USING SCIENCE TO PROPEL AFRICA'S GROWTH  

Science and Technology is playing a central role in national economies all over the world and is also claiming increasing ground in the political arena.

Scientific technologies have brought revolutionary changes to virtually all sectors; take the example of the great leaps that have been realized in the medicine field, which have enabled the complete sequencing of the human genome and the cloning of the Dolly sheep. In agriculture, science has played a critical role in ensuring food security by the innovation of high yielding and drought resistant seeds as well as herbicide and pesticide tolerant plant varieties.

The explosion witnessed in the ICT pendency and connectivity and globalization and competition have drastically increased leading to increased world trade patterns and economic relations.

It is worthwhile to note that the tools of progress are within our reach. Science in general is not evolving in a socio-economic vacuum. The African public and politicians should have a direct interest in scientific advances and technological developments and should participate in the debate. With the experience of the industrialized nations-America and  the European countries together with Asian countries, which  have greatly improved their societies  after taking  up scientific technologies, Africa can embrace Science and Technology (S&T) as the propelling force needed to drive its hungry and poor nations into a food and energy secure dome, raising  the living standards of its inhabitants.

Science & Technology as the major propelling force of development gives rise to a set of issues and questions. For a better understanding of S&T and its applications, Africa requires familiarization with a wide range of issues. This would include; how to use S&T as the acting principle in decision making, how to implement scientific inventions, where to allocate resources and also how to measure our progress.

With the political, social and economic dynamics in mind, we should work towards renewing and broadening of scientific education at all ages, keeping pace of time. Incorporating science in the school curricular right from primary schools, secondary schools and the university level as a bridge from technology to the society should be encouraged to close the science knowledge gap.

In this connection, particular attention needs to be paid to the un- equal access to education as one of the main causes of the inequalities between men and women. Access to all levels of schooling can play a big role in expanding and enhancing the involvement of women in science and technology.

The control of science and technology is a domain that is overwhelmingly male dominated and yet the full participation of women in the development and application of S& T is critical to the socio-economic development of African countries. Social is- sues, for instance access to clean water a fuel are considered a woman’s business. Applying technologies like rainwater harvesting or turning waste water into safe drinking water and use of solar energy would greatly ease the burden off their shoulders.

Previously, academic science was divided into physics, biology, chemistry, geology and mathematics. The disciplines have now been used as building blocks for interdisciplinary research that cuts across the borders of the different fields, and the idea of creating a new academic field out of such research is taking shape.

Creation of “interdisciplinary science” would pave way for intensive interdisciplinary research making full use of and integrating the existing techniques and concepts of natural science in order to reach a deeper understanding of science and also form a new comprehensive academic system never seen before.