African Women’s Forum on Science and Technology
LAUNCH OF THE WOMEN’S
FORUM

T

he African Women’s forum on Science and Technology(AWFST), an initiative within the ATPS Strategic Plan Phase
VI 2008-2012 was launched to become a Pan-African network
program, on the 17th of July at the Sun and Sand Hotel in
Mombasa, Kenya.
The aim of AWFST is to provide a vehicle through which African
women can express their ideas, contribute their expertise and participate
in policy and decisionmaking processes in Africa. The Interim Steering
Committee (ISC) was inaugurated and is constituted of women leaders
drawn from the various parts of Africa and the Diaspora and who areinnovators in their respective ﬁelds.
The ISC members elected Prof. Mwang’ombe, University of Nairobi
as the Chair to be supported by Prof. Norah Olembo, BioTechnology
Trust Africa (BTA) as the Co-Chair. The members resolved to provide
governance and steer the operations of the AWFST forum which
includes: producing publications and promotional materials on AWFST;
creating awareness about women in Science Technology Innovation(STI); fundraising for the activities of AWFST; establishing a resource
library and website to enhance women’s access to international journals;
developing a Programme of Action (PoA) for the AWFST; and providing
the Terms of Reference (TOR), and oversight mechanisms for theinaugural Steering Committee.
This agreement will hold until an inaugural election of the steeringcommittee who will take over the operations henceforth. It was also
agreed that all the operations of the AWFST would be done in liaison
with the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS).

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009AWFST is an initiative within
the ATPS Strategic Plan Phase
VI 2008 -2012, which will
operate under the policies
of ATPS. The purpose is toprovide a vehicle throughwhich African women can
express their ideas, contribute
their expertise and participate
in policy and decision-making
processes in Africa.
AWFST will be governed by anelected Steering Committee,
with members drawn fromcountries of all the African
regions and the Diaspora on arotational basis.
This committee will among
other things, steer theprocess of designing gendersensitive programs that will
promote Scinece Technology
and Innovation (STI) for
sustainable development.

1

“THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO
BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY AND POSSIBILITY OF
THEIR DREAMS (URAMA, 2007)”.
AFRICAN WOMEN FORUM
FOR SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY (AWFST)Interview with Prof. Agnes Mwang’ombe

by Dr. Kevin Urama,
ATPS Executive Director

To demonstrate the very essence of AWFST, Dr. Urama
pointed out that “if developing countries hope to prosper,
and if world leaders expect globalization to foster sustainable
development and poverty reduction, Science Technology andInnovation (STI), capacity building is an absolute necessity.
In today’s rapidly changing economy, the critical economic
development issue is no longer whether countries should
build STI capacity but what type of capacity to build andhow to build it, given each country’s economic constraints
and starting point”. (World Bank, 2008).
He regarded AWFST as an important platform which will
create a group of African Women who regard innovation as
the norm by becoming:

Technology

enthusiasts: through theapplication of knowledge, including the skills necessary to
deploy principles, procedures, processes, that can be used tomodify, manipulate and otherwise produce changes in thespeciﬁc features of the physical world to serve human orsocial purposes and also;
Responsible Innovators Today for
Sustainable Development Tomorrow:

this pertains to the introduction of new products, processes
and services for societal renewal, i.e. the valorization (use/ application) of the results of science and technology fordevelopment. AWFST will therefore not be a forum toarticulate the challenges for African women, or to mainstream
gender in national policies, nor a forum to empower African
women but rather, its designed to address those challenges
that women face through STI, to mainstream innovation
cultures amongst African women and as a forum for women
to empower themselves through STI. In a nutshell, it is about
how women can innovatively transform their own lives andthose of others for a better quality of life. He underscored theimportance of focusing on harnessing opportunities through
STI as opposed to feeling disempowered to act.
2

Prof. Agnes Mwang’ombe is a Professor in
Plant Pathology, & Principal of the College ofAgriculture and Veterinary Sciences, at thw
University of Nairobi“I believe the WE CAN Programme is about how
to help women grow and take on more challenging
jobs and to become more involved in policy
making. Currently, we are having variations in thediﬀerent sciences. For instance, in hard sciencessuch as in engineering there is a very low women
representation. If you move to biological sciencessuch as in agriculture there has been an increase
with a representation of about 30% to 40% of
women in universities.
But in masters level the graph becomes skewed
towards men and as one moves to even higher levels
then it becomes more male dominated. The needfor more female representation in all disciplines
cannot be overemphasized. For instance if we lookat agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, farmers aremainly women who make up about 60%-80% of
small scale farmers.
We should therefore endeavor not lose this talentand should have a greater female representation
and a greater voice in policy making to inﬂuence
how resources are allocated.
This new program has great potential and needs
people of good will to nurture it to grow for the
beneﬁt of our own continent’’.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

