www.atpsnet.org
Issue No 0010

September 2017

ISBN 978-9966-030-93-1

AFRICAThis is the official newsletter of the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Highlights:
ATPS Appoints a New Board Chair
Scientometrics as a Tool for Effective Evaluation of Science,
Technology and Innovation Policy Performance in a Developing
Country Context
Aligning ATPS Swaziland Chapter Activities with the National
Goal to Attain First World Status by 2022

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

www.atpsnet.org

ATPS Vision:
To become the leading international centre of excellence and reference in science, technology andinnovation systems research, training and capacity building, communication and sensitization, knowledge brokerage, policy advocacy and outreach in Africa.
ATPS Mission:
To improve the quality of science, technology and innovation systems research and policy making in
Africa by strengthening capacity for science and technology knowledge generation, communicationand dissemination, use and mastery for sustainable development in Africa.
Overall Objective:
To develop Africa’s STI capacity (knowledge basis & infrastructure, knowledge circulation & networks,
knowledge conditions & policies) today for sustainable African development tomorrow.
ATPS Motto:
Building Africa’s capabilities in science, technology and innovation policy research, policymaking andpolicy implementation for sustainable development.

INSIDE•

Scientometrics as a Tool for Effective Evaluation of
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Performancein a Developing Country Context•

ATPS launches its Project on Bridging Climate Information Gaps to Strenghten Capacities for Climate Informed
Decision-making
ATPS Appoints a New Board Chair•

ATPS Revamps its Website•

Credit Access: Challenges for Nigerian Farmers and the

Editor:Sharon Anyango

Way Forward
Innovations in the Health Sector Helps Improve Liveli-

Kenya Bans Plastic Bags: Is it a Menace to the Environ-tional Goal to Attain First World Status by 2022
Scholarships/Opportunities•

Vacancies

Chibuzo Okpokiri
Alfred Nyambane

Aligning ATPS Swaziland Chapter Activities with the Na-•

Philipa Ngaju Makobore
Yusuff Utieyineshola Adeleke

ment or the Economy?
•

Contributors:
Prof. Musa Dube

hoods
•

Editor in Chief:
Dr. Nicholas Ozor••

EDITORIAL TEAM

Design and Layout:
Sharon Anyango2www.atpsnet.org

Chairman’s Message

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGEA

few events worthy to mention occurred at the ATPS
during this quarter; Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak
retired as Chair of the ATPS Board and he also
resigned from the board of directors because of his
current position at the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. Needless to say, we are very gratefulfor the passion and leadership that Professor Abdulrazak
exhibited during the eight years he served as a Director andseven years as Chair of the Board. A decision was also made to
expand the number of directors from five to eleven persons;this will allow us expand our core areas of interest andexpertise of board members who by charter are mandated to
guide and set policies for the ATPS.
The ATPS in partnership with the Stockholm Environment
Institute (SEI) Africa Centre, IGAD Climate Prediction andApplications Centre (ICPAC), Observatoire du Sahara ed
du Sahel (OSS), AGRHYMET Regional Centre (ARC) and theRegional Centre for Mapping Resource for Development(RCMRD) launched its regional project project tagged“Bridging Climate Information Gaps to Strengthen
Capacities for Climate Informed Decision-making” on 11th
September at the Hilton Hotel, Nairobi. The project aims tostrengthen the capacities of selected African countries on
how to reduce climate change vulnerabilities and foster afood secure Africa. On behalf of the ATPS Board, I extend my
gratitude to the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the
Clim-Dev Special Fund (CDSF) for supporting this 2 year multicountry project. The project will be implemented in Kenya,
Cameroon, Nigeria, Malawi and Tunisia.

Mr. Chuma Ikenzeand decision-making in the selected African countries.
This approach will generate the kind of ground swell thatwould make it easier for policies to be formulated based on
the positive results indicated by the grass roots project. For
instance, the success of this ATPS project could encourage
universities to incorporate the LandInfo mobile app into theiragric-extension education programme, or local governments
to support farmers on the use of LandInfo app for more
effective farmland utilization. Either, or both, of these results
can ultimately lead to better utilization of land resources,
which will mean using less land to grow more food, andtherefore less deforestation and clearing of land. All of which
in time would begin to address some of the weather andclimate issues for which we seek a solution.

The launch came at a very timely time regardless of one’s
position on the ongoing debate about climate change. The
weather related events that have been making news headlines
suggest that something is definitely happening to theworld’s climate and weather; some of these instances include
hurricanes that have hit the Caribbean and Easten seaboardof the US, landslide in Sierra Leone and drought which has
ravaged some African countries. All of these disastrous events
have heightened calls to governments and institutions toformulate and adopt effective policies to help reverse or stem
this growing tide of events. Unfortunately, the phenomena
involved are so pervasive that it is a challenge to identify, or
determine from where to start formulating effective policies.
The African continent suffers from the added handicap of
inadequate or paucity of data to use in making informed
policy decisions.

At the end of the two year period (2017-2019), the project
would have supported selected African countries withadequate climate information, built the capacity of relevant
stakeholders and also strengthened institutional capabilities
to adopt good national climate sytems. I urge the project
partners to ensure that their final report is written in a simple
manner for the average man to understand; this way the
impact of the project will be felt at the ground level.
I am very optimistic that the combination of these scientificand grass roots approaches will help African policy makers tomore easily identify immediate actions to take in combating
the very pervasive problems that come under the generalumbrella of “Climate Change.”

The CDSF project aims to use a unique grass root approachthat will achieve the dual effect of educating farmers andextension agents on effective land usages, as well as collate
data that can be used hopefully for effective policy formulation

Mr. Chuma Ikenze,
CEO Kenzel, LLC,
Chair, ATPS Board of Directors

3

www.atpsnet.org

ED’s Message

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

G

reetings and welcome to this edition ofTechnopolicy Africa Newsletter! We have madegreat strides during this quarter and we continue
to aim towards becoming the leading international
centre of excellence and reference in science, technology andinnovation systems research, training and capacity building,communication and sensitization, knowledge brokerage, andpolicy advocacy.
ATPS is currently implementing its Phase VIII Strategic Plan
(2017-2022) which is line with the Science, Technology andInnovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) 2024 and the global
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). We have aligned
our activities with the current global and regional trends anddo hope to use Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) tosolve today’s challenges such as climate change, poverty, foodinsecurity, unemployment, and health issues among manyothers. ATPS has identified four thematic/priority areas in its
strategic plan, these include:- Agriculture, Food and Nutrition;
Energy; Climate Change and Environmental Management;
and Health Innovations. The strategic objectives will focus
on STI policy research, policymaking and advocacy; Training,sensitization and capacity building; Youth and gender
empowerment; Knowledge brokerage, management andcommercialization and, Intra-Africa and global collaborationand partnerships.

Dr. Nicholas Ozor
Initiative (SGCI) Annual Forum which will be held from 22-23
November 2017 in Livingstone, Zambia. The SGCI theme on
Networking Africa’s SGCs is being implemented by ATPS in
partnership with Sciinovent Centre is a 5 year initiative thataims to strengthen the capacities of Science Granting Councils
in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to support research and evidencebased policies that contribute to economic and social
development on the continent. The SGCI is funded by theInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada;
the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa; and theDepartment for International Development (DFID), UK. The
theme of this year’s forum is, “Towards Effective Public-Private
Partnerships in Research and Innovation in Africa.”

