shall be those of the African Union.

56 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 7 Article 10 Amendments 1. The present Statute may be amended by the AU Assembly upon the recommendation of the Specialized Technical Committee in charge of Education, Science and Technology or upon the recommendation by the Commission on behalf of the ASRIC. 2. The amendments shall come into effect upon their adoption by the Assembly. Article 11 Entry into Force The present Statute shall enter into force upon its adoption by the AU Assembly.

57 DRAFT STATUTE OF PAN-AFRICAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (PAIPO) EX.CL/839(XXV) Annex 3

58 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA ST12417 EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (AMCOST V) APRIL, 2014 BRAZZAVILLE, THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN DRAFT STATUTE OF PAN-AFRICAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (PAIPO)

59 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 1 DRAFT STATUTE OF PAN-AFRICAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION PREAMBLE We, Heads of State and Government of the African Union DETERMINED to promote the development of the continent through an effective intellectual property system, in order to achieve the objectives of the African Union; RECALLING the Assembly Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.138 (VIII) adopted by the Assembly of the Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2007 requesting the Chairperson of the Commission, in collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and in coordination with the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) to submit to it the texts relevant to the establishment of a single Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization (PAIPO); FURTHER RECALLING Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.453 (XX) adopted by the Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2013 on the creation of the Pan- African Intellectual Property Organization (PAIPO); RECOGNIZING that intellectual property rights are tools for economic growth and dissemination of knowledge; BEING FULLY AWARE of the urgent and requisite need to provide a broad-based intellectual property platform that would provide a forum for policy based discussions and formulation of common African position on global and emerging Intellectual Property issues; BEING COGNISANT of the valuable benefits that the Member States would derive from an effective, continuous and well-coordinated stock of specialized intellectual property information, knowledge and services that would be instrumental in promoting and protecting creativity, invention, innovation, facilitating technology transfer, techno-industrial competitiveness and economic growth in Africa; RECOGNIZING the need to address the continued necessity to promote creativity and utilization of the intellectual property system amongst Member States; FURTHER RECOGNIZING the need for positive efforts designed to raise effective awareness on intellectual property issues in Africa, and the need to encourage the creation of a knowledge-based and innovative society and to promote the creation, use and exploitation of Intellectual Property assets in Africa; DESIRING to encourage creativity as well as to promote, protect and exploit intellectual property rights throughout Africa;

60 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 2 BEING DESIROUS to formulate and implement strategies for the effective combating piracy and counterfeit in Africa; REALIZING the role that an efficient continental intellectual property organization can play in promoting the cultural and socio-economic development of Africa and deal more effectively on the challenges posed by globalization; APPRECIATING the crucial role played by national Intellectual Property offices of Member States, as well as the autonomy of ARIPO and OAPI, in recognizing the need to modernize and harmonize Intellectual Property legislation throughout Africa and to render more efficient the administration of Intellectual Property rights; BEING DESIROUS of supplementing and complementing the role played by national intellectual property offices of Member States, ARIPO and OAPI; REALIZING the need to strengthen the capacity of national intellectual property institutions and boosting manpower development in intellectual property management as well as affirming the 45 recommendations of the Development Agenda under world intellectual property rights programmes; NOTING that indigenous knowledge in the continent has become a vital source of wealth while at the same time local communities have become increasingly marginalized in the use, appropriation, and commercialization of their knowledge, genetic and cultural resources; RECOGNISING international human rights laws and international agreements on sustainable development and the protection of indigenous knowledge, that provides ligament right of indigenous and local communities; RECOGNIZING the cross-cutting nature of intellectual property and the need to have a co-operation in the development of the intellectual property systems within the framework of the African Union; HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS: For purposes of this Statute: Article 1 Definitions Assembly means the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union; ARIPO means the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization as established by the Lusaka Agreement of 1976, as amended from time to time; CBD means the Convention on Biological Diversity which entered into force on 29 December 1993;

