Chemistry In Africa's Least Developed Countries
An Overview of Capacity Building and Research Support
Report prepared by C. F. Garbers (1998)
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4 FOSTERING SCIENCE (INCLUDING CHEMISTRY) : DONOR ACTIVITY IN
AFRICA
Evident from the previous paragraphs is that many donor agencies
are operative in Africa in the field of human resource development
and research in the pure and applied sciences (including Chemistry).
Although unique requirements are built-in characteristics of the programs
financed by the various donor organizations, many commonalties in
the objectives exist between the programs. The objectives of the International
Program in Chemical Science (IPICS), Uppsala University, Sweden were
recently summarized as follows: (ref. 34)
· to assist
developing countries to strengthen their domestic research capacity;
· to give
long-term project oriented support for developing active and sustainable
research environments in selected countries in Africa by
- - exchange of scientists;
- - providing post-graduate education,
inter alia, at doctoral or masters level with laboratory
work sandwiched with sojourns at the host laboratories ("sandwich"
courses);
- - funding purchases of equipment;
· to select
research of strong relevance to the countries or regions concerned
for long-term support;
· to carry
out the work in close cooperation with one or more host laboratories
and to invite scientists connected to the projects to come to host
laboratories (for up to 10 months) to pursue research, to learn new
methods, or perform measurements that cannot be done in the home country
("twinning", fostering of North/South collaboration);
· to sign
agreements on cooperation for three to five year periods, which can
be renewed if the project develops favorably and requires continued
support (Individual support outside the framework of a project is
not available);
· to foster
the establishment of a regional exchange system, whereby members of
research teams from recipient countries visit laboratories in neighboring
countries where complementary research facilities and competence are
available, thereby encouraging the establishment of active regional
scientific networks (Fostering of South/South collaboration).
Much emphasis is placed on twinning arrangements, i. e. cooperation
between institutions in developing countries and industrialized countries.
Based on extensive experience a number of key recommendations for
such co-operation were formulated: (ref.
28)
a) each co-operating group should include
a substantial number of researchers (the co-operation should be "institutionalized");
b) the partners should meet regularly to review ongoing work and
plan future activities;
c) transparency in all budget matters should be ensured;
d) research papers should be written jointly e. g. names from both
cooperating research groups should appear on the research publication;
e) project managers on both sides should be senior scientists in
central positions in their respective institutions;
f) capacity building must include all aspects of the work to be done
(e. g. in the case of a research project, not only the research itself,
but also how to invest in, manage, and disseminate research);
g) no single capacity building project is able to secure development
on its own, but must be carefully designed in co-ordination with other
related activities in the country;
h) research training is an important part of capacity building towards
sustainability. In order to increase the commitment, it should, whenever
possible, be part of formal degree programs;
i) the remuneration of local staff involved must be sufficient to
ensure a full time commitment;
j) efficient and fast communication channels must be available to
secure efficient interaction between partners - especially fax and
electronic mail facilities have been useful in many projects; and
k) project monitoring and evaluation are important, both as learning
processes and as a way of providing incentives to project participants.
Monitoring should concentrate on project outputs rather than on inputs.
An assessment of the twinning experiences
suggests the conditions under which these arrangements are most effective:
(ref. 5)
- when they
are part of a longer-term institutional development effort;
- when they are between similar faculties
or departments;
- when they seek to upgrade existing programs
rather than launch new ones;
- when both institutional associates have
a capacity to manage the relationship effectively; and
- when such programs respond to local priorities
and reflect balanced attention to the needs of each institutional
partner.
To accommodate these conditions, a process
was developed by the World Bank (ref. 5)
and has been tested in Africa since 1992. The process involves the
following:
An African University Department:
- conducts its own needs assessment and
identifies the types of inputs necessary to enhance its teaching
and research activity;
- drafts the
terms of reference for an institutional linkage program (twinning),
with a short-list of potential linkage candidates and with criteria
for selection;
- invites candidates
from the short-list, once funding is assured to submit "bids"
for collaborative programs (with indications on what it is prepared
to contribute to the undertaking);
- makes its'
choice and negotiate a time-bound agreement; and
- uses flexible funding for contact, travel,
staff development fellowships, joint research, library acquisitions,
equipment, communication, etc.
It should be pointed out that the World
Bank makes loans (not development assistance or grants) available
to its member governments in Africa, who in turn manage the various
agreed projects. However, various African chemists stressed that although
they were involved in the initial structuring and motivation for the
loan applications to the World Bank, effective planning, and communication
throughout the process was defective. The eventual structuring of
the loans and the conditions pertaining to the loans (after input
by World Bank advisors) frequently resulted in the planned projects
not being implemented successfully. (ref.