“IF YOUR DREAM DOES NOT SCARE YOU, IT
IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH (URAMA, 2008)”.
ABOUT AFRICAN TECHNOLOGYPOLICY STUDIES NETWORK(ATPS)

Prof Norah Olembo

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) isa multi-disciplinary network of researchers, private sector
actors, policy makers and civil society actors promoting
the generation, dissemination, use and mastery of science,technology and innovation (STI) for African development,
environmental sustainability and global inclusion.
Its mission is to improve the quality of STI research, policy
and practice for sustainable development in Africa, by
Africans and for Africa.
The fundamental strategic goal of the ATPS is to “Build
Africa’s STI Capacity Today for Sustainable Development
Tomorrow”. With a regional secretariat in Nairobi, it operates
through national chapters in 23 countries with an expansion
plan in place to cover the entire sub-Saharan Africa(see Figure 1 below).

Where We WorkShe has trained in recombinant DNA techniques
at the Courtould Institute, Middlesex Hospital,
London.
Prof. Olembo has worked as a consultant forvarious organizations including the Kenya Nongovernmental Committee for the 1985 United
Nations End of Decade Women’s Conference; theUNEP Biodiversity/ Biotechnology Program; the
CGIAR Secretariat/World Bank; the International
Service for National Agricultural Research; among
others.

Tunisia

Egypt

SenegalGambiaProf Norah Olembo is the Executive Director of
Africa Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF),
Kenya and former chair to the board of African
Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS). She
holds a PhD in Biochemistry; Msc in Zoology;
and a Bsc (Honours) degree (Chemistry, Zoology,
Botany) from the University of Nairobi.

Mali

She has published over 30 proceedings,
abstract reports and research papers in various
international scientiﬁc journals. Prof. Olembo
belongs to over 30 professional societies andorganizations including the Genetic

Burkina Faso

Sierra Leone Cote d’ Ivoire
Liberia
Ghana

Benin

Nigeria

Ethiopia

Cameroun
UgandaKenya

Tanzania

LEGENDATPS National Chapters/
Country Members
African Regional
Representation on ATPS
Board
Potential National Chapters(Under Review)

Malawi
ZambiaMozambique
Zimbabwe

Madagascar

Botswana
Mauritius
Swaziland
LesothoSouth Africa

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Figure 1

Resources Policy Committee of the International
Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), theCommission for Biological Education (CBE) of
the International Union Trustee of the Public
Law Institute, the National Committee of Kenya
National Academy of Science, the International
Association for Women Biochemist, among
others.

3

“The hen knows the dawn is here but watches
the mouth of the rooster”.
Swahili Proverb

ATPS Strategic Objectives forthe programme

ATPS achieves its mandate through•Knowledge Generation(research, capacity building and training)•
Knowledge Brokerage(participatory multi- stakeholder dialogue,knowledge circulation and networking)•Knowledge Dissemination and Outreach(science communication/ disseminationand sensitization, STI Journalism and Policy
advocacy)•
Knowledge Valorization(innovation incubation, social entrepreneurship andinnovation challenge) programmes.
AWFST is an initiative within the ATPS Strategic Plan
Phase VI 2008 -2012, which will operate under the policies of
ATPS. It intends to provide a vehicle through which African
women can express their ideas, contribute their expertiseand participate in policy and decision-making processes inAfrica. AWFST will be governed by an elected Steering
Committee, with members drawn from countries of all theAfrican regions and the Diaspora on a rotational basis.
This committee will among other things, steer the processof designing gender sensitive programmes that will promote
STI for sustainable development.
4

Dr. Warigia Bowman

Dr. Warigia Bowman is an assistant professor at
the University of Mississippi in the Department of
Public Policy Leadership. She has earned degrees
from Columbia University and the University ofTexas, and a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard
University (2009). Her research spans theareas of governance, development, technology,
environment and politics in Sub-SaharanAfrica.
Dr. Bowman’s research is multi-disciplinary,and is informed by the ﬁelds of anthropology,
history, political science and public policy. She
has signiﬁcant work experience in the public
sector at the Federal State and local level in the
United States. She has worked in a number ofU.S. Federal Agencies, including the UnitedStates Department of Labor and the UnitedStates Department of Energy. She served at theUnited States Department of Justice as an honors
trial attorney in the Wildlife Section of theEnvironment Division under Janet Reno during
the Clinton Administration.
She also has experience working with African
NGOs and academic institutions. Ms. Bowman
taught at Kabarak University in Nakuru, Kenyafrom 2003-2005. She has acted as a research
consultant for the African Technology Policy
Network (ATPS) and the New Economic
Partnership for African Development (NEPAD)
since 2003. In 2009, Bowman participated as alecturer at the International School on Digital
Transformation in Porto, Portugal.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Strategic Plan of the AWFSTInterim Steering Committee