During the quarter, ATPS launched a regional project on:
Bridging Climate Information Gaps to Strenghthen Capacities
for Climate Informed Decision-making in Nairobi, Kenya. This
project is in line with our Stragetic Plan under the theme;
Climate Change and Environmental Management, and it will
be implemented in partnership with Stockholm Environment
Institute (SEI) Africa Centre, IGAD Climate Prediction andApplications Centre (ICPAC), Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel(OSS), AGRHYMET Regional Centre (ARC) and the Regional
Centre for Mapping Development (RCMRD. The project aims
to strengthen the capacities of selected African countries tounderstand and deploy appropriate climate information andbest practices to inform decision-making. Additionally, theproject will reduce vulnerability and foster a food secure Africa.
The main components of the project are:synthesis of climate
information, capacity enhancement and climate information
dissemination, and project management and administration.
At the end of the two years period various stakeholders andinstitutions will be able to intergrate climate information
into development planning and policies to strengthen theirnational climate systems. The project is being supported by
the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the ClimDev
Special Fund (CDSF) and it will be implemented in Kenya,
Cameroon, Tunisia, Malawi and Nigeria.

Lastly, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Chuma Ikenzefor his appointment as the Chair of ATPS Board of Directors. His
appointment was made during the last ATPS Board meeting
held in September 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya. I am very confident
that his leadership as the ATPS Board Chair will bring forthgood tidings and open new doors to enable ATPS achieve
its mission, vision and objectives enshrined in our mandateof building Africa’s capabilities in science, technology andinnovation policy research, policy making and implementation
for sustainable development on the continent. I also extend
my gratitude to Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak for his dedicatedservice to the ATPS during his tenure; it was great working
with him and we wish him well in his future endevours. Thankyou all for your continued supports for the ATPS programs
and activities. We welcome more development partners anddonors to support us in using STI as a means for achieving
sustainable development in Africa.

Dr. Nicholas Ozor,
Executive Director, ATPS

We are also organizing this year’s Science Granting Councils

4

www.atpsnet.org

Scientometrics

SCIENTOMETRICS AS A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE EVALUATIONOF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION POLICYPERFORMANCE IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT

Photo: The Guardian
Students in a Science Laboratory.

By Yusuff Utieyineshola Adeleke
Senior Research Officer,
Science Policy and Innovation Studies Department
National Centre for Technology Management, Abuja
Nigeria.

T

he performances of either researchers or knowledge institutions seems to be based on their output while little or no attention is made to actually
determine their impact. For Africa to measure-up
with other developing countries like India and therest that fall within this rank where their research activities
have translated into developing their economy and improving
the standard of living, there has to be an empirical measure of
the real value of our research within the Science, Technology
and Innovation (STI) sector.
I recently conducted a six month study to determine theamount of value addition and substance of research activities
emanating from Africa. The study was conducted at the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
India under the Research Training Fellowship for Developing
Country Scientists (RTF-DCS) 2017-2018 and was fully supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

5

The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy in a developing
country context using Scientometrics approach. However,it specifically assessed Nigeria’s performance in the field of
S&T using India as a benchmark for this comparison. On thispremise, the conceptual framework was built on three indicators as suggested in Glanzel (2003); Indicators of publications
activity which measure researcher’s productivity; Indicatorsof Citation Impact (which measures the credibility and ranking of the journals); and Indicators of Scientific Collaboration(which reviews the nature and pattern of scientific collaboration institutions-academic or research- in Nigeria). The study
retrieved relevant information on publications in the field of
S&T from database mainly, Scopus for the Years 2000 – 2016
and SCImago for Years 1996 – 2015. Statistics on Impact Factor was extracted from Journal Citation Report, 2016, a publication of Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) the databasemanaging company for Thomson Reuter’s Web of Science(WoS). To address the fundamental issues guiding the study,
selected parameters used to measure Nigeria’s performance
included; Relative Growth Rate and Doubling Time of publications in Nigeria (Year-wise); Citation Index, Impact Factor,
main research subject areas, top researchers in Nigeria, productive institutions, most ranked scholarly journals in S&T, collaborative countries for research, patent statistics and other
S&T indicators as prescribed by the World Bank.

www.atpsnet.org

Scientometrics

Top 10 most Productive Countries in Africa in the field of Science (All subject area) 1996-2015
Rank Rank Country Docs
Africa World

Citable %doc
Citabledocs

Citation Self
% selfcitations
H
Citation citation for
Index
documents

1.

34

South
Africa188104

172424 91.66

2125927 454537

21.38

11.3

320

2.

52

Nigeria

59372

56630

95.38

334059

72718

21.77

5.63

131

3.

53

Tunisia

58769

55904

95.12

342429

73636

21.50

5.83

123

4.

55

Algeria

42456

41544

97.85

215922

43297

20.05

5.09

106

5.

56

Morocco 40737

38371

94.19

279731

51031

18.24

6.87

129

6.

67

Kenya

24458

22347

91.37

379560

57594

15.17

15.52

179

7.

78

Ethiopia

13363

12625

94.48

118656

24840

20.93

8.88

101

8.

84

Tanzania 11964

11140

93.11

170144

25866

15.20

14.22

122

9.

86

Ghana

11543

10578

91.64

111205

13874

12.48

9.63

105

10.

87

Uganda

11528

10599

91.94

171367

26995

15.75

14.87

128

*Egypt ranked 42 in the World but it was not included in the ranking list in Africa as obtained from source
Source: SCImago, Author analysis, 2017

Productive Countries in S&T

arkable thing noted here was that no private university wasamong the top 10 most productive institution in Nigeria. Although in the “S&T” there is the presence of some research
institutions like National Space Research and Development
Agency (NASRDA) and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, (IITA) which indicates that S&T research extends beyond academic institution in Nigeria with Federal Agencies
and Centres of Excellence contributing to the production ofknowledge in this sector, making them fulfil their mandatethat guides their existence.

On the basis of the 10 top most productive countries in S&T
in the world between 1996-2015, while India ranked 9th position having produced 1,140,717 documents with 94.06% of it
citable, and having H-index of 424, it was noted that none of
the African countries fall within this range. In Africa, in terms ofsubject-wise between 1996-2015 (Table 1.0), Nigeria is ranked
2nd among the top 10 most productive countries in Africa inall the fields of science subject generally having produced
59,372 documents- a little above India’s average production

Top 10 Journals in the Field of S&T Nigeria

Nigeria’s Publication Performance in Scientific
Research Between the year 2000 – 2016

The top 10 most ranked scholarly journals in Nigeria in thearea of “All Subject” category, according to the Scopus ranking, African Journal of Biotechnology (AJB) is the most ranked
journal with a total of 1,737 documents produced representing 3.71. In comparison to its ranking in JCR, this journal is
not documented among the list of journals in the JCR ranking for the year under review. The two prominent journals
ranked on JCR are Plos One which is ranked 3rd on Scopus
but with JCR 2016 rank of 1,873 out of a total of 11,962 journals. In S&T only Advances in Space Research (ASR); International Journal Of Ophthalmology (IJO); and International
Journal Of Surgery (IJS); the three main journals with JCR
ranking. This implies that despite a number of publications
recorded by Authors/researchers in Nigeria, very few ofthem publish their work in top-rated journals in the world.
What this means is that the quality of research may not beappreciable at the global space where other researchers interact. In Nigeria, the choice of selecting which appropriate Journal to publish research work is mostly determinedby a number of financial resources available to authors for

Nigeria’s performance in terms of its publication output by
researchers from various scientific fields between the year
2000 and 2016 based on data sourced from Scopus databaseon 11th of June 2017 shows that between these periods, a
total of 194,006 and 131 documents were produced in “AllSubjects” and “S&T” fields respectively with articles being theirmajor document types. For the top 10 research subject area in
Nigeria, while Medicine is the most ranked in the “all subject”
field, “Social Science” top the list in “S&T”. The top 10 most productive researchers in Nigeria in both fields were determined.
Gureje, Oboh and Wiwanitkit are the top three in the “all subject” category with most of their publications centred on Medicine; and Agricultural and Biological Sciences, while in “S&T”
Ezegwui, Ilori, John and Siyanbola are the top four for this fieldin the respective order. In terms of the most productive institution in Nigeria, while the University of Ibadan ranked first in
the “all subject” however, Obafemi Awolowo University is the
productive institution in Nigeria in the field of “S&T”. One rem-6

www.atpsnet.org

Scientometrics

publications or some researchers are just eager to publish
in Journals (predatory) that will get their work published so
as to qualify for promotion in their respective Institutions.

