Comparative study on the national science and technology policy-making bodies in the countries of Eastern & Southern Africa

This publication is concerned with a study of the structure, performance and effectiveness of science and technology policy-making bodies in the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa. The study was undertaken in 1985 by three consultants recruited from the region. They visited all the 18 Member States of the sub-region and prepared a report on each, using the outline prepared for the purpose by the UNESCO Secretariat, a copy of which forms Annex I. The various country reports are in Annex II. Due to unforeseen circumstances the reports of the consultant who covered Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zimbabwe could not be included in this document. A joint report was then prepared by the consultants using the various country reports and discussed at a symposium organized by UNESCO at the UNESCO Regional Office of Science and Technology for Africa (ROSTA), Nairobi, Kenya, 26-29 March 1985. One participant was invited from each country to the symposium. The recommendations adopted may be found in Part VIII. This document is primarily aimed at officials responsible for the formulation and the execution of scientific and technological policy at national, sub-regional and regional levels but it may also be of interest to economic planners and educationists in institutions of higher learning. The weaknesses revealed by the study, taken together with the recommendations made at the symposium referred to above, could assist Member States in Africa, and perhaps other developing countries outside Africa, in creating and/or strengthening their national science and technology policy-making bodies with a view to making them equal to the tasks for which they have been created.