Mrs. Bola Olabisi, LLM, FRSA,

Main Objectives•
To mobilize women and empower them toharness STI for development in Africa. Support andfacilitate regional knowledge sharing and cooperation
among African women. Facilitate and promote gender
engagement in agriculture, science and technology, andsocial entrepreneurship programmes in their countries.
•
To facilitate S&T career mentoring for African
Women by their senior colleagues in Africa and in the
Diaspora. Provide targeted training and research capacity
building especially in agriculture, STI research and practiceto address the declining expertise and growing disinterest in
the sector.
•
To promote women’s involvement in ATPS
research and other MDG related STI projects
elsewhere.

Expected Outcomes

Enhanced skills/capacities in agriculture, S&T research andpolicy advocacy.
Improved skills in STI research and project management
and implementation practices.
Increased women’s participation in STI research projects
and other innovative and productive interventions at local,
regional and national levels.
Increased internships at various STI related research
institutions and non-governmental organizations in Africa
and elsewhere.
A functioning networking platform; forum (online & ofﬂine)
in which the women can exchange views andopinions.
Increased awareness amongst women about the need for
multi-disciplinary approaches in STI research and policy
making.
REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Bola Olabisi, is the Founder and CEO of
the Global Women Inventors & Innovators
Network (GWIIN) Ltd. She is also the Vice
President of the British Association of Women
Entrepreneurs. Bola sits on the European
Commission’s Network for ‘Women in
Decision Making and the Economy’ to assist
with the promotion of women’s empowerment
and gender balance in decision making
positions.
In 2004, Bola Olabisi was invited by Lord
Sainsbury of Turville, Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Science and Innovation tojoin the DTI’s Innovators Stakeholders Group
which plays an advisory role to progressing
government policy on innovation. Bola hasgained national and international recognition
for her work across the UK and Globally.
In 2003, she received her Majesty The Queen
and The Duke of Edinburgh’s invitation to
Buckingham Palace to mark her contribution
as a Pioneer to the Life of the Nation for her
work with inventive and innovative women.
In 2008, Bola was awarded the TIAW Worldof Diﬀerence Award recognizing her forher eﬀorts to advancing the economic
empowerment of women locally, regionallyand worldwide.

5

ABOUT The Interim
Committee Members

Ms. Nicola Jones

The AWFST Interim Steering Committee members weredrawn from the various parts of Africa (Nigeria, Kenya,
Lesotho, Tanzania, and Egypt) as well as the Diaspora (UKand USA). They are all inﬂuential leaders with agreat interestin driving STI in their respective ﬁelds of expertise. They all
have a common desire to promote and harness the capabilities
of women who hold rich tacit technological knowledge but
are currently under-represented in STI. Their qualiﬁcations
and experience are brieﬂy highlighted as follows:
Table 1: Members of the AWFST Interim Steering
Committee

NAME

REGION COUNTRY SECTOR POSITIONProf .
Agnes
Mwagombe

East Africa

Kenya

Academia

Prof. Norah East Africa
OlemboKenya

Academia/
Co-chairPrivate Sector

Ms. Bitrina
Diyamett

East Africa

Tanzania

Government / Member
Academia

Ms. NoahMatovuEast Africa

UgandaCivil Society

MemberWest Africa

Nigeria

Academia/
civil society

MemberWest Africa

Nigeria

Academia

MemberSouthern
AfricaLesothoMedia

Member

Ms . Manal
Samra

North Africa

Egypt

Civil society

MemberMrs . Bola
OlabisiDiasporaUK

Private Sector Member

Dr. Warigia
BowmanDiaspora

USA

Academia

Member

Ms. Martha
Ugwu

Diaspora

UK

Government

MemberMs. Nicola
JonesInternational

UK

Private sector/ Member
civil society

LesothoAcademiaProf.
ObiomaNwaorgu
Mrs.
OguguaEboh
Mrs.
Mamolise
Falatsa

Ms. Deepa Southern
Pullanikkatil Africa

6

Chair

MemberNicola Jones is a director and CEO of theSchumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems. She
was a lawyer for 18 years and her career spanned
corporate/ commercial work to private client andinvestment and banking law. She specialized in
UK tax. She worked in London in international
legal and accounting practices and moved to
Bermuda in 1996 where she worked at the largest
international oﬀshore ﬁrm and subsequently
headed the Private Client legal team at a majorbank.
During the last decade Nicola has trained,
mentored and worked on interdisciplinary/
relational approaches and systems thinking.
Nicola’s principal focus is on gender and she
recently completed an MA in Gender Studies
at London University’s School of Oriental
and African Studies. Her thesis was ‘The
Transformative Capacity of Global Philanthropy:
Why Do We Desire to Give?’ She was a director of
the Women’s Resource Centre in Bermuda which
supported women in abusive relationships, andran the ﬁrst conference for women for the Bankof Bermuda in 2003.
During this last decade Nicola has also trained
and worked in relationship and family businessadvisory services, incorporating
mediation,group relations and psychology. She has presented
to a variety of international audiences on subjects
ranging from philanthropy and gender to climatechange and has published work on governance.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Nominations for Associate Members AWFST
Steering Committee