61 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 3 Council of Ministers means the Ministers in charge of intellectual property in Member States of the AU; Commission means the Commission of the African Union; Counterfeit means any goods, including packaging, bearing without authorization a trademark which is identical to the trademark validly registered in respect of such goods, or which cannot be distinguished in its essential aspects from such a trademark, and which thereby infringes the rights of the owner of the trademark in question under the law; Harare Protocol means the Protocol on Patents and Industrial Designs within the framework of ARIPO adopted at Harare, Zimbabwe on December 10, 1982, at Harare, as amended from time to time; Member States means Member States of the African Union; OAPI means the African Intellectual Property Organization established under the Bangui Agreement of March 2, 1977; PAIPO means the Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization; RECs means Regional Economic Communities recognized by the African Union; Statute means the present Statute of the Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization; Secretariat means the Secretariat of the Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization; Union means the African Union; WIPO means the World Intellectual Property Organization; Intellectual Property shall refer and include the rights relating to: 1. Creations of the mind, inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce; 2. Rights of authors, performers, producers and broadcasters, and contribute to the cultural and economic development of nations; 3. Intangible assets of ideas, brands, designs and other intangible fruits of a company's creative and innovative capacity; and 4. National intellectual property institutions of AU Member States and national intellectual property offices or institutions.

62 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 4 Piracy means any goods which are copies made without the consent of the right holder or person duly authorized by the right holder in the country of production and which are made directly or indirectly from an article where the making of that copy would have constituted an infringement of a copyright or a related right under the law of the country of importation. Article 2 Establishment of the PAIPO The Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization (PAIPO) is hereby established as a Specialized Agency of the African Union and shall be responsible for intellectual property and other emerging issues related to intellectual property in Africa. Article 3 Mandate of the PAIPO The mandate of the PAIPO is to promote effective use of the intellectual property system as a tool for economic, cultural, social and technological development of the continent as well as set intellectual property standards that reflect the needs of the African Union, its Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs). Article 4 Objectives and Functions of the PAIPO In order to attain the mandate described in this Statute, the PAIPO shall: 1. Harmonize intellectual property standards that reflect the needs of the African Union, its Member States and RECs; 2. Facilitate the realization and harmonization of national legislation and regional treaties and intellectual property standards in all the AU levels; 3. Facilitate the use of intellectual property to promote creativity and innovativeness in the continent; 4. Assist its Member States upon request in formulating policies and addressing current and emerging intellectual property issues in conformity with the objectives of the PAIPO; 5. Initiate and facilitate strategies that will promote and develop the intellectual property system; 6. Strengthen the existing regional organizations or such other organizations as may be necessary; 7. Strengthen the existing collective management organizations and facilitate their establishment in the Member States which have no collective management organization in the field of copyright and related rights;

63 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 5 8. Take deliberate measures to promote the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights within the Member States, including conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements; 9. Collect, process and disseminate relevant information on intellectual property to Member States and support the establishment of databases on genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions and folklore in order for Member States to derive regular and maximum benefit; 10. Develop updated policy guidelines using best practices and training modules to support Member States to achieve world class intellectual property systems; 11. Undertake such other things as may be necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the PAIPO; 12. Contribute to the accelerated achievement of the objectives of the African Union as stated in the Constitutive Act of the African Union; 13. Promote the harmonization of intellectual property systems of its Member States, with particular regard to protection, exploitation, commercialization and enforcement of intellectual property rights; 14. Provide common services to Member States and/or RECs in the protection, administration and management of intellectual property rights that maximizes and builds upon the solid achievements of ARIPO, OAPI and/or WIPO; 15. Provide a forum for policy discussions and formulation, addressing political issues and developing African common positions relating to intellectual property matters, particular regard being given to genetic resources, traditional knowledge, geographic indications, expressions of folklore, matters pertaining and arising from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and emerging topics in the field of intellectual property; 16. Initiate and facilitate activities that strengthen the human, financial and technical capacity of Member States to maximize the benefits of the intellectual property system to improve public health and eradicate the scourge of piracy and counterfeits in the continent; 17. Promote and facilitate positive efforts designed to raise awareness on intellectual property in Africa and to encourage the creation of a knowledgebased economy, innovative society as well as emphasizing the importance of creative and cultural industries; and 18. Lead the African negotiation in the international IP issues and to ensure the attainment of African common positions

