State of Scientific data in Africa

First African Data Curation Conference12 – 13 February 2008

Achuo Enow a.enow@icsu-africa.org

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ICSU: Historical Perspective

1899-1914: International Association of Academies (IAA)

1919-1931: International Research Council (IRC)

1931-1998: International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU)

1998: International Council for Science (ICSU)

2002–2005: Review of Strategy Strategic Plan: 2006 - 2011

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Strategic Plan: 2006 - 2011

International Research

Collaboration

Science and Policy

Universality of Science

Ensure integration of scientific knowledge into policy

Equitable practice of science without discrimination

Monitoring developments in emerging scientific areas

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ICSU Mission: Strengthening International Science for the Benefit of Society

1. Identify and address major issues of importance to science and society,

2. Facilitate interaction amongst scientists across all disciplines and from all countries,

3. Promote the participation of all scientists, without any segregation, in the international scientific endeavour,

4. Provide independent, authoritative advice to stimulate constructive dialogue between the scientific community and governments, civil society and the private sector.

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ICSU: Vision

● Science is used for the benefit of all (global society) └►Universal and Equitable access to high quality

scientific data and information

└►All countries contribute to generating new knowledge necessary to establish their sustainable development pathways

● Excellence in science is valued and scientific knowledge is effectively linked to policy and decision-making

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ICSU Regional Offices

• Africa (South Africa) inaugurated 1 September 2005• Asia and the Pacific (Malaysia) inaugurated 19

September 2006• Latin America and the Caribbean (Brazil) inaugurated in

December 2006• Arab Region (Host to be identified)

Aim:

To ensure that the voice of developing countries influences the international agenda and that scientists from the South are fully involved in international research guided by regional priorities

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ICSU ROA: Priorities for sub-Saharan Africa

1. Sustainable Energy

2. Health and Human Well-being

3. Natural and Human-induced Hazards & Disasters

4. Global Change

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ICSU ROA Science plans

1. Review of Current situation

2. Identification of gaps and challenges

3. R&D Projects to address the challenges

4. Delivery of project outputs to benefit society

5. Policy dialogues for informed decision-making

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ICSU ROA Science Plans: General concerns.

1. Data• Not available• Inconsistent• Unreliable

2. Research and service delivery Infrastructure• Inadequate• Dilapidated or obsolete

3. Human Resources • limited numbers of skilled personnel

4. Science – Policy linkage• Lack of evidence-based decision support tools

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Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

1. Quantity of data and information collected

Restricted funding for research - Limited scale of data

collection

Limited research personnel

Availability of data collection tools

Protected knowledge and information (IKS)

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Global Gross Expenditure on R&D (2000)

World

Population

World

Researchers

World GDP

World

GERD

Developing Countries 79% 28% 42% 20%

Developed Countries 21% 72% 58% 80%

0.6

0.3

1.6

6.7

7.1

35.6

13.2

0 10 20 30 40

Africa

S Africa

India

China

Germany

USA

Japan

12

78

309

143

554

3109

4006

5206

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Africa

S Africa

India

China

Germany

USA

Japan

Researchers per million inhabitants (2000)

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2. Quality of data and information collected

Discontinuity in data sets (interrupted recording

Inaccuracy in measurements (obsolete equipment)

Estimation vs. measurement

Information distortion (language barriers, public image issues) – survey data

Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

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3. Data Processing

Data analytical tools (statistical methods and tools)

Personnel for data processing / interpretation (numbers and skill levels)

Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

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4. Data storage

Availability of mass storage devices

Life span of storage devices

Safety of storage devices

Hard vs. soft storage – reliability vs. ease of retrieval

Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

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5. Public Access to data and information

Low levels of publication (shelved research data)

Data ownership and protection – IPR issues

Confidentiality – industrial secrets, IKS

Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

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Research Products:International Publications

Region and country 1988 1990 1995 2000 2003 % increase

All countries 466,419 508,795 580,809 632,781 698,726 49.8%

Other Asia (excl China, S Korea, Singp, Taiw.)

10,116 10,566 11,355 12,294 15,779

Near East/North Africa 7,896 8,241 9,647 11,111 13,465

Central/South America 5,632 6,886 9,547 14,747 18,933

Sub-Saharan Africa 4,544 4,355 4,161 3,973 4,219

Source: Science and Engineering Indicators, 2006: derived from Thompson ISI, Social Science Index and Science Indexes

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6. Use of available data

Information re-packaging – “improve digestibility”

Outreach and awareness-raising

Reliability

Scientific Data in Africa:- Challenges

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Scientific Data in Africa:- The Way Forward

• Enhanced Human Capacity for Research:

• Brain gain and brain circulation (Diaspora project)

• Empowerment of young scientists (WAYS)

• Encourage and promote women in science (TWOWS)

• Institutional Capacity Enhancement

• Policy dialogues and advocacy for increased investment in research infrastructure

• Promote and strengthen specialised centres of excellence

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Scientific Data in Africa:- The Way Forward

• Promote data and information sharing

• Inter-institutional collaboration

• Networking (intra- and inter- regional)

• IPR legislation on IKS

• Science for policy

• Provide evidence-based decision-making tools

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ICSU News and Events

For more information and up-dates, visit

ICSU global website: www.icsu.org

ICSU ROA website:www.icsu-africa.org