African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST)

The African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST) was established in November 2003 under the auspices of the AU and NEPAD. This high-level forum for AU Ministers of Science and Technology seeks to develop policies and priorities on STI for African development. AMCOST also provides political and policy leadership for the implementation of the CPA.

AFRICA’S SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CONSOLIDATED PLAN OF ACTION: At its second meeting, AMCOST adopted Africa’s Science and Technology CPA, which articulates the continent’s commitment to developing and applying S&T. The overall goals of the CPA are to enable Africa to harness and apply science, technology and related innovations to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development, and to ensure that Africa contributes to the global pool of scientific knowledge and technological innovations. The CPA outlines five flagship research and development programmes to be implemented between 2006 and 2010: biodiversity, biotechnology and indigenous knowledge; energy, water and desertification; material sciences, manufacturing, laser and post-harvest technologies; mathematical sciences; and information, communication and space science technologies. The programmes and projects outlined in the CPA focus on:

• improving infrastructure and facilities for research and development and promoting the shared use of such facilities;
• creating institutional and policy arrangements that enable African countries to mobilize and share their resources for conducting science and generating technological innovations;
• strengthening the continent’s human skills base by increasing the number of scientists, technicians and engineers;
• improving the quality and intensity of regional cooperation;
• building a strong political and civil society constituency for S&T in Africa;
• improving the quality of STI policies of African countries through processes that promote the sharing of experiences;
• strengthening the capacity of regional economic bodies to mainstream S&T into their sectoral programmes and projects;
• promoting the application of S&T to achieve specific MDGs; and
• promoting innovative ways of financing S&T in Africa.

STRUCTURE: AMCOST functions through two subsidiary bodies: the AMCOST Bureau of Ministers and a Science and Technology Steering Committee (AMCOST Steering Committee), which comprises permanent secretaries or their equivalent. The Steering Committee oversees the development and implementation of programme activities, including the formulation of business plans. It is also responsible for reviewing the progress of CPA implementation. In addition to these two bodies, the AU Commission provides political and policy leadership and the NEPAD Office of Science and Technology provides technical and intellectual leadership for implementation of the CPA.

The current Chair of AMCOST is Senegal. Bureau members for 2005-2007 are: the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Steering Committee members for 2005-2007 are: Madagascar and Rwanda for Eastern Africa; the Democratic Republic of Congo for Central Africa; Ghana and the Ivory Coast for Western Africa; Algeria and Tunisia for Northern Africa; and Mozambique and Malawi for Southern Africa.

NEPAD Office of Science and Technology: The NEPAD Office of Science and Technology provides overall technical and intellectual leadership for the implementation of the CPA. Its specific roles include: mobilizing and directing technical expertise, including networks of centers of excellence, for the implementation of programmes and projects; convening meetings of the AMCOST Science and Technology Steering Committee; providing technical leadership for the establishment of the proposed ASIF; providing technical support to the AU Commission’s policy processes and activities; monitoring international trends in S&T and making necessary adjustments to the CPA to respond to these trends; and monitoring and reporting on programme and project implementation.