64 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 6 Article 5 Membership Membership shall be open to all African Union Member States. Each Member State shall enjoy equal rights in terms of participation and representation at PAIPO meetings. Article 6 Legal Capacity 1. The PAIPO shall enjoy, in the territory of each Member State, legal capacity and full juridical capacity necessary for the fulfilment of its objectives and the exercise of its functions in accordance with this Statute. 2. For the fulfilment of its objectives, the PAIPO shall, in particular, have legal capacity to: (a) (b) (c) Enter into agreements, Acquire and dispose of moveable and immoveable property; Institute legal proceedings. 3. The PAIPO shall not enter into Agreements for the collective management of copyright. Article 7 Privileges and Immunities PAIPO, its representatives and staff shall enjoy in the territory of each Member State, the privileges and immunities stipulated in the 1965 General Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the Organization of African Unity. Article 8 Headquarters of the PAIPO The headquarters of the PAIPO shall be situated in such a location as the Council of Ministers of the PAIPO shall determine based on the criteria for hosting AU organs and institutions. Article 9 Organs of the PAIPO 1. The PAIPO shall have the following organs: (a) (b) (c) Council of Ministers; The Secretariat; The Board of Appeal. 2. The above mentioned organs shall together comprise the PAIPO.

65 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 7 Article 10 Council of Ministers 1. The Council of Ministers is the supreme organ of the PAIPO and it forms its General Assembly. The Council of Ministers shall adopt its rules of procedures as well as the rules of procedure of any of its committees, working groups and/or subsidiary bodies. 2. The Council of Ministers shall consist of Ministers in charge of intellectual property in the Members States. 3. The Council of Ministers shall have the following functions: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k) (l) Give policy direction to the PAIPO and address any policy matter relating to the Organization; Set the amount of annual contributions and special contributions to be paid by Member States to the budget of the PAIPO; Appoint and dismiss the Director General of the PAIPO; Determine the location of the Headquarters of the PAIPO in accordance with Article 8 of this Statute; Meet every four (4) years to discuss and approve the PAIPO strategic plan, budget, policies and programmes; Decide and prioritize the activities of the PAIPO relating to intellectual property; Appoint a Bureau of Ministers composed of five (5) Ministers to be drawn one per AU geographic region and elect its president; Establish such other working groups and/or subsidiary bodies as the Council of Ministers deems fit; Upon recommendation by its Bureau of the Experts Committee approve programmes, activities, annual reports, budget and finances of the PAIPO, and shall take such action on these as it deems fit; Resolve problems which cannot be resolved by the Committee of Experts; Recommend the dissolution of PAIPO to the Assembly if deemed necessary, in accordance with Article 21 of this Statute; Report and submit recommendations to the Executive Council of the African Union;.

66 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 8 (m) With the support of the Director General to develop the terms of reference of the office and the board of appeal and draft its governing rules and regulations; (n) Delegate any of its functions to any organ of the PAIPO. 4. The Presidency of PAIPO shall be on rotational basis, each region serving one (1) term of three (3) years. 5. The Bureau of the Council of Ministers shall meet once (1) a year on ordinary session and may hold an extra-ordinary session when its needed. 6. The AU Commissioner in charge of intellectual property matters shall be a member of the Bureau; 7. The Council of Ministers shall have a committee of experts composed of senior officials representing the ministries in charge of intellectual property of Member States. Article 11 The Secretariat of the PAIPO 1. The Secretariat shall be headed by a Director General who shall be appointed by the Council of Ministers upon the recommendation of the Bureau; 2. The Director General shall be appointed for a term of four (4) years, which may be renewed only once; 3. The terms and conditions of service of the Director General and other staff of the Secretariat are determined in accordance with Article 10 of the Statute. Article 12 Functions of the Secretariat of the PAIPO 1. The Director General shall be the Secretary of the PAIPO. 2. The Secretariat is to ensure the implementation of the PAIPO s objectives identified under article 4 of this Statute and to follow up on the implementation of the decisions made by other organs of the PAIPO. 3. Draft policies and strategies that will lead to the fulfilment of the PAIPO objectives. 4. Develop and implement capacity building programmes for the Member States in the areas of intellectual property. 5. Take all the necessary actions to ensure the protection of Africa s genetic resources, traditional knowledge, geographic indications, and expressions of folklore.