Comparison in S&T Development within 2005 2015: African Countries versus India
Result retrieved shows that in Africa, Tunisia has the highest
number of researchers involved in full-time R&D followed bySouth Africa. In this category, Nigeria recorded a low number.
Kenya has the most number of Technicians involved in R&D
than the rest of the countries in Africa. In fact, Kenya surpasses
India in both indicators despite a higher GERD allocation inIndia. There is still low R&D funding in Africa as none of the top
10 countries allocate up to 1% of the annual budget expenditure to R&D in the region.
Nigeria’s high-technology export is low in terms of percentage
of manufactured export and the corresponding capital generated if compared with other African countries. In this category,none of the top 10 African countries exports high-technology
more than India. This also explains why there is low revenue
being generated from the use of intellectual property in Africa. Therefore, India has a higher comparative advantage inrevenue generation from intellectual property than all other
African countries as a whole. This is an indication that Africancountries are still much dependent on technology acquisition
and transfer from other regions that are technologically advanced thereby increasing its expenditure on technology acquisition than revenue generation.

Photo: CUT
A scientist at South Africa’s Council for scientific and Industrial
Research working on the first Africa’s digital laser.
were suggested for quick action from all the concerned stakeholders involved in promoting S&T development in Nigeria
and these include:••

Similarly, comparing patent statistics on the basis of number
of applications and the total number granted, the result also
shows there was no record of Nigeria on this parameter andalso that a summation of all the patent applications and patents granted by statistics of the top 10 African countries measure up to half the total output of India. This presents a clearer
picture of the technological disparity in production between
the whole of African countries and India. Additionally, frominformation gathered in the study, Africa’s patent records are
weak in performance as it contributes less than 1% patents asa share of the world total in 2005 and 2015 although its average growth in 2005 out-perform that of Europe, Latin America& Caribbean, and Oceania. This is an indication that Africa
has the required capacity to develop technologically sequelto motivation from Government and private sectors in termsof funding, promotion and appreciation of local technologies
over foreign sourced ones, skill improvement, especially inareas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM).

••

Increasing funding for research by adopting suitable andinnovative approaches;
Performance assessment of researchers should focus lesson number of papers rather on the quality of the papers;
encourage agencies like NACETEM to conduct surveys on
STI Indicator to enable data generation for Nigeria which
will contribute to international databases such as theWorld Banks, WIPO, UNESCO, etc; andEncourage and support locally-produced technologies
and innovations in Nigeria in terms of Technology acquisition.

These recommendations require the support of government
at all levels, academic and research institutions, professional
associations, industries, venture capitalist/financial institutions and the private sectors involved in the production andutilization of scientific knowledge in Nigeria.

Policy Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, policy recommendations

7

www.atpsnet.org

CDSF Project

ATPS LAUNCHES ITS PROJECT ON “BRIDGING CLIMATEINFORMATION GAPS TO STRENGTHEN CAPACITIES FOR
CLIMATE INFORMED DECISION-MAKING”

Various stakeholders came together in Nairobi, Kenya for the launch of a regional project, “Bridging Climate Information Gaps toStrengthen Capacities for Climate Informed Decision-making.
inform decision-making at various levels including policy andpractice. The project aims to strengthen capacities of selected African countries to understand and deploy appropriate
climate information and best practices to support decisionmaking, development planning, reduce vulnerability and foster a food secure Africa. The project will be implemented in
Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi and Tunisia. Specifically, theproject will identify and analyse climate information needs;build the capacities and knowledge of government agencies,
research institutions, extension gents, and contact farmers toutilize high quality, demand-driven climate information foradaptation planning and decision-making; and facilitate themainstreaming of climate change issues in regional policy so
as to strengthen the understanding, use and mastery of climate information.

By Sharon AnyangoThe African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Africa Centre, IGAD Climate Prediction
and Applications Centre (ICPAC), Observatoire duSahara et du Sahel (OSS), AGRHYMET Regional Center (ARC),
and the Regional Centre for Mapping Resource for Development (RCMRD) launched a regional project on “Bridging Climate Information Gaps to Strengthen Capacities for Climate
Informed Decision-making at the Hilton Hotel Nairobi, Kenya.
The project is being funded by the African Development Bank(AfDB) under the ClimDev Special Fund – a tripartite partnership with the African Union Commission and the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA). The project is in line with the
ClimDev Special Fund (CDSF) goal of improving the generation and use of climate information, and to enhance the capacities of national climate institutions and services to builda climate prepared agencies that can respond favourably to
extreme weather events.

Mr. Chuma Ikenze, ATPS Board Chair lauded the team forlaunching the project at an appropriate time. He urged the
project partners to ensure that their final report is written ina simple language for the common man to understand. Additionaly, he thanked the AfDB for supporting the project andcommended them for the good impact they are making in thesociety.

Africa has made considerable efforts over the past decade in
the development of regional and national programs, strategies and institutions for generating robust climate informationand providing services for national and regional development
planning towards climate resilient and less carbon-intensive
economies. Despite these efforts, key challenges remain withregards to the low capacities of African countries to understand, analyse and deploy appropriate climate information to

Dr. Nicholas Ozor, ATPS Executive Director noted that the
project discussions had began in 2014 and thanked partners
for their patience and cooperation upto the official launch of
the project. He promised accountability of the money donated by the bank towards the project.

8

www.atpsnet.org

Board Chair

Mr. Onesmus Maina, Senior Agricultural Economist (AfDB) advised the project partners on the need of having a dedicatedproject implementation team with subject matter specialists,
a proper detailed implementation plan to ensure objectives
are met and open communication; these he noted will contribute to the success of the project. He further noted that thefindings from the project will inform African stakeholders withadequate capacities needed to create development pathways
at institutional, national and regional level. In addition, thefindings of the project should be digitized for the future generations to utilize.

logical department does not synchronize with the one available at NDMA so as to inform policy.
The project is expected to run for two years (2017-2019) and it
will support selected African countries with adequate climate
information, provide an opportunity to adopt a development
pathway that is climate-resilient, build adaptive capacities of
stakeholders and strengthen institutional capabilities to integrate climate information into development planning andpolicies which in turn strengthens national climate systems.
The launch brought together representatives from government ministries and agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policymakers, and experts from academia andresearch institutions across Africa to have deeper discussions
on experiences on the critical role of climate information andforge prospective partnerships with relevant stakeholders forthe implementation of the project. The project has been allocated 449,360 Euros.

