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The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, will lead a high-level South African delegation on a comprehensive visit focused on science, technology and innovation (STI) in Tunisia and Algeria.
According to the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), these visits began on Monday, 14 July, and will conclude on Thursday this week.
Nzimande is visiting the two nations following invitations from the Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mondher Belaid, and the Algerian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kamel Bidari.
“Through these visits, Minister Nzimande seeks to reinforce existing science, technology and innovation bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Tunisia and Algeria, as part of a broader commitment to grow the size and intensity of intra-Africa STI cooperation for development,” the DSTI said in a statement.
Nzimande’s programme will include bilateral engagements with his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts and visits to key science institutions.
In Tunisia, the Minister will visit the Borja Cedria Technopark, the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, the Bardo National Museum for arts and history, and the City of Science Museum.
In Algeria, he will visit the Centre for the Development of Advanced Technologies, the Saad Dahlab University and the Great Mosque of Algiers.
One highlight of the Minister’s visit to Algeria will be a guest lecture organised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Cooperation, focusing on Pan-African cooperation.
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Reflecting on the importance of these visits, Nzimande said: “Our visit to Algeria and Tunisia forms part of our long-standing international relations strategy to strengthen meaningful science, technology and innovation cooperation with fellow African countries, and to advance the objectives of the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA).”
The Minister believes that Pan-African STI cooperation and development are paramount, given the current unstable geopolitical environment and the imperatives of securing the continent’s sustainable future.
“All our efforts are therefore aimed towards developing what we refer to as a sovereign science, technology, and innovation agenda for Africa,” the Minister said.
The two visits will conclude with the adoption of two new comprehensive Plans of Action, aimed at intensifying cooperation with Tunisia and Algeria, respectively.
“This will be an immediate and concrete implementation of the ambitions for South Africa’s science diplomacy, which Minister Nzimande had outlined in his Budget Vote speech last week,” the department said.
The Minister’s delegation includes senior officials from the ministry, the department and its entities, such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), as well as experts from the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek).
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