67 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 9 6. To develop advocacy policies and strategies to create community awareness in the intellectual property sector. 7. To draft the AU policy and strategy on international cooperation in matters of intellectual property. 8. To ensure that successful meetings are conducted in due course for all other organs in accordance with articles 10 and 11 of this Statute. 9. To prepare strategic plan, work programmes, the draft budgets, annual reports, financial statements and reports on the activities of the PAIPO 10. To be responsible for the day to day management of the PAIPO. 11. Perform any other duties that lead to the fulfilment of its objectives and mandates. Article 13 The Board of Appeal The Board of Appeal comprises of a college of magistrates that is to be established by the Council of Ministers. The Board shall deliberate on disputes and litigations arising from the activities of the PAIPO. The organization and operation of the Board of Appeal shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 10 (3).(m) Article 14 Obligations of Member States of the PAIPO The Member States shall undertake all steps that are within their power to give effect to this Statute and in particular to: (a) (b) (c) Pay such special and voluntary contributions as may be determined by the Council of Ministers; Facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information under this Statute; and Strengthen the national intellectual property systems that will subscribe to (a) and (b) above. Article 15 Observers The Council of Ministers shall be entitled to invite any State, international organization or institution, which is not a Member to attend any meetings of any organ of the PAIPO as an Observer.

68 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 10 Article 16 Special Relationship with Other Institutions, Co-operating States and Organizations The PAIPO shall establish and maintain close and continuous working relationships with any intergovernmental, international, regional or national institutions that may assist PAIPO to achieve its objectives 1. The PAIPO shall be funded by: Article 17 Finances (a) (b) (c) Income from services rendered by the PAIPO; Income from property owned by or other investments made by the PAIPO; and Annual contributions and special contributions to be paid by Member States as may be set by the Council of Ministers. 2. The PAIPO may receive donations and bequests from: (a) (b) (c) Member States; Other States and institutions that are not members of the PAIPO; and Any other sources approved by the Council of Ministers. 3. The African Union shall finance the PAIPO until it is capable to generate resources to sustain itself. The Assembly shall be regularly informed about the status of funding of PAIPO Article 18 Working Languages The working languages of the PAIPO shall be those of the AU. Article 19 Amendment 1. Any Member State may submit proposals for amendments to this Statute. Such proposals shall be communicated to the Director-General at least six (6) months in advance for the consideration by the Council of Ministers.

69 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page Proposals for Amendments shall be submitted to the Director General of the PAIPO who shall transmit the same to the Council of Ministers within thirty (30) days of receipt thereof. 3. The Council of Ministers shall meet to consider the proposal for amendments and make recommendations to the Assembly. 4. Amendments shall enter into force upon their adoption by the Assembly upon the recommendation of the Council of Ministers. Article 20 Settlement of Disputes 1. Any dispute or difference arising between Member States with regard to the interpretation or application of this Statute shall be settled by mutual consent between the States concerned, including through negotiations, mediation, conciliation, judicial settlement or other peaceful means. 2. In the event any failure to settle the dispute or difference, by mutual consent, either State may refer the dispute to the African Court of Justice and Human Rights. 3. Until such time as the latter shall have been established, the dispute or difference shall be submitted to the Council of Ministers responsible for intellectual property, which will decide by consensus or, failing which, by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Member States present and voting. Article 21 Dissolution of the PAIPO 1. The PAIPO may be dissolved by a decision of the Assembly. 2. At least six months notice shall be given of any meeting of the Assembly at which the dissolution of the PAIPO is to be discussed. 3. Where decision has been made on the dissolution of the PAIPO, the Assembly shall establish the modalities for the liquidation of the assets of the PAIPO. Article 22 Entry into Force The present Statute shall enter into force upon its adoption by the Assembly.