Prof. Shem Wandiga from the Institute of Climate Change Adaptation, University of Nairobi made a keynote presentation
on Climate Information Needs for Policy and Practice. According to him, there are a lot of climate information gaps thathinder policy making and research. He further noted that in
Kenya, it is only the National Drought Management Authority(NDMA) that monitors the food available in the country, sends
a signal to the government if there is hunger or if there is needfor other supported activities. Unfortunately, data at meteoro-

ATPS APPOINTS A NEW BOARD CHAIR
Mr. Ikenze is the CEO and Founder of Kenzel, LLC, a technology
and Financial Management Solutions firm based in the UnitedState of America. He brings a wealth of experience of over 35
years in the private and public sector. He has been variously
recognized as an international Business Development Expert
who has assisted companies seeking opportunities in the subSaharan African market.
His passion is to facilitate effective transfer of technology
and management know-how into the African economies. Mr.
Chuma holds an MBA degree from Cornell University, Ithaca
NY and he is also a Certitified Public Accountant in the UnitedStates of America and an Enrolled US taxation (IRS) specialist.
Other ATPS board members include: Prof. Oyebanji Oyeyinka
Oyelaran, Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng, Dr. El Tayed Mustafa, Prof.
Cryspus Kiamba, Dr. Catherine Adeya, and Dr. Nicholas Ozor
who serves as an ex-officio member and Secretary of theBoard. The board is tasked with reviewing and approving theannual programme of ATPS activities and approving the annual budget of the organization amongst other duties.

Dr. Nicholas Ozor, ATPS Executive Director presents a certificate
to Mr. Chuma Ikenze to confirm his appointment as the Chair of
ATPS Board of Directors.

T

he ATPS congratulates Mr. Chuma Ikenze for his appointment as the new Chair of ATPS Board of Directors. His appointment was officillay made on 12 September 2017 during the ATPS Board meeting . Mr.
Ikenze takes over from Prof. Shaukat Abdulrak who served the
ATPS from 2011 as the Board Chair.

The ATPS extends its gratitude to Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak forhis manyyears of dedicated service to the ATPS. Prof. Shaukat
is currently the Director for Africa, Technical Cooperation Department at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
Vienna, Austria.

9www.atpsnet.org

ATPS Website

ATPS RAVAMPS ITS WEBSITE

A cross-sectional view of the new ATPS website (Homepage).

A

TPS has revamped its website after months of review by an IT expert Mr. Raymond Mumo. The new
website is part of ATPS’s rebranding effort geered
towards increasing continuous conversations between the ATPS and its board members, National Chapter
Coordinators, ATPS members, Donors, Stakeholders and the
public at large.
The new website boasts of multi- media capabalities and has a
new improved look with major sections easily accessible fromthe homepage. The key sections include: About ATPS, Our focus, Projects, Publications, Media Centre, Blogs, Contact us,
Latest News, Current Projects and the National Chapters Column.

umes, annual reports, newsletters, annual conferences andworkshop proceedings, online journals, conference/workshop
communiques and annual conference presenations are allavailable in the publication segment on the website.
The National Chapter section which is very essential because
ATPS implements its programs through its Chapter coordinators who are spread across in 30 countries (27 in Africa and3 in the diaspora namely Australia, United States of America
and United Kingdom) is also available on the homepage. Thissection gives each stakeholder an opportunity to know who
their Chapter Cordinator is and their contact information. The
platform helps to increase continuous conversation between
ATPS members and their Chapter Coordinators as well as getting involved in the Chapter activities.

The “About Us” section contains detailed information about
the organisation, the executive director’s statement, and
ATPS’s Strategic Plan. In this section ATPS stakeholders will beable to get more information about the organisation’s structure and how different people in the structure work together
to achieve the overall goal, objectives, mission and vision of
the ATPS. Additionally, stakeholders will be able to know about
ATPS’s current and past donors as well as the like-minded institutions that ATPS has worked with in the past or presently
working with. Information about the Secretariat, its leadershipand staff members is also available under this section

The media section contains press releases, videos, podcasts
and photo gallery of all ATPS activities and projects which theteam has undertaken across the globe. The blog section enables members with various expertise in the fields to contributearticles which are published on the website; the blog articles
relate to ATPS’s work majorly on science, technology and innovation. Anyone interested to join the ATPS as a member canalso register through the website, it is very easy and does nottake more than two minutes. The latest news segment keeps
one updated with the current activities at the ATPS.

In the “Our Focus” section, there is a detailed explanation of
the strategic plan, key thematic priorities and the programmatic priorities of the ATPS. The diverse ATPS stakeholders will
be able to know more about the current and past projects; ineach project one will also find information about the project
outputs. All ATPS publications among them working papers,
special papers, research papers, technopolicy briefs, book vol-The exciting part of the new website is the “contact us” section.
All ATPS stakeholders are encouraged to get in touch with
the Secretariat and also on ATPS social media pages so thatthey can participate in the on-going discussions about ATPS’s
work; the communications team is on stand-by to provide assistance. The ATPS looks forward to engaging with the diverse
stakeholders spread in different countries through this media.

10www.atpsnet.org

Farmers

CREDIT ACCESS: CHALLENGES FOR NIGERIAN FARMERS AND THE WAY FORWARD•

Lack of finance limits farmers’ quest for research and implementing new ideas and techniques for fear of a negative outcome.
The Nigerian government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved the disbursement of about N75billion
as loan to farmers in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharingin Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL). The programme is designed
to create access to finance for farmers by integrating end-toend agriculture value chains, such as input producers, farmers,
agro dealers, agro processors and industrial manufacturers
with agricultural financing value chains – loan product development, credit distribution, loan origination, managing andpricing for risk, and loan disbursement. The Nigerian government through the CBN and other agencies are making efforts
Farmers tilling the land.
to ensure that farmers have the funds needed to carry out
their activities. Although the Nigerian government is making
By Chibuzo Okpokiri
efforts to ensure that farmers are provided with cheap sourcDept. of Agribusiness and Management,
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, es of funds; reports show that the target audience for whichthese scheme were put in place have been marginalized. The
Abia State, Nigeria
very farmer, entrepreneur, or agripreneur have grand target audience who are poor farmers especially those in thebusiness ideas on how to take their activities to the hinterlands are deprived of these opportunities while richnext level but they are handicapped by lack of ade- farmers and in worst case scenarios those who are not farmers
quate finance to execute these plans. Every business enjoy the benefits of these schemes. The contributing factors
needs finance to oil the wheels of its operations so as to ensure to these problems include:
Lack of proper record keeping by farmers which makes it
its smooth running. Finance provides cash reserves required •difficult for the disbursing agencies to substantiate their
to fast track the process of production and consumption inloan claims
the next cycle. It provides an opportunity for farmers to meet•High level of illiteracy among poor farmers
their consumption requirements and input needs. The role ofLack of awareness of the scheme by most farmers
finance in every human endeavor cannot be overemphasized. ••Unwillingness of most farmers to join cooperative societies which will increase their chances of obtaining credit
Agripreneurs face an uphill task in accessing finance in form
from these schemesof loans from commercial banks in Nigeria. Most commercial
Unethical practice of some financial institutions of divertbanks avoid giving loans to farmers and agripreneurs. They •ing funds meant for farmers to people who do not belong
are seen as bad investments because of the variations in farm
the target group.
output, subsistence nature of production, risk inherent in theInabid to provide credit to farmers to help foster growth incourse of production which includes pest and disease attack,inadequate records keeping by farmers, crop failure, utiliza- agriculture and also to ensure that farmers benefit from varition of crude implements, and lack of farm mechanization. ous agricultural schemes the government should ensure that:
Financial institutions adhere to the instructions pertainSome of the problems associated with inadequate funds in- •ing to agricultural loan schemes and defaulters punishedclude:
severely to serve as deterrent for others.
•
Inability of farmers to adapt to climate friendly techniques•
Seminars, talk shows, training programs should be organand equipment as they do not have the funds to attend
ized to enlighten farmers on proper farm management
trainings and purchase the needed tools.
practices, record keeping and ways to successfully apply•
Most farmers who cannot afford modern equipments tofor loans.
increase their output still operate at a subsistence level.
•
Farmers should be encouraged to form and join cooperaThis is a big set back to the self sufficiency plan of the Nitive societies as most donor agencies prefer to work with
gerian government and Africa at large.
people as a group and cooperatives provide such plat•
Large scale production seems like a fairytale as majority
forms and more extension agents should be trained andof the farmers in Nigeria lack the financial might to mechsent to the rural areas to create awareness of government
anize their farms and make use of improved varieties.
11 programs to the rural farmers.

