NewsBrief: Building networks of Centres of Excellence in water science and technology development

Building networks of Centres of Excellence in water science and technology development

29 March 2007

Dr Kevin Pietersen

Dr Stanley Liphadzi

In order to address the challenges of water in Africa, it is envisaged that building a continental network of Centres of Excellence in water science and technology will be important instruments to address the problem. These Centres of Excellence will act as 'nerve centres' of science and technology and will also focus on capacity building in order to ensure sustainability of the programme.

In the African Science and Technology Action Plan a flagship research and development (R&D) programme on securing and sustaining water has been identified. This flagship programme focuses on water quality, sanitation and water resource management. There is a strong emphasis on promoting increased use and production of scientific knowledge and technological innovations to solve Africa's water challenges. The plan of action and its programmes are being designed such that it can be implemented through networks of Centres of Excellence. These networks will be organized as consortia of institutions that bring together their best intellectual, administrative, infrastructure and financial resources.

The NEPAD Office of Science and Technology (OST) constituted an African Task Team on Water Science and Technology Development to assist in the implementation process. The task team as constituted comprised representatives from Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, France, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda. Specific criteria and guidelines have been developed for establishing the networks. This will be incorporated into a call for proposals from African institutes to indicate their intent to be considered as a Centre of Excellence in Water Science and Technology Development. The indicators address issues related to:

Scientific innovation
Social and economic issues
Capacity building and mentorship

Important considerations in the evaluation of these proposals will be the financial viability of the proposed networks. The governance and financing mechanism proposals to support the implementation of the water science initiative were submitted to an Inter-Ministerial Dialogue arranged in Cairo, Egypt on 22 November 2006. The dialogue was attended by ministers from Lesotho, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe, senior representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa, and representatives from the Office of Science and Technology of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the African Union (AU) Commission. The delegates discussed issues related to criteria and guidelines, financial mechanisms and governance for the network of centres of excellence in water science and technology (the network), before agreeing to its establishment.

A call for institutional profiles will be launched in April 2007 and acommittee will be established to evaluate these profiles. It is expected that the committee would include: scientists, experts on capacity-building projects, experts on institutional management, experts on new technologies of communication and information.

The South African Water Research Commission (WRC) and the French Institute for Research and Development (IRD) are supporting the NEPAD office to implement the water initiative.

Dr Kevin Pietersen of the WRC has been instrumental in launching this initiative. He will be leaving the WRC at the end of March 2007 and this aspect of his portfolio will be taken over by Dr Stanley Liphadzi (details listed below).

Contact: Dr Stanley Liphadzi stanleyl@wrc.org.za WRC 012- 330 9021 083 290 7243