Prof. Obioma Nwaorgu

Table 2: Nominees for Associate Membership of AWFST,
steering commitee.
NAME

REGION COUNTRY SECTOR POSITION

Dr . Rose
KigunduDiaspora

USA

Academia

MemberDr. PeggyWest Africa
Oti-Boateng

Ghana

Academia

MemberDr . Lucy
MuchokiKenya

Private sector Member

Ghana

Academia

MemberPan Africanorganisation

Dr . Mamaa
West Africa
EntsuaMensahDr. Afaf
Marei

North Africa

Egypt

Civil society

MemberDr. Yaye
Aissetou

Pan African

Francophone

Academia

Member

The AWFST Coordinator shall liaise with the ISC to nominate
a member from South Africa.

Prof. Obioma Nwaorgu is a public healthparasitology/epidemiologist. She holds a BSc.
in Zoology (1973) and best student in her classand a PhD in Parasitology from University ofCambridge UK (1978). She is a Takemi fellow ofthe department of public health Harvard School of
Public Health, Boston USA (1994-1995), a global
health leadership fellow Roll Back Malaria, World
Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (19992001) a British Council strategic leader.

Dr. Sheila Ochugboju shall become the AWFST Coordinator
assisted by Ms Wairimu Mwangi until otherwise stated by Prof. Nwaorgu is a faculty member at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe University where she is involved in
the ATPS Executive Director.
The ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Kevin Urama, shall direct
the AWFST program.

research, teaching and supervision of students inthe department of parasitology and entomology.
She consults for the following organizations
WHO, APOC, Federal and State Ministries
of Health and Education in Nigeria; National
Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA); Global
2000; UNICEF; WB, DFID, British Council and
PATHS. She is also the founder and Executive
Director of a nongovernmental organization– Global Health Awareness Research Foundation(GHARF) involved in adolescent, youths andwomen sexuality and reproductive health issues,
communicable diseases prevention and control,
water and sanitation issues.
It has received funding from MacArthur
Foundation USA, The Ford Foundation for West
Africa; Global Fund for women; WHO, UNICEF,
Action Aid Nigeria; MSA, WB; SFH; CEDPA
among others. She has published extensively inpeer review journals. She sits on various Boards
including the Sahara Board in South Africa.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 20097

Resolution of the Interim
Steering Committee.

Mr. Kennedy Ondimu

AWFST/RESOLUTION/2009/001
The ﬁrst African Women Forum for Science and Technology(AWFST) Interim Steering Committee meeting held at Sun
and Sand hotels Mombasa, Kenya on 16th & 17th of July,2009 deliberated on the AWFST agenda and resolved asfollows:
1.
AWFST shall be a pan African network programof the African Technology Policy Studies Network(ATPS).
2.
AWFST shall operate under the policies of the
ATPS.
3.
AWFST shall be governed by a Steering
Committee composed of elected members fromcountries of the following African Regions: East
Africa (2); West Africa (2); North Africa (1),Central Africa (1), Southern Africa (2);Francophone region (1 ); Lusophone region ( 1)and selected special interest groupings including
the Diaspora (2).
4.
Regional representation on the steering committee
shall be based on number of countries within theregion.
5.
The steering committee shall be composed ofa minimum of six (6) and a maximum of twelve(12) members.
6.
Membership of the AWFST Steering committee
shall be for a period of three years renewable once.
7.
For continuity, the inaugural steering committee
shall decide on procedures for rotation of steeringcommittee leadership from time to time.
8.
The Chair of the Steering Committee shall berotated amongst each of the regions in Resolution 3
above.
9.
The Chair of the committee shall be elected by themembers of the Committee.
10.
A Coordinator appointed by ATPS Secretariat(Executive Director) shall coordinate the day to day
activities of the AWFST.
11.
The AWFST Coordinator shall liaise with the
African Women in Diaspora to design suitableterms of reference for their active engagement in
the program.