35)
It is important that new initiatives be
preceded by intensive discussions about priorities by university leaders,
invited professionals from the sub-region, policy makers and representatives
from donor agencies. (ref. 7) The greatest
lesson to learn is the importance of allowing recipient countries
themselves to formulate their critical needs and to provide catalytic
support to meet these needs. (ref. 7)
Some donors provide support for 1-3 years,
but, generally, individual projects have an expected lifetime of 10-15
years. The philosophy is that the support is to be phased out as sustainability
of the research capacity built up by the project is reached. One further
issue requires attention.
Preliminary investigations, preceding the
launch of a project, require funding. The Danish Agency, DANIDA, provides
for this through so-called "Initiative Pool Grants". (ref.
28)
Projects are reviewed every 3 years. Program
performance indicators used include:
- progress
in capacity building,
- research
training carried out,
- output of
research projects,
- dissemination
of the research results,
- progress
towards sustainability.
One of the most important criteria for success
has proved to be the time and effort spent on project activities by
well-qualified senior researchers. (ref.
28)
4.2. Examples of Donor Involvement in Chemistry
As examples of donor agencies, two involved for decades and a newcomer
to the scene, the following are highlighted.
4.2.1 International Programme in the Chemical
Sciences (IPICS)
This is part of the International Science Programmes at Uppsala University,
Sweden. (ref. 34)
New projects are identified through direct contacts between the
scientists concerned and IPICS and are selected after careful evaluation
and planning. The initiative lies with scientists in developing countries
in proposing research projects for cooperation.
Each project has an identified project leader who is responsible
for the project, its management, and the contacts with IPICS.
IPICS supports five projects in Africa in the following fields:
- Biotechnology and Molecular Biology,
- Ecology and
Environment,
- Food Science
and Nutrition,
- Natural Resources.
In 1997, IPICS will be supporting different
networks and one summer school in Africa. The networks are administered
by scientists in the region concerned with financial support from
IPICS. Each network has a board or committee for the management of
the activities:
- African Laboratory for Natural Products
(ALNAP) Co-ordinator: Dr E. Dagne (Ethiopia);
- Cassava Safety Network Co-ordinator:
Dr Hans Rosling;
- The Network for Analytical and Bioassay
Services in Africa (NABSA) Co-ordinator: Prof. B. Abegaz (Botswana);
- Natural Products
Research Network for Eastern and Central Africa (NAPRECA) - Executive
Secretary: Prof. M. Nkunya (Tanzania);
- Southern African Regional Co-operation
in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology (SARBIO) Co-ordinator:
Prof. J. Hasler (Zimbabwe).
The annual grants per project or network
are in the range of USD 10 000 - 73 000 (Average: USD 34 000). The
1997 budget for Africa (45% of the total budget) amounts to SEK 3
173 000 (USD 400 000).
Worldwide there are 54 "sandwich"
Ph. D. students and 23 "sandwich" M. Sc. students enrolled
in projects supported by IPICS in 1997.
4.2.2
International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD)
(ref. 36)
After a meeting at UNESCO in 1981, the IOCD was formed which aimed
at helping to overcome the barriers to research in developing countries
by:
- fostering
collaboration between researchers in developing countries with internationally
recognized investigators;
- creating opportunities for hands-on experience
to chemists in developing countries.
The IOCD, inter alia
- created Working Groups on Fertility Regulation,
Tropical Diseases, Plant Chemistry, and, with IUPAC, on Environmental
Analytical Chemistry;
- provided research services to chemists
in Africa through "Network for Analytical and Biological Services
in Africa" (NABSA), (see 4.2.1);
- arranged workshops on techniques for
bio-activity fractionation (Open only to African chemists);
- created a Biotic Exploration Fund to
catalyze a major increase in bio-prospecting in developing countries,
inter alia, to counter destruction of bio-diversity. The
IOCD initiated the work of establishing this Fund in 1994 under
a grant of USD 10 000 from the US National Academy of Sciences.
IOCD hopes to attract sufficient funds (perhaps USD 2-3 million)
to operate two or three pilot bio-prospecting projects in 1997-98.
IOCD funds its activities through grants
from individual donors and agencies such as foundations, government
organizations, and UN agencies.
