Report to the Intergovernmental Committee on Indigenous Capacity Building in Science and Technology in the African Region

Abstract

Endogenous capacity in science and technology is essential for the socio-economic development of the African region. One of the main reason for the under development of the region is the low level of scientific and technological capacity and an inadequate development and application of science and technology. Though there has been a growing awareness of the crucial role of science and technology in the development process, this awareness has not been matched by adequate allocation of resources to this area in the past decade, because of the international climate and the economic crisis which most African states are facing. The few countries that have invested in endogenous capacity building have succeeded in improving the living conditions of their people, but such success stories are few in the African panorama.