8

Kennedy Ondimu holds a BA in Social Studies
and a diploma in information technology.
Currently, He is the Regional Programme
Associate Men to Men of the African Women’sDevelopment and communication Network– FEMNET. Kennedy was the ﬁrst national
Coordinator of the Men for Gender Equality
Now – MEGEN from 2004 to 2008. The project
covers seven African countries including Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Malawi,
Mali and Democratic republic of Congo – DRC.
Kennedy presided over the process of turning the
project into an autonomous organization.
Kennedy is the national coordinator for the We
Can Campaign in Kenya, a social campaignthat works to end social acceptance of violence.
He is also a member of the regional pool ofmale trainers for the UNHCR on sexual gender
based violence - SGBV. He has a wide range ofexperience in training of men in gender anddevelopment, human rights and adolescentsexual and reproductive health. Kennedy has
contributed to the work of expanding the roleof men in ending sexual gender based violence.
He has contributed to publications in print andelectronic media. He has also documented theexperience of working with men in a publication
in “Defying the Odds – Lessons from MEGEN.
Other areas include World Pulse magazine, local
and international media channels”. He also
developed a tool kit for engaging with boys ingender equality and women’s rights.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

12.

Until the inaugural election of the Steering
Committee is held, the AWFST shall be governedby an Interim Steering Committee (ISC) with thefollowing terms of reference:a.

Awareness creation in liaison with the ATPS
Secretariat
Membership drive to constitute chapters of the
AWFST in liaison with the ATPS Secretariat,
ensuring the representation of the quadruple helix[Governance, Academia, Private sector and the
Civil Society]
Nurturing the AWFST in liaison with the ATPS
Secretariat.
Oversee the development of the AWFST website inliaison with the ATPS Secretariat within one monthof this resolution.
Oversee the election of the Inaugural Steering
Committee within one year of this resolution.
Deﬁne the Terms of Reference (ToR) for theElected Steering Committee of the AWFST.
The ISC shall liaise with the ATPS Secretariat tofundraise for the activities of the AWFST including
the inaugural General meeting .
The ISC shall liaise with the Coordinator todesign a Program of Action (PoA) for the AWFST.
The ISC shall review the planned activities of the
WE CAN program and submit comments to the
ATPS Secretariat within one month of thisresolution.
The ISC shall produce a promotional Newsletter on
the initiative in English, French and Arabic withinone (1 ) month of this Resolution.
The ISC shall publish a communiqué of the ISC
meeting with passport photos and full contact
details within one week of this meeting.
The ISC shall liaise with the ATPS Secretariat toestablish a Resource Library to enhance women’s
access to international journals.
The Interim Steering Committee shall liaise with
the AWFST Coordinator in carrying out the tasks
speciﬁed above.

b.

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.

j.
k.
l.
m.

13.

The ISC shall govern the AWFST for one (1 )calendar year commencing from the date on thisResolution.

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Ms. Bitrina Diyamett

Bitrina Diyamett holds a BSc (Ed) in Physics,
Chemistry and Education at the University of Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. M.A in Science and Technology
Policy from Research Policy Institute (RPI), Lunds
University, Sweden. She is currently a SeniorResearch Oﬃcer at the Tanzania Commission for
Science and Technology (COSTECH. She is the
National Coordinator for the African Technology
Policy Studies Network (ATPS), Tanzanian
Chapter (ATPS-Tanzania).
ATPS-Tanzania is among the 24 African Think
Tanks that won the Award for the First Cohort of
the Think Tank Initiatives (TTI) in Africa. Bitrina
is also the current President of the Tanzania
Association of Inventors (TAI). She participatedin the international review of S&T indicatorslaunched by UNESCO Institute of Statistics(UIS) in 2001 as the only African participant in
the review process. She contributed to Annex to
Oslo Manual which is used by OECD countries tomeasure innovation.
Bitrina is a member of the NEPAD’s ad hocGroup of Experts on Africa’s Science, Technology
and Innovation Indicators (ASTII). She has
currently been co-opted by the Research Policy
Institute (RPI), Lunds University to join the
Faculty members to conduct training on Science,
Technology and Innovation Indicators for Africa.
She is completing a Ph.D at the University of Dar
es Salaam, where she is investigating innovationand interorganizational linkages in Tanzanian
manufacturing.

9The ISC shall be composed of the members listed inTable 1. (Page 6)

Mrs. Martha Ugwu

The nominees listed in Table 2 (Page 7)
shall be invited to become Associate Members of theSteering Committee.
The AWFST Coordinator shall liaise with the ISC tonominate a member from South Africa.
Dr. Sheila Ochugboju shall become the AWFST
Coordinator assisted by Ms Wairimu Mwangi until
otherwise stated by the ATPS Executive Director.
The ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Kevin Urama, shalldirect the AWFST program.