Ewww.atpsnet.org

HealthINNOVATIONS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR HELPS IMPROVE LIVELIHOODSAn Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECFG), a new technology that controls the rate of fluid flow administered topatients.

By Sharon AnyangoG

ood health and good sense are two life’s greatest blessings. Health is a very crital sector in eachcountry and when the sector is not functioning
well; the fatalities who are often the public suffer
more.The world today is grappling with different kinds of diseases which are killing people for instance Cholera. The World
Health Organisation, aid agencies and donors have made a
global pledge to end cholera which is killing millions of people today. According to WHO two billion people globally lackaccess to clean water and are at a potential risk of cholera due
to weak health systems and outbreaks which are not detected
early enough. Recently, the Kenyan doctors after a hundreddays strike signed a return to work formula that will now see
doctors earn higher than they used to receive form the government. It is estimatesd that 40 people died during the strikeand majority of those who suffered were the poor people who
cannot afford to be treated in private hospitals due to the cost
factor.
Despite the efforts globally to improve the health sector, challenges still remain; for instance health gaps in different countries have widened due to the inability to absorb new technology. This had led to medical tourism whereby some Africans
travel abroad in modernized hospitals so as to get treatment.
Additionally there is unequal distribution of health problems
in each country.

The promising thing is that a lot of innovations have been
made in this sector. Penda health is a Kenyan social enterprisethat provides healthcare services to women especially thosein the rural areas, the team uses innovative delivery models to
assist those who are not in easily accessible areas.
mHealth is a new technology that is available on mobile
phones and also on patient monitoring devices. The premiseon mHealth was that the integration of health sector and technology will improve livelihoods. The app has been successfully deployed in Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia.
Mr. Brian Turyabagye from Uganda Invented a biomedical
smart jacket that detects pneumonia, the invention came after
years of seeing a friend’s grandmother fall sick and diagnosed
with malaria instead of pneumonia.The friend’s grandmotherlater on succumbed to death, according to the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pneumonia kills half a million ofchildren under five in Sub-Sahara Africa. The smart jacket isable to distinguish the symptoms of pneumonia which often
include: temperature, breathing rate and sounds of the lungs.
I recently caught up with Ms. Philipa Ngaju Makobore, one ofthis year’s runners up in the 2017 Innovation Prize for Africa
which was recently conducted in Ghana. Ms. Makobore andher team at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute, Department of Instrumentation Division invented the ElectronicallyControlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF), a new technology

14www.atpsnet.org
that regulates the rate of fluid flow to patients. Clinical trials of
the ECGF will be rolled out in October so that the technology
can be deployed in different hospitals in Uganda. Read moreInterview
about the interview I had with her and with her innovation
which is expected to save a lot of lives which are usually lost
due to the wrong dosage of drugs administered to a patient.

InterviewMs. Phiipa Ngaju Makobore is the innovator of the Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECFG), a new technology designed to accurately administer fluids and drugs to patients based on the feedback from a drop sensor. The ECGF
emerged second in this year’s Innovation Prize for Africa. Ms. Makobore has a Bsc. in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Alberta, Canada and she also has a professional certificate in Embedded Engineering from the University ofCalifornia.

Ms. Philipa Ngaju Makobore (Second from Right) receiving her award after emerging 2nd at Innovation Prize Africa Awards which
was held in Accra, Ghana, July 2017. The award is recognition of the ECGF which aims to improve livelihoods in the health sector.
1. What is an Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
The ECGF is an automated infusion controller that regulates
the rate of fluid flow during intravenous (IV) delivery of fluids
and drugs to patients.
2. What is the niche that you discovered in the health sector that inspired you to come up with this unique innovation?
My team and I from the Instrumentation Division at Uganda
Industrial Research Institute were aware of gaps in the Ugandan healthcare sector and we wanted to see if we could address some of these problems with engineering solutions. We
therefore carried out a needs finding assessment at Mulago
National Referral Hospital in Kampala to investigate on thegeneral clinical challenges with a focus on limitations with the
medical equipments. Our results indicated that the regulation of IV fluids and drugs was a big problem with heavy reliance on manual control by clinicians and limited appropriate
equipment. It was from these findings that we decided to develop a concept on regulation of IV fluids and drugs.

4. What are some of the key features of the ElectronicallyControlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
The ECGF is a low cost non-invasive medical device that canclamp onto existing drip sets. The ECGF comprises of a dynamic control of the flow rate, rapid flow rate alarm, over andunder infusion alarms (more than 10% of fluid/drugs being
infused), faulty/unplugged sensor alarm, easy to use interface, battery powered / Hybrid solar and AC mains charging
bed, and an estimated cost of US$100 per unit at production
which is significantly cheaper than similar infusion pumps on
the market.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of theElectronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
The advantages are that it can be used in rural health facilities
that would otherwise not have access to an electronic medical device for regulation of IV fluids and drugs, the modular
design of the ECGF makes maintenance and troubleshooting
a lot easier, in country design and development of the device
significantly reduces preventive and corrective maintenancecosts, a good proportion of the materials used to fabricate thedevice have been sourced locally, and the device’s high accuracy makes it applicable for use on young children.

3. How does the Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF) work?
The ECGF monitors the drop rate and automatically controls The disadvantages of the ECGF is that the Initial developthe rate of fluid flow with an accuracy of below ±7% (% differ- ment and testing of medical devices are fairly costly and time15
ence between prescribed and actual flow rates).

www.atpsnet.org

Interview

consuming, lack of adequate funding to continue its development and very competitive as numerous companies andinstitutions globally are competing for the same funding calls
i.e. Grand Challenges, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation etc
and there is also limited support from the government.
6. What impact has the Electronically Controlled Gravity
Feed Infusion (ECGF) had in Uganda’s health sector?
The first clinical pilot on adults will be started in early October
and thereafter clinical trials on children. The ECGF has the potential to improve clinical outcomes by ensuring patient safety
and care through accurate delivery of IV fluids and drugs. In
addition to improving access to quality medical devices theautomation of the infusion process will save on clinician’stime required to manually regulate and infusion therapy.
7. Is the innovation already available in hospitals and is itaffordable to the common citizen?
The ECGF device is still undergoing testing and will be in thehospitals under clinical trials starting from October 2017.
The Instrumentation Division is working on registration
with the National Drug Authority and acquiring a CE mark(indicates comformity with health,safety & environmental standards) to eventually sell the device on the market.
8. Are there any challenges with the Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
The Initial development and testing of medical devices are
fairly costly and time consuming, lack of adequate funding to continue its development is time intensive andvery competitive as numerous companies and institutions globally are competing for the same funding calls
i.e. Grand Challenges, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
etc and there is also limited support from the government
9. What some of the challenges you encountered that led
to the birth of Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
According to the FEAST trials over 10% of children that areadmitted to hospitals in East Africa require immediate IV
therapy. Over infusion increased the absolute risk of deathby 3.3% at 48 hours and by nearly 4% at 4 weeks after infusion. The current practice for IV fluids and drugs regulation
is manual control by clinicians. With a doctor to patient ratio of 1: 25000, infusion is prone to human error and compromises on patient safety and care. New equipment iscomplicated to use, prohibitively expensive to procure andmaintain and is prone to frequent breakdown due to intermittent power supply in both rural and semi-urban areas of
Uganda. 70% of donated equipment is more than 10 years
old, 50% of this equipment is either broken or functioning
unsatisfactorily due to the lack of manufacturer support, difficulty in sourcing spare parts and the lack of user training.

