(From right) Dr Patrick Makungu of the Tanzanian Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology with Ms Kagiso Chikane of Meraka, and members of the Tanzanian delegation and CSIR representatives
A longstanding relationship between Tanzania and South Africa helped to set the cordial tone for discussions during a recent visit by high-ranking Tanzanian officials to the CSIR on 28 March 2012. Representatives at the event came from several CSIR units: Materials Science and Manufacturing (MSM), Biosciences and Meraka Institute. The visit was initiated by the Department of Science and Technology within the context of its Bilateral Agreement with Tanzania on Scientific and Technological Co-operation (April 2011); it was organised by the CSIR Strategic Alliances group unit, represented by Themba Belle, Manager: Contract R&D, and hosted at Meraka by Kagiso Chikane, Manager: Stakeholder Relations, CSIR Meraka Institute.
Dr Patrick Makungu, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology, emphasised the importance of ongoing existing collaboration between the two countries on science, technology and innovation (STI) and the need to formalise these activities as concrete projects. Areas of interest were defined as health, agriculture, information and communications technology, manufacturing and enterprise development.
Dr Makungu acknowledged Meraka’s role in shaping the STI policy development in Tanzania, while pointing out his country’s history of research and development (R&D), which stretches back to the establishment of the first veterinary laboratory in Tanganyika in 1884. Subsequent research investments included cultivation of forests (silviculture) and livestock, and were complemented by other investments in research on malaria and vector-borne diseases, pesticides, sugar cane breeding, medical research and marine fisheries. To date, Tanzania has 54 institutions engaged in scientific and technological R&D, which are public and private institutions, and non-governmental organisations.
Coordination of these activities falls under the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology with Tanzania’s Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) – a parastatal organisation – taking responsibility for coordinating and promoting research and technology development activities in the country. It is the chief advisor to the government on all matters pertaining to science and technology and their application to the socioeconomic development of the country, and is responsible for the finalisation of the Science and Technology Act.
Presentations by Dr Christopher Mlosy of MSM, Dr Fritha Hennessy of Biosciences, and Dr Barend Taute of Meraka Institute, set the scene for discussions on best practices in terms of working with industry, research councils and universities; the potential of point-of-care diagnostics for medical care of non-malarial diseases with febrile symptoms; and the role of national research networking with high speed bandwidth. The possibilities of researcher exchanges were also discussed. As the IST Africa’s 2012 event takes place in Dar es Salaam in early May 2012, participants at the meeting agreed to hold a preconference engagement to explore topics of mutual interest, notably:
- Strategic collaboration with Biosciences;
- Industrial research;
- The potential of the CSIR’s Advanced Fire Information System for disaster management;
- The use of geographic information systems and high performance computing;
- The use of fibre for housing materials; and
- The potential of the EuroAfrica-P8 project to promote EU-African collaborative research on ICT.