Women scientists Nobel Prizewinners
Physics

Martha Ugwu holds MSC, BA Hons, DIPHE,
RM, RGN. She is a Public Health Practitioner,
Midwifery Sister, Nurse Manager, Speaker, Wife,and Mother and the Founder/Chairperson
Emeritus of Nsukka Elite Ladies Association, anon-proﬁt organization that works to supportand empower indigenous women, through amentoring programme, social network, training
and development.

Chemistry

Internationally, we work to support women andchildren from disadvantaged backgrounds. She
has made valued contributions in the public
sector / NHS in varied settings.

1903
1963

1911
1935
1964

Marie Sklodowska Curie
Maria Goeppert Mayer

Marie Sklodowska Curie
Irene Joliot-Curie
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin

Physiology or Medicine
1947
1977
1983
1986
1988
1995
2004

Gerty Radnitz Cori
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
Barbara McClintock
Rita Levi-Montalcini
Gertrude Elion
Christiane Nusslein-Volhard
Linda B. Buck

She has extensive experience, working at a
managerial and leadership levels, leading
signiﬁcant change. She plays a central role in the
Productive Ward project.
Her team won the Trust Stars Award 2009 in the
category of “Support Service of the year”. She has
worked extensively in helping and supporting
women through training and development into
work that is sustainable, bringing positive impact
to their families.

Peace

2004 Wangari Maathai
Source: www.nobelprize.org.
10

REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

NOLOGY POLI
CY
CH
TE

ES
UDI
ST

AFRIC
AN

Women Innovation Challenge Program “We Can””

NETWORK

Ms. Manal Moustafa Samra

Giving Voice to African Women
to Discover, Decipher andDevelop Advances in Science andTechnology.
The African Technology Policy Studies network (ATPS) places
a huge emphasis on building capacities of African womenas drivers of their own destinies and Africa’s development,
through dynamic engagement in science, technology andinnovation (STI) policy research, policy process and policy
practice. It was in pursuance of this objective that the African
Women Forum for Science and Technology (AWFST) was
initiated in 2007.Building upon this platform, The ATPS is
now pleased to announce the launch of a new program, “The
Women Innovation Challenge (WE CAN) program.
The WE CAN Program
WE CAN is an Innovation Network for Transformational
Change for women in STI. It is centred around an innovative
Mentoring Programme, which joins Strategic Women
Leaders to at least 5 women each year, working on individual
BreakThrough Innovations (BTIs) across Africa. In Africa,
science and technology sits within the heart of culture andhow African people see themselves. African women havea rich cultural heritage of geometry, calculation and skills
acquired at an early age through the practice of crafts. These
traditional crafts like textiles and pottery should act asspringboards for industrial capacity building and economic
growth.
Such skills of precision and creativity can easily betransferred to the technological world. African women
have an important part to play in African development,
especially those who can imaginatively apply their humaningenuity to promote advances in science, technology andinnovation (STI). Already, they constitute 29% of researchers
in Science and Technology in Africa, according to UNESCO,yet more must be done to increase gender equity, equality
and empowerment to ensure an integrated, developed andprosperous continent.
REPORT OF THE 1st INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING. July. 2009

Manal Moustafa Samra holds a master’s degreein Political Science, specializing in Development,
and currently working as a Youth Development
Advisor for various national and international
development agencies and NGOs. She is a founderof the Youth and Development Consultancy
Institute (YDCI) in Egypt, that was established in2006 and is concerned mainly with promoting acomprehensive understanding and appreciation ofyoung people as an asset to economic developement.
YDCI is enhancing and disseminating meaningful
development methodologies, tailored to meet andrespect Arab cultures, for youth and community
development.
Manal is a consultant and facilitator for the British
Council’s InterAction Leadership Programmethat runs across 8 Arab countries in addition
to the UK. She has an extensive experience involunteerism, education, youth employment,
leadership for community development, healthand environment. She is skilled in designing anddelivering participatory training in areas such as
training of trainers (TOT), participatory rapid
appraisal (PRA), project design and evaluation,and utilizing the Asset-Based Community
Development (ABCD) approach in developing
local communities.
Ms. Samra has planned and coordinated various
activities related to building the capacities ofyoung people, especially women to lead in thedevelopement of their local communities.

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There are numerous opportunities and challenges facing
the African continent now, which women as half of the
population can help to solve.
1.

Mrs. Deepa Pullanikkatil

How to create sustainable systems for utilising thevast natural and human resources?
How to manage the resplendent biodiversity, large
forests and a rich culture?
How to obtain food security and reach theMillennium Development goals by 2015.

2.
3.