70 AU/MIN/CONF V/ST/2/ (II) EN Page 12 Article 23 Review of the Statute Five years after the entry into force of this Protocol, the Council of Ministers shall meet to review the operation and effectiveness of this Statute with a view to ensuring that the objectives and purposes of this Statute, as well as the vision underlying the Statute, are being realized and that the Statute meets with the evolving needs of the African Continent. Adopted by the.. Ordinary Session of the Assembly held in

71 DRAFT STATUTE OF THE AFRICAN OBSERVATORY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION EX.CL/839(XXV) Annex 4

72 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: Fax: website: www. ST12418 DRAFT STATUTE OF THE AFRICAN OBSERVATORY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

73 Page 1 PREAMBLE DRAFT STATUTE OF THE AFRICAN OBSERVATORY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION The Member States of the African Union: GUIDED by the objectives and principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) that underscores the importance of science, technology and innovation as a tool for socio-economic transformation; RECALLING the Executive Council decision EX.CL/Dec.254 (VIII) adopted by the Executive Council at its Eight Ordinary Session in January 2006 in Khartoum, Sudan, endorsing the Africa s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and taking into account the CPA review process that resulted in ten-year incremental Science, Technology and Innovation strategies guided by the AU Vision; FURTHER RECALLING Decision Assembly/AU/Dec. 235 (XII) adopted by the Assembly in February 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that recognized the need to establish an African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation and endorsed the offer by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to host the Observatory; REAFFIRMING Decision Assembly/AU/Dec. 452 (XX) adopted by the Assembly in January 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the creation of the African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation as the lead African institution for the measurements of science, technology and innovation in support of the African Union decision making processes; RECOGNIZING the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, to host the African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation in accordance with the provisions of the Host Agreement concluded by the African Union Commission and the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in July 2010; HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS: In this Statute: Article 1 Definitions Assembly means Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union; AOSTI means the African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation;

74 Page 2 AU means the African Union established by the Constitutive Act of the African Union adopted by the Heads of States and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Lomé, Togo, in July, 2000; Executive Council means the Executive Council of the African Union; Host Country means the country that hosts the Headquarters of the Observatory; Member States means Member States of the African Union; RECs means Regional Economic Communities Secretariat means the Secretariat of the Observatory; Statute means this Statute of the African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation; Steering Committee means the Steering Committee established by Article 6 of this Statute; STC means the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science and Technology; STI means Science, Technology and Innovation.

75 Page 3 Article 2 Legal Status of AOSTI The AOSTI shall be a Specialised Technical Office of the AU and shall operate and be governed according to the provisions of this Statute. Article 3 Mandate and Objectives of AOSTI The AOSTI shall serve as the continental repository for STI data and statistics and a source of policy analysis in support of evidence based policy-making in Africa and shall further: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Monitor and evaluate Africa Union STI policy implementation; Champion evidence-based STI policy-making; Support Member States and RECs to manage and use STI statistical information in accordance with the African Charter on Statistics; Assist Member States and RECs to map their STI capabilities to address economic, social, environmental and other development challenges; Strengthen national and RECs capacities for STI policy design, evaluation and review; (f) Provide to decision-makers in Member States and RECs up-to-date information on global scientific and technological trends; (g) (h) Strengthen national and regional capacities for technology foresight and prospecting; and Promote and strengthen regional and international cooperation in areas of competence of AOSTI. Article 4 Functions of AOSTI The AOSTI shall have the following functions: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Manage programmes and projects in areas of STI measurements at the continental level; Develop capacity of Member States and RECs to undertake STI measurements; Develop framework for reviewing national innovation systems; Analyse STI policies in the African Union; Initiate partnerships and networks in the field of STI measurements;