4.2.3 Newcomer: Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC) (ref. 37)
On 29 April 1997, the CWC entered into force, which meant not only
the beginning of the elimination of chemical weapons, but also the
launching of a series of programs to promote international cooperation
within the field of chemistry. The programs are in particular geared
towards chemists from developing countries. The programs include:
- support for participation in international
conferences, seminars, symposia, etc;
- support for internships;
- support for
arranging conferences on chemical topics of particular interest
to developing countries;
- facilitation
of bilateral cooperation, especially within the field of natural
product chemistry;
- support for
transfer of used, but still functional, laboratory equipment to
laboratories in the developing world; and
- support for
increasing the technical competence at laboratories involved in
organic chemical analyses, which might be of use for the implementation
of the CWC.
Many donor organizations indicated that
they do not look at Chemistry specifically, whereas others have indicated
that they support individuals rather than projects. A very general
approach is the twinning of institutions between the donor country
institutions and the institutions in developing countries receiving
the financial support.
4.3. Donors: Extent of Financial Support
The extent of the financial involvement of various donor agencies
can be gleaned from some selected examples:
· The
Swedish International Program in the Chemical Sciences (IPICS) spends
45% of its funding viz. SEK 3.173 million (approximately USD
400 000) on programs in Africa. The annual grants per project or network
are in the range of USD 10 000 - 73 000 for an average of USD 34 000.
(ref. 34)
· The
Danish bilateral program for Enhancement of Research Capacity in Developing
Countries (ENRECA) invested USD 7 million in 39 projects in 1995 (~USD
179 000 per Project); (ref. 38)
· The
German Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) (ref.
39) works with the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD),
the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the Alexander von Humboldt
Stiftung. Their guideline amounts for projects are as follows:
- Standard Projects: USD 21 800
- Joint Applications: USD 32 700
- Small scale projects: USD 2 700
- Specialist literature: USD 5 000
DAAD operates on a budget of USD 179.2 million, (ref.
40) while the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung awarded DEM 73.781
million in the form of fellowships, equipment grants and bursaries.
(ref. 41)
· Grants
by the International Foundation for Science (Sweden) are normally
not more than USD 12 000 and renewable up to two times more. (ref.
42)
· According
to an IDRC estimate the total resources for development related research
was USD 2 billion by the late 1980s. (ref.
26)
World Bank projects (loans) in Africa expend
roughly USD100 million annually on training, of which roughly half
is for overseas training. According to estimates approximately 120
000 African students were studying abroad in 1990. To facilitate continued
research for returning degree holders, some scholarships are supplemented
with re-entry grants.(ref. 5)
4.4. Detail to be Requested: Application for a
Grant
This list was compiled from application forms outlining the detail
required by some donor agencies to allow scrutiny of the applications
by institutions in developing countries:
* Applicant's academic curriculum vitae:
- Family name
- Personal name
- Nationality - Date of birth
- Name of head of institution
- Name and postal address of institution
- Name of immediate supervisor
- Name of department/research station
- Area code: - Phone:
- Telex: - Telefax:
- E-mail:
- Languages (Read; Comprehend; Speak; Write)
- Education
- Other postgraduate studies
- Present position [Starting date; Position;
Permanent/temporary; Amount of time devoted to teaching(%), research(%),
administration(%); Number of staff supervised by you: researchers,
graduate students, technicians]
- Research areas
- Previous positions
- List of publications
- Research project title and short summary
of the project
- Provide information about your experience
on the subject of the proposed research and previous results achieved
- Provide information about related research
in progress at your institution
- Background to the research proposal; objectives
and expected outputs of the research proposal
- Research plan
- Relevant contacts already established
by you (names, addresses and specialization)
- Additional contacts you wish to establish
(names, addresses and specialization)
*Any other sources of funding to the institution
for the proposed or related research (Name of funding organization;
date of application or approval; amount)
* Budget
- Equipment (Specify and describe each item)
- Expendable supplies
- Literature
- Local travel
- Manpower requirements
- Other costs
- Expected duration of project
* Relevance of the project to the development
needs of the country.
* Purpose for which the requested materials/equipment are to be used
*Peer appraisal of application
* Details of the materials/equipment requested, with costs, details
on the housing thereof, maintenance and repair services available
locally, connection facilities, monopoly, etc.
* Information on existing equipment
* Confirmation from the institution's principal/director of the feasibility
of the planned project and the necessity for the purpose of the institutions
teaching, research, or development program. Issues to be addressed
are the correct setting up and commissioning of the equipment in suitable
premises, the cost of expendable materials, necessary repair and maintenance
costs, and customs duties and similar charges.
* Information on the number of staff who will benefit from the provision
of the equipment and the description of the equipment's potential
use for other purposes.
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