African women are still under-represented in mathematics,
science, technology, and engineering, due to many social,economic and cultural barriers. “That is the biggest challengethat we in this generation can bequest the next generation andto change the history of Africa” Phumzile Mlambo-Nguka.
South African Deputy President. 1st AU Women in Science
Conference - Aug 2007.
In order to address these challenges, WE CAN will be
implemented under the “Pay It Forward” (PIF) mentorshipconcept described overleaf.

Mrs. Deepa Pullanikkatil has a Bachelors degree
in Civil Engineering (1998) from Mahatma
Gandhi University (India), a Post Graduate
Diploma in Management (2000) from Amrita
Institute of Management (India) and a Masters
in Environment Management (2009) from
University of Freestate, South Africa. She has
also undergone training by Dialogue Matters, UKin public participation and stakeholder dialogue(2008). She is Associate Member, Institution ofEngineers (India).
Mrs.Pullanikkatil worked as a Civil Engineer inprojects such as construction of hospital in India
and, rural water supply and sanitation projects
in highlands of Lesotho. She now heads the
Department of Civil Engineering at Lerotholi
Polytechnic, Lesotho, where she initiated andhas introduced a new Higher National Diploma
in Water and Environmental Engineering. Mrs.
Pullanikkatil has been an ATPS researcher inthe past and her research in Water Pollution has
brought about policy changes in Lesotho.
She is currently also undertaking research workon Climate Change impacts on subsistence
farming communities in Lesotho, funded by
National Science Foundation, US. Deepa is
inspired by Nelson Mandela’s quote “There arefew misfortunes in the world that you cannot turninto a personal triumph if you have the iron will
and the necessary skill”.

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Paying it Forward Initiative (PIF)

Mrs. Rita Ogugu
Ogugua Eboh

Successful Women “Pay Forward” to a new generationof women leaders, by investing their skills, sharing theirknowledge and providing personal support to at least 5
Women, with important spheres of inﬂuence in diﬀerent
sectors of science, technology & innovation. The BTIs
which are generated out of the programme, are carefully
designed to solve an important development problem
using innovations in science and technology. The resultsof each year’s endeavours will be published in The WE
CAN Change Africa Report.
WE CAN will work with all the women to achieve
their individual Break Through Innovations, throughfour strategic pathways (described below), using our
infrastructural support networks and professional
capacity building expertise across our Pan African
networks.
*The PIF concept is adapted from a community
leadership model developed in Nigeria. Urama 2007

Mrs. Rita Eboh Ogugu holds an Msc in Social work
and Community Development and a Bachelors
Degree in Adult Education and Community
Development. She works as an Extension
Specialist at the Centre for Entrepreneurship andDevelopment Research, University of Nigeria.
She has keen interest in the areas of gender,
entrepreneurship and innovation

This Diagram is Designed by Masden Momanyi, ATPS Science Communication Oﬃcer
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Ms. Mamolise Falatsa

1. Peer-to-Peer Collaboration

The picture above shows a team eﬀort in Bolgatanga,
Ghana. A teenager does her school homework on a
blackboard painted on the wall of her house, while herolder sister checks the girls exercise book. With a literacy
rate of around 57.9% in the 2006, the nation is working to
improve this ﬁgure. According to UN’s Report on Africa
for 2007, the Millennium Development Goal to provide
Universal Primary Education for all is most likely to be
met by 2015.
Enrolment at primary school has increased from 57% in1999 to 70% in 2005, an increase of 13% in 6 years. The
hardest goals for Africa to meet by 2015 are those thataﬀect women most directly. Goal 3, Gender Equality and
Goal 5; Improving Maternal Health. Promoting genderequality will increase growth and reduce poverty, becauseof the unique multiplier eﬀect on other development
eﬀorts. Women invest more in children’s education andhealth than men.
However, women’s pay is often lower than that of men.
It is not eﬃcient that half of the world’s population does
not have equal access to resources such as property,
ﬁnance, education, labour and business services. In subSaharan Africa, subsistence agriculture is largely thedomain of women, who contribute a large percent infood production. Agricultural productivity can increase
by up to 20 per cent if women’s access to resources suchas land, seed and fertilizer is equal to men’s.

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Ms Mamolise Falatsa holds

a Bachelor
degree in Development studies and humangeography. She is currently working with
Ministry of Communication Science andTechnology as series producer interested
in Science at Lesotho Television.
Her main duties include: writing scripts,
researching, conducting interviews andpresenting programs on science. She
participated in several workshops such as
the Science Communicators workshop in
Naivasha organised by ATPS which was
useful in contributing to solving water
problems in Lesotho.
She has also attended a training workshop
on solar energy technology application in
China. She is looking forward to forming
a Women’s Science and Technology
Association in Lesotho.

