The International Council for Science (ICSU) recently released a publication titled Science, Technology, and Innovation for Socio-economic Development: Success Stories from Africa. The publication seeks to emphasise the importance of science and technology for the African continent, and for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
The publication aims to promote the continent's science education and research, and to showcase its contribution to the development of science and technology in the world, especially to the participants of the 29th ICSU General Assembly in Maputo in October 2008. The volume brings together, under one cover, new developments from different institutions and scientists. The scientific success stories cover science and technology innovations as applied to solving some of the chronic developmental and societal challenges that Africa has to face across the fields of health, the environment and energy sustainability.
The book contains a collection of articles revealing science, technology and innovation as a critical engine for accelerated socio-economic development in Africa. It shows the private sector to be an important player in education, research, development, and the commercialisation of Africa's natural products such as traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge. It is planned that further volumes of science, technology and innovation success stories from Africa will be published every two years by the ICSU Regional Office for Africa.