76 Page 4 (f) (g) (h) (i) Mobilize human and financial resources to sustain its operations and programmes; Establish and maintain an STI information system; Identify future needs and develop appropriate responsive and flexible data and indicators; Perform any other function related to STI measurements and analysis of related policies as deemed necessary for Africa s development. Article 5 Governance of the AOSTI The governance mechanisms of the AOSTI shall comprise of: (a) The STC (b) The Steering Committee (c) The Secretariat Article 6 The Steering Committee (I) Composition of the Steering Committee The Steering Committee shall be composed of: (a) Ten (10) representatives from the five African Union regions proposed by the members of the Bureau of the STC for a mandate of two (2) years renewable only once. These members should be renowned high-level scientists with expertise in the domain of statistics and scientific evaluation, provided that no two members shall be from the same country. Each region will have one male and one female member; (b) The Director of the Human Resources Science and Technology Department (HRST) or his representative; (c) One representative of the host country. The Executive Secretary of the AOSTI will be the Secretary of the Steering Committee. (II) Role of the Steering Committee 1. The Steering Committee will advise the AOSTI on: (a) setting up standards and validating procedures;

77 (b) monitoring and evaluation processes; (c) mapping the contribution of STI in Africa s socio- economic development; (d) the production of the African STI Outlook Series; Page 5 (e) matters of policy analysis, programmes and projects including resource mobilization; (f) insuring quality measurement of indicators; (g) Any scientific or technical issues in relation with the objectives of the AOSTI. 2. The Steering Committee shall: (a) Elect among its members, a Chairperson; (b) Report to the STC through the Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST); (c) Meet once every year and may hold extra ordinary meetings when the need arises on the request of its Chairperson or the Commissioner for HRST. Article 7 The Secretariat The Secretariat shall attend to the administrative, financial and operational matters of AOSTI. (III) Structure of the Secretariat The structure and function of staff of the Secretariat shall be determined by the competent AU organ based on the proposition of the African Union Commission. (IV) Functions of the Secretariat The Secretariat will perform the implementing activities of the functions listed in Article 4 of this Statute along with the following: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Provide administrative, and secretarial services to the operation of AOSTI; Prepare the activities, budget and financial reports of AOSTI; Work closely with Member States and Regional Economic Communities to set up STI statistic networks and facilities; Mobilize resources in the framework of the AU policy in this area; Establish strategic partnerships in areas of competence of AOSTI; Perform any other functions that are deemed necessary in line with the objectives of AOSTI.

78 Page 6 Article 8 Finances (III) Operational budget The operational budget shall be funded by the AU. (IV) Programme budget Programme activities shall be funded by: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Allocations for the AOSTI by the African Union Commission through its programme budgetary processes; The Host Country in accordance with the provisions of the Host Agreement; Voluntarily contributions from AU Member States and partners; National and regional financial institutions and other financing mechanisms; AU Science, Technology and Innovation Fund; and Alternative sources of funding generated from the services provided by the AOSTI. Article 9 Headquarters of AOSTI The AOSTI Secretariat shall be hosted by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The Host Agreement shall govern the relations between AOSTI and the Host country. Article 10 Privileges and Immunities The AOSTI Secretariat shall enjoy in the territory of the Host Country, the privileges and immunities specified in the General Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the Organization of African Unity adopted in Accra, Ghana on 25 October Article 11 Amendments 1. The present Statute may be amended by the AU Assembly upon the recommendation of the Specialized Technical Committee in charge of Education, Science and Technology or upon recommendation by the African Union Commission.

79 2. The amendments shall come into effect upon their adoption by the Assembly. Page 7 Article 12 Official Languages The working languages of the AOSTI shall be those of the AU. Article 13 Entry into Force The present Statute shall enter into force upon its adoption by the Assembly. Adopted by the Twenty-third Ordinary Session of the Assembly held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in June 2014

80 EX.CL/839(XXV) Annex 5 PROPOSED STRUCTURE OF THE AFRICAN OBSERVATORY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (AOSTI) (Version May 2014)

81 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Tel.: Fax: UNIÃO AFRICANA SC12419 Proposed Structure of the African Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation (AOSTI) (Version May 2014) 2