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Dr. Sheila Ochugboju
NETWORKDr Sheila Ochugboju is the Senior Communications
and Outreach Oﬃcer at the Secretariat of the African
Technology Policy Studies Network , in Nairobi, Kenya.
Formerly the Operational Director for the Global
Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN) in
the UK. She was a Facilitator for the British Council
InterAction Leadership programme in 19 Africancountries, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan (2005-2009).
She launched the African Science Cafes for the British
Council at the Grahamstown Sasol SciFest in March
2007. This growing network established a creative
new model for public engagement with science andtechnology in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda
in February 2008. She is a biochemist with PostDoctoral Research experience as The Daphne Jackson
Fellowship at St Hilda’s College, Oxford (1998 – 2000),
which focused on genetically modiﬁed baculoviruses
for pesticide control. She has managed a portfolio ofInternational Development projects across Europe andAfrica. Her experience in science policy implementation
comes from working as a Senior Executive for the
Education and Policy Innovation (EPI) team at theEngineering and Technology Board, U.K.
Dr Ochugboju is featured on the British Council
Online Exhibition as one of the Women Excelling in
UK Science and Technology. Good Housekeeping
Magazine (Nov 2003) also named her as one of 12“Women Shaping our Future Today”. She is currently
a member of the Wellcome Trust Arts Committee.
The scheme is part of the £4 million Wellcome TrustEngaging Science programme.
She is a popular voice online, as a TED Fellow(Technology, Entertainment and Design - www.ted.
com) and has just launched a unique photoblog www.
Africaknows.com.
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NETWORKThe WE CAN Programme therefore intends toestablish networks which enhance inter-regional
collaboration between women and girls across Africa.
It will also foster new North-South and South- South
Partnerships to increase women’s entrepreneurshipand its contribution to economic growth.

speciﬁc sectors, including Climate
Change adaptation and mitigation in
Africa; agricultural innovation systems;
public health and disease prevention (including HIV/
AIDS, malaria and Cholera); Water and sanitation,and sustainable management of ecosystem services.

2. Innovation Challenge Awards

The WE CAN programme invites women from subSaharan and North Africa to participate in this PanAfrican initiative. The WE CAN programme will belaunched with an Advisory Panel of 12 Inspirational
Leaders in Science and Technology in Nairobi, July2009.
An Innovation Challenge Award
scheme will be launched to recognise outstandingachievement in addressing development challenges in

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3. Innovation Incubator
Initiatives (3-Is)

This is a strategic mentorship initiative wherecompetition winners are given the chance to take
Ideas to Market.
Innovative women will translate ideas (tacit or codiﬁed)
into actual technologies for addressing speciﬁcchallenges in a production or service chain, acrossdiﬀerent speciﬁed sectors or stakeholder communities.
Speciﬁc attention will be paid to the inclusion ofideas based on tacit or codiﬁed knowledge, scientiﬁc
research and/or management, climate change, healthand agriculture.
The idea or prototype technology should be aimed atsolving a speciﬁc problem in the production or service
chain of a target industry or stakeholder community
in Africa.
It could be in the form of a speciﬁc research idea,
science manuscript or craftmanship that requires
testing in a target laboratory, a private industry or agovernment ministry.

Particular attention will be paid to developing thecapacity of women who work in the informal sector,
an area where women predominate and where a
consistent lack of government support has failed torecognize their pivotal importance to the survival ofmany African economies.
ATPS will work with policy-makers to address theinequalities in supporting these sectors, particularly
in areas such as foreign-exchange earning andexportoriented economic activities, where government
support largely favours men. Successful applicants will
be deployed with relevant actors in the relevant areas(private or public sectors) on the continent for
3-6 months to incubate the idea or turn it into tangible
technologies /innovations to solve practical problems
identiﬁed.

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4. Post-Doctoral Fellowship & Internships Programme
She said this had a good eﬀect, because she waspermitted to explore as she grew older. She says thebiggest problem was feeling very alone as a woman
in science. Professor Nyokong says she wants to
support young women in science so they do not haveto experience this.
*The WE CAN* programme seeks to provide
opportunities for short-term mentoring of students incollege, undergraduate and postgraduate levels in STI
policy related subjects. The 3-6 month placements
and staﬀ exchange programmes aim to enable womenat the beginning of their research careers to work in a
Professor Tebello Nyokong of Lesotho (above), is multidisciplinary environments, under the supervisiona winner of the award L’Oreal and UNESCO award of senior colleagues in Africa, to establish networks
in science. Her research concerns the development to foster systems thinking and innovation underof drugs to treat cancer. As a young girl, Professor close supervision by experienced colleagues. The
Nyokong says she went to school on some days and programme will also include training and mentorshiptook care of sheep on other days. She did jobs that for scientiﬁc writing; science publications and science
were usually done by boys.
journalism.

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