Ms. Philipa Ngaju Makobore receiving the 2015 1st Place Innovation Award for the ECGF from the Patient Safety Movement
Foundation, Dana Point, California, USA – January 2016.
10. Congratulations for emerging second in the 2017 Innovation Prize for Africa which was recently held in Ghana.
What are your future plans with the Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion (ECGF)?
Thank you, we are currently busy preparing for clinical trials
and are currently testing 5 additional prototypes that will be
deployed in the hospitals. We have secured Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct the first clinical pilot on
adults to prove the efficacy and safety of the ECGF medical
device. Thereafter we will commence clinical trials on children.
We are also pursuing a CE mark as the device has applicability
both in developed and developing world settings.
11. Engineering is often perceived as a field of men on theContinent, what message would you give to young women
who aspire to become engineers and in your opinion how
can Africa bridge the gap of the ratio of men to women in
an engineering class?
To the women who aspire to become engineers my advice
would be to pursue a discipline that you are passionate about
and never think of your gender as a hindering factor to achieving your dreams. Find a mentor who is accomplished to guide
you along. To bridge the gap of the ratio of men to womenin an engineering class, STEM needs to be introduced to girls
as young as primary school level, with talks on accomplishedwomen engineers and science camps like ‘ she codes’.
12. Are there any other innovations that you have come up
with? If yes please explain
Yes, we have designed a diagnostic device for Pneumonia that16

www.atpsnet.org

InterviewMs. Philipa Ngaju Makobore (Sitted Left) with some of her colleageous at the Insrumentation Division Team at Uganda Industrial
Research Institute (UIRI).
measures respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation and heartrate. We have also designed a Transport Infant Warmer that
regulates the temperature of newborn babies that are beingtransported from rural communities to health facilities.
13. Is the concept of Science, Technology, Engineering andMaths (STEM) education working in Africa and how best
can we improve it?
STEM needs a lot more attention and the African governments
need to invest more in improving infrastructure and humancapital for better results not just at the primary and secondary
school levels but also at tertiary and research institutions tonurture research driven technology that can improve on quality as well as the economy.
14. You are currently the head of department Instrumentation Division at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute(UIRI). What are some of the efforts by the institution topromote Innovation in Uganda?
UIRI is well positioned to nurture innovation as it has strong
local and international partnerships that include membershipwith the World Association for Industrial and TechnologicalOrganizations (WAITRO) of which the Executive Director for
UIRI is a past president. The government of Uganda has created an Innovation Fund under the new Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation to commercialize innovations ofwhich UIRI is a beneficiary. The Institute has also implemented
a Machining Manufacturing and Industrial Skills Training Center for commercialization of mechanical and electronic based
products that will build in country capacity for small scale
manufacturing, train technologists and create jobs.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau is responsible for
evaluating patentability of innovations and works closely with
the World Intellectual Property Organization. All patent applications are however filed with ARIPO in Zimbabwe as Uganda
is still in the process of implementing an IP policy. There is also
limited capacity with the local patent attorneys especially forthe assessment of specialized technology, so these services
are usually outsourced to International Law Firms.
16. What is your message to upcoming innovators?
It is important to achieve proof of concept in order to accessfunding both locally and internationally. It is also importantthat you have a committed team with multi-disciplinary expertise to tackle all aspects of the concept design and development. Business modelling must also be started fairly early
to assess whether the innovation is financially viable and canbe sustained.
17. What is your favourite quote‘There are still so many causes worth sacrificing for, so muchhistory yet to be made’ – Michelle Obama

15. How does the patent system in Uganda work? Is it encouraging or discouraging to the upcoming innovations?

17

www.atpsnet.org

Environment

KENYA BANS PLASTIC BAGS: IS IT A MENACE TO THE
ENVIRONMENT OR THE ECONOMY?

plastic waste problem throughout the globe. The United Nations commended the Kenyan government for these move,which came three weeks after UN Environment declared
war against plastics through its “Clean Seas Initiative” waslaunched. Other African countries which have instituted taxes,
full or partial bans on the use of plastic bags include; Rwanda,
Mauritania and South Africa. Is the ban on plastic bags for
shopping/carrier bags alone the solution? Many companies
continue producing the bags for packaging but the waste
continues to be generated nevertheless! Has the ban had any
positive impacts on the environment? Well….not visible for
now…..although it is still in the early days and there have notbeen any serious enforcement from NEMA.

A section of plastic bags dispossed in the environment.

By Alfred NyambaneThe Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources,
Kenya banned the usage of plastic bags on 28th August 2017; this resulted to a serious debate among
the public and the business community on whether
the ban was untimely, done prematurely and if the consequences looked upon.
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)
under the Mininistry of Environment and Natural Resources
is in-charge of enforcing the new law. NEMA also banned theuse, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used forcommercial and household packaging which falls under two
categories: carrier bags and flat bags. Anyone found carrying, manufacturing or importing plastic bags will be jailed forupto four years or receive a fine between $19,000 to $38,000.
In an environmentalist point of view, plastic bags pose a serious danger to the environment; it is difficult to discard thembecause they are non-biodegradable, meaning it takes a longtime to breakdown these compounds hence its disposal becomes difficult and costly. While there are objections towards
the ban which is solely based on convenience, the negative
effect plastic bags have to the environment needs to be controlled.
Reusing them is the first step however, most people do not orcannot reuse the same plastic bag for the same purpose morethan twice since they wear off quickly. Plastic bags are also notdurable enough to stand up to numerous trips to and fromshops. The biggest problem with this is that once they havebeen soiled they end up in the trash, which then ends up in
the landfill or burned. Either way it is harzadous to the environment; burning emits toxic gases that harm the atmosphereand increase the level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
in the air while landfills hold them indefinitely as part of the18

