NEPAD to hold training on African Science Technology

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), will hold a training workshop as part of the implementation of the second phase of the African Science Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) Initiative from April 23-27.

It will be organised in collaboration with the South African Department of Science and Technology through the HSRC’s Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) at the Southern Sun Newlands Hotel in Cape Town.

This was contained in a release issued by NEPAD Secretariat and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra.

It said the ASTII Initiative was a flagship programme of the African Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and aimed at supporting evidence-based policy that addresses Africa’s development challenges in the context of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

The overall goal of ASTII is to contribute to improving the quality of STI policies at national, regional and continental levels by strengthening Africa’s capacity to develop and use STI indicators.

The ASTII Initiative was supported by in-country resources from participating countries and a grant from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Participants to the workshop have been drawn from close to 40 African countries and will include experts from Ministries responsible for Science and Technology and National Statistical Offices.

The workshop will focus on training in the production of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) indicators, and include discussions on policy relevance and implications of STI indicators.

“This event is a key step towards the release of the second edition of the African Innovation Outlook (AIO). The inaugural AIO was released in Addis Ababa in May 2011,” the statement said.**