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Latest news: Regional Office for Africa

Makina administrator — 2010-10-21T08:45:00Z

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Makina administrator — 2010-10-21T08:44:22Z

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Jacinta Legg — 2010-10-21T08:44:27Z

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Bongani Mahlalela — 2011-03-10T13:43:50Z

ICSU ROA Project Proposal Writing Workshop: Sustainable Energy & Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters

Bongani Mahlalela — 2013-01-07T00:14:43Z

These consortia will build on preliminary work that was done by ICSU ROA Task Teams towards preparing research project proposals on Sustainable Energy and on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters. The workshop focused on achieving the following:

Establishment of international research consortia which will build on preliminary work that was done by Task Teams and develop further the project proposals on Sustainable Energy as well as on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters; retaining the initial objectives and focus, but with flexibility in approach and strategy. The consortia are expected to submit the final proposals by September 2012. Participants to this workshop will make the nuclei of the consortia which will be expanded to include other African scientists as well those in Diaspora.
Development of inter-/multi-/trans-disciplinary and multi-institutional project proposals on Sustainable Energy and on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters that can be easily tailored to meet donor specifications as well as to respond to regional and international research funding calls.
Outline of a detailed work plan for the consortia highlighting the time lines and milestones in the implementation of the proposed projects, as well as the involved institutions/organisations.
Identification, by the consortia, of possible funders for each of the project proposals. A number of identified potential partners who have been carefully selected to address the participants and outline their activities related to the areas of Sustainable Energy and Hazards and Disasters, as well as any available funding opportunities and possible avenues of establishing collaborative research activities among the scientific community on the continent.

NB: The Workshop proceedings/Report is now available click here

Founding Regional Director of ICSU Regional Office for Africa Appointed Minister

Bongani Mahlalela — 2013-01-09T12:55:20Z

His excellency President, Jakaya Kikwete of the Republic of Tanzania recently appointed the founding and former Director of ICSU Regional Office for Africa Prof Sospeter Muhongo, as the Countrty's Minister of Energy and Minirals. At the time of his appointment, Prof Muhongo was a full Professor in Geology at the University of Dar es Salaam, Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Africa Earth Sciences, which specialises in the search for natural resources in Africa and the Middle East, Vice President of the Commission for Geological Map of the World, Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of London and Honorary Research Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences.

Square Kilometre Array Bid Outcome

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-06-15T14:26:00Z

This was a crucial step towards building the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope that will deliver more scientific data and maximise investments already made by both South Africa and Australia. Two of the SKA receiver components will be built in South Africa and the third one will be constructed in Australia.

New ICSU ROA Administrative Assistant

Bongani Mahlalela — 2013-01-11T15:55:17Z

ICSU Regional Office for Africa (ICSU ROA) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Republic of South Africa would like to announce the lattest addition to ICSU Regional Office for Africa.

13th ICSU Regional Committee for Africa Meeting

Bongani Mahlalela — 2013-01-07T00:25:51Z

The meeting will be preceded by a one-day workshop that will be organized by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. This pre-meeting will provide a platform for the RCA members to interact with scientists from South African research and academic institutions. The Chairperson of ICSU‘s Committee on Scientific Planning and Review, Prof M. Makgoba, will join the pre-meeting and share his vision for this important structure within ICSU.

ICSU ROA Intern

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-08-08T06:45:36Z

ICSU Regional Office for Africa would like to welcome Awelani Sadiki who joined the Office beginning of August. Awelani who is on an internship programme of the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa has been deployed to undertake his one year internship programme at ICSU ROA. His background is in International Relations.

ICSU ROA Annual Report 2011/12

Bongani Mahlalela — 2013-01-11T15:35:30Z

To view the Annual Report on PDF format click here

First Meeting of the African Union (AU) High Level Panel on the review of Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA), 8 - 9 August, 2012, Library of Alexandria, Egypt

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-09-03T14:50:00Z

The panel will advise the AU on reviewing the CPA which was adopted by the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST) in 2005 and endorsed by African Heads of State and Government in 2006 in order to move the continent from resource-based economies into innovation-led, knowledge-based economies.

The eight-member panel is drawn from all five geographical regions of Africa as well as from the international community. ICSU Regional Office for Africa, which has been incorporated as a Working Group member for the review process, actively participated in the first meeting of the panel that was held on 8-9 August 2012 at the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. To view the press release on the emerging issues from the inception meeting in English click here.

ICSU RCA 13th Meeting Feedback

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-09-03T14:50:00Z

The RCA members deliberated and took decisions on a number of issues that included ICSU ROA budget for the 2013/14 financial year, the implementation of past and future planned activities of ICSU ROA, the activities of the Office with the ICSU Family as well as with ICSU ROA partners and other science networks on the continent. Via Skype, Steven Wilson updated the Committee on issues related to ICSU’s Rio+20 conference involvement as well as progress on the implementation of the Future Earth initiative and the Sida proposal that is being implemented by all the three ICSU Regional Offices.One of the major decisions taken during the meeting was the approval of the African School Series programme by the RCA.

This programme will focus on offering Africa’s students and young scientists transformative experiences in science, engineering and technology applications on the continent. The 13^th RCA Meeting was preceded by a one day workshop that was co-organised by ICSU ROA and the NRF (the host institution of the Office). The workshop was held at Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), a facility of the NRF, about 60 km west of Pretoria. This event was meant to provide a platform for the RCA members to interact with scientists from South African research and academic institutions. Presentations included those on HartRAO, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, ACCESS (Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science) and iTHEMBA Lab’s institutional African partnerships and programmes.

Call – SSEESS Research Links Programme

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-10-04T08:10:26Z

This programme aims to enhance the collaboration between Swedish scientists and scientists in the South in order to enhance the research and research capacity in developing countries, and to strengthen the Swedish research of relevance for developing countries. The focus is on Swedish collaboration with the three Regional Offices of the International Council for Science (ICSU), in Africa, Asia and Pacific, and Latin America and Carribbean. The overall scope of the programme is to address the grand challenges of sustainability in the regional context.

The application should be emailed to the SSEESS secretariat at: application@sseess.kva.se, no later than November 9, 2012. For more detailed information click below link

http://www.sseess.org/news/call-sseess-research-link-programme

Dakar Declaration

Bongani Mahlalela — 2012-10-25T17:30:00Z

The Sida funded African Regional Implementation Workshop on Hazards and Disasters took place in Dakar, Senegal from the 26 - 27 September 2012 and ended with this declaration of outcomes.