There are other alternatives to the use of plastic bags andthe search for more alternatives continues. Paper bags (bagsmade out of paper) are a possible option but they also take tollon the environment; the use of trees to increase the production of paper products combined with the increased energythat is required to make paper bags has a negative environmental effect. This can however be corrected if the raw materials for packaging bags are waste from saw milling or fromwaste paper. Reusable plastic bags have been introduced inregions that have outlawed the plastic bag altogether. These
are stronger and more durable and can be used for three tofive trips to the store. But the question remains…..where dothey finally end? The reusable cloth bags have fast become afavourite among environmental supporters; there are also efforts to manufacture biodegradable bags from fibre (banana,water hyacinth, sorghum, & sisal) but the technology is still either rudimentary or uneconomical.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) said the ban would
affect the country more negatively than positively. “We haveover 176 plastic manufacturing companies in Kenya which directly employ 2.89 per cent of all Kenyan employees and indirectly employ over 60,000 people,” said KAM in a statement. “Thesejobs and livelihoods will be negatively affected.” KAM also argued that the notice of six months was not enough for the affected firms to clear stocks and close shops or for the country
to find a suitable alternative to plastic bags.This is the third
attempt by the government since 2005 to rein in the plastic
bag menace, which has been associated with adverse environmental effects. This ban needs to accompany polluter pays
principles to ensure that those manufacturers of the packaging plastic bags for items like bread, sugar, soap etc. bear thecost of cleaning it up from the environment. Hopefully, thistime round there will be no turning back and that the anticipated environmental goals will be eventually achieved.

www.atpsnet.org

ATPS National Chapter Coordinator Column

ALIGNING ATPS SWAZILAND CHAPTER ACTIVITIESWITH THE NATIONAL GOAL TO ATTAIN FIRST WORLDSTATUS BY 2022
the National Chapter Coordinator and Members of the Executive Committee present in various initiatives brought by
the establishment of the RSTP which has one section thatcomprises of the Innovation Park and is nearly completed.
The ATPS Swaziland Chapter recently participated in a consultative meeting with Jeane Kamau the Kenyan Ambassador
in South Africa in discussing about the establishment of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Science, Technology and Innovation. The Chapter is also working on a collaborative arrangement with RSTP which will help increase
membership from the admitted incubated Officers on ICT,Business and many other fields. When the Innovation Parkis completed it is expected that the Chapter will find a tierwhere members can actively participate in research andtransform their findings into products, process and services.
Prof. Musa Dube, ATPS National Chapter Coordinator in Swaziland.

By Prof. Musa Dube
ATPS National Chapter Coordinator, SwazilandS

waziland has taken a firm position to attain FirstWorld Status by 2022. This goal has sensitized many
Swaziland entities which include among many others: small and large scale businesses, educational
institutions from pre-school to tertiary level, academicians,
ministries, research associations/societies, networks like the
ATPS Swaziland Chapter, Swaziland Educational Research Association (SERA), and the newly established Royal Science andTechnology Park (RSTP). The RSTP was established throughthe RSTP Act of 2012 Legal Notice Gazette No. 117 of 2012
with a mandate to ensure furtherance of research in scienceand related fields. The vision of the RSTP is to make Swaziland
internationally renowned for swiftness in exploring science,technology and innovation as a means to increasing the country’s economic growth and capacity by developing a knowledge based economy and infrastructure, thus substantiallyalleviating poverty.

The Swaziland Chapter is keen to participate in all activities that are meant to facilitate the attainment of a firstworld status by 2022 and also for the Memorandum ofUnderstanding with Kenya to be expedited. This developments will allow the Chapter to open up negotiations
with RSTP for partnership so that we can endeavour to exploit Science, Technology and Innovation (including eliciting youth involvement in ICT and entrepreneurship).

The Swaziland Chapter experienced a setback because mostof its key members focused on their professional growth especially the university employees. The good news is that mostof them got promoted to become senior lecturers, associate
professors and professors. Congratulations to them all and I
hope they will participate and remain committed to the ATPS
Swaziland Chapter activities.
The ATPS Swaziland Chapter is currently composed of19

www.atpsnet.org

Scholarships

SCHOLARSHIPS
Google Women Techmakers Scholars Program
Applications are now open for the google women techmakers scholars program for the year 2018-2019. The award is open
to undergraduate and graduate students and it will also be awarded based on on the strength of each candidate’s academic
background and demonstrated leadership. Succesful candidates will be invited to attend the annual Women Techmakers
Scholars’ Retreat in summer 2018 to connect with fellow scholars, network with Googlers and participate in a number ofworkshops.
ELIGIBILITY•
Currently be enrolled at an accredited university for the 2017-2018 academic year•
Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time or part-time student in a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD program at auniversity in Europe, Middle East or Africa for the 2018-2019 academic year•
Be studying computer science, computer engineering, informatics or a closely related technical ﬁeld•
Demonstrate a strong academic record•
Exemplify leadership and demonstrate passion for increasing the involvement of women in Computer Science
DEADLINE: 1 st December 2017
For more information, please visit: https://www.womentechmakers.com/scholars

African Innovation Foundation (AIF) 2018 Innovation Prize for
AfricaThe call for the 2018 Innovation Prize for Africa is officially open. The award aims to strengthen African innovation ecosystems
through supporting a culture of innovation and competitiveness, whilst spurring growth of innovative, market-driven
African solutions to African challenges. This season the award will recognize innovative breakthroughs that unlock new
African potential in five key priority areas namely; agriculture and agribusiness, environment, energy and water; health andwell-being; ICTs; manufacturing and service industry.
The IPA is focused on:•
Honouring and encouraging innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing
efficiency or saving cost in Africa.
•
Providing unique platforms for entrepreneurs, innovators, funding bodies and business development service providers
to network, exchange ideas and explore innovative business opportunities.
•
Promoting innovation across Africa in key sectors through the competition•
Mobilizing leaders from all sectors to fuel African innovation and strengthen the African innovation ecosystems•
Promoting science, technology and engineering as a rewarding career path among African youth and women.
DEADLINE: 3rd January 2018
For more information, please visit: http://innovationprizeforafrica.org/

22

www.atpsnet.org

Appointments

NEW APPOINTMENTS
Mr. Alfred Nyambane is the research assistant at the ATPS. He holds holds Master’s
degree in Environmental Science (Agro-forestry and Rural Development) and a
Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences. He is knowledgeable and experienced
in community development, agriculture, forestry and climate change adaptation andmitigation projects. He has skills in data collection, compilation and analysis and has
also crop modelling experience using Decision Support System for Agro-technology
Transfer (DSSAT). He has taught part-time in several universities in Kenya. He worked
as a Research Assistant at CIAT in the Soybean Project. Mr. Nyambane has also done
a lot of work on solid waste management, drainage and sanitation as an Assistant
Project Officer and as a consultant. He has done consultancy assignments with
Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO), Kenya Institute for
Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), ActionAid International, Pamoja Trust,Lake Victoria Environment Management Project II (LVEMP II), Lake Victoria Basin
Commission, among others. He is a registered Lead Expert with NEMA.

23

www.atpsnet.org

Vacancy

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS
The ATPS is seeking to recruit dynamic transdisciplinary
individuals to fill the following positions:-•

1. RESEARCH OFFICER
Major responsibilities will include:•
Generating and translating new concepts and researchideas into projects and/or programmes;•
Developing proposals and raising funds for the implementation of projects and/or programmes;•
Managing the grants process and the regional research
programmes;•
Managing the publication of research outputs into various publications and assist identify during proposal development various outputs that would come out of the
new projects using specific timelines;•
Developing and implementing strategies for promoting
the work of the network; and particularly establishing dynamic policy outreach and advocacy processes with National Chapters;•
Collaborating and liaising with ATPS national chapters in
30 countries in the development, planning and reportingof chapter activities and projects;•
Initiating and coordinating training activities with partner
institutions for various stakeholders;•
Liaising with the national coordinators and researchers on
administrative and non-technical issues;•
Ensuring that the relevant information on issues on science and technology in Africa is disseminated to network
members;•
Overseeing coordination of conferences, seminars andworkshops and representing the Executive Director atworkshops and meetings when assigned;•
Ensuring that results of all ATPS research meet international standards by organizing and managing appropriate peer review mechanisms; in liaison with the Executive
Director ;•Advising on, coordinating and managing the translationand dissemination of technical information to meet theneeds of specific audiences;•
Overseeing the coordination of capacity building workshops and related activities to strengthen the capacity of
ATPS National Chapters and other constituents;•
Ensuring efficient and effective collaboration with ATPS
international, regional and national partners;•
Developing and strengthening collaboration with the private sector and civil society including the media;•
Publishing at least three techno-policy briefs and twojournal articles each year;•
Managing individual and institutional grant and consultancy contracts and oversee development of an electronic grants management system;•
Managing the preparation of work and budget for resea-

•

•

•

rch projects, communication and outreach activities;
Managing the quality and delivery of all communications
outputs to ensure that they meet the highest international editorial standards;
Representing the Executive Director when assigned
during meetings with donors, conferences and various
forums to promote work of the network;
Assisting the Executive Director by organising and managing appropriate peer review mechanisms on all ATPS
research results;
Any other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor or
the Executive Director.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS•
A Professional with good character and strong ability towork in a team and under work pressure;•
A Masters Degree in Science, Technology and Innovation
or related subjects including natural or social sciences, or
equivalent expertise. Possession of a PhD in the relevant
field will be an added advantage;•
At least two years experience in research/research management in science and technology policy in a similarinternational organization;•
Demonstrate capacity and ability to fundraise and manage knowledge networks;•
Strong interpersonal skills and a good team player ;•Strong analytical skills;•
Experience in STI policy analysis in Africa will be anadvantage ;•Proficiency in French will be a major advantage.
2. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICERYour major responsibilities will include:
A: Finance•
Authorize payments and approve financial registers;•
Review financial analysis;•
Approve expense statements and journal vouchers;•
Review and approves bank reconciliation;•
Prepare or approve ATPS payroll;•
Review weekly cash requirements;•
Approve file closures;•
Prepare/review quarterly statistics;•
Prepare/review contractual correspondence with donors
and recipients;•
Assist with fundraising activities and review projectbudget proposals, contract and participant letters andrevised budgets;•
Check accuracy of physical count of inventory of fixed
assets;•Ensure that proper financial project-monitoring records
are maintained;24www.atpsnet.org
•

•

•
•
•
•
•

Prepare ATPS’ annual budget and work plan and monitor
periodically actual expenditures in relation to approved
budget;Visit ATPS-assisted projects in the region to assist recipients in resolving financial difficulties and to monitor
project’s financial administration;
Liaise with ATPS National Coordinators in order to assist
with the smooth operation of their respective chapters;
Ensure timely preparation of ATPS budgets and submission of financial statements to the Board;
Work with the external auditors in performing theirstatutory duties to ATPS;
Ensure implementation of overall ATPS financial policies
and procedures; andSupervise the day-to-day activities of accounting staff
and ensures proper coordination between their functions.

B. Administration•
Ensure order and cleanliness in the office premises;•
Monitor leases and related obligations regarding theoffice premises;•
Supervise the use and maintenance of office equipment
and vehicles;•
Administer insurance policies for office property;•
Ensure regular and timely transmission and delivery of
mail and other communications;•
Maintain and update inventory of office assets;•
Maintain data on relevant supplies and their sources;•
Procure and maintain office equipment and supplies;•
Consult with the Executive Director and Research Coordinator on equipment to be purchased for projects andarranges the relevant purchases according to existing
policies and procedures;•Supervise the handling of all incoming and outgoingshipments;•
Correspond with project personnel on purchasing andshipping matters;•
Examine and endorse delivery notes/invoices prior to
payment; and•Process documentation for work permits, visas, house
leases, and in other matters relating to expatriate employees and their dependants.
C: Human Resource Management•
Monitor requirements of ATPS-recruited personnel andadvise the Executive Director on recruitments;•
Administer staff benefits, i.e. medical, insurance, andprovident fund schemes;•
Maintain personnel files and data and process leave applications for all ATPS staff•
Arrange performance appraisal and review of ATPSrecruited staff;•
Co-ordinate training programs for ATPS locally recruitedstaff;

Vacancy
•

•

•
•
•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Monitor deployment of staff and work allocation to ensure that ATPS’s resources are efficiently utilized to serve
clients and that all employees have an equal opportunity
for development and progression;
Review and recommend alternative work allocation
methods and/or use of temporary staff with heads of departments, in instances of excessive overtime;
Monitor, on a monthly basis, utilisation of employees andadvise heads of department and the Executive Director;
Annually revise daily per diem rates and establish and update appropriate per diem rates on a regular basis;
Ensure that department heads conduct project appraisals, quarterly and annual Appraisals for each employee
and ensure training and development takes place and isevaluated;
Prepare the total revenue and operating costs of the organization during the annual salary review process inconsultation with department heads for consideration bya remuneration review committee for approval by the Executive Director;
Review the medical insurance scheme and group life
insurance scheme on an annual basis and make recommendations to the Executive Director on renewal of thescheme;Authorize absence from work in the absence of employee’s immediate supervisor; compile quarterly Absence Reports, to be reviewed by the Executive Director and Heads
of Department;
Take corrective action through counselling, training and/or instituting disciplinary procedures, where problems oflateness and absenteeism persist;
Investigate all disciplinary cases with the respective headof department and will be a member of the Disciplinary
Committee.
Arrange for new employees’ orientation with the immediate supervisor

Required Skills and Qualifications•
A Professional with good character and strong ability towork in a team and under work pressure;•
A Degree in a Business-related field with a relevant certificate as a Certified Public Accountant. An MBA will bean added advantage;•
At least two years relevant progressive experience working in an International NGO or equivalent;•
Excellent administrative skills;•
Excellent budgeting skills with Spreadsheets•
Fluency in English, written and spoken/Knowledge ofFrench will be a distinct advantage;•
Experience in human resources management will be a
distinct advantage
Qualified candidates should send a detailed letter of interest and curriculum vitae immediately to: executivedirector@
atpsnet.org. The positions will remain vacant until a suitable
candidate is found.

25

www.atpsnet.org

Photo Gallery

LAUNCHOF THE ATPS-CDSF
PROJECTPHOTO GALLERY- Climate Information
Prize 2016

From
Mr. Onesmus
Maina-Senior
Agricultural
Dr. Left:
NicholasOzor, ATPS
Executive
DirectorExpert AfDB,
Mr. Chuma Ikenze-ATPS Board Chair and Dr. Ernest Acheamongmaking his address to the audience.
Senior Research Officer ATPS during the opening remarks
session.

Prof. Shem Wandiga from the Institute of Climate Change,UoN
delivered his keynote presentation on Climate Information
Needs for Policy and Practice.

Mr. Onesmus Maina-Senior Agricultural Expert AfDB officiallylaunched the ATPS-CDSF project.

A cross-section of participants follow proceedings of the
ATPS-CDSF project launch.

A cross-section of participants follow proceedings of the
ATPS-CDSF project launch.

Participants interacted with each other as they enjoyed theirsnacks during tea break.

26

www.atpsnet.org

REGIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Photo Gallery

Members of the ATPS-CDSF Project steering committee helda meeting to discuss further on the project implementation,
review the workplan and assign roles for specific activities.

From Left: Mr. Japer Mwesigwa ( ICPAC), Dr. Philip Osano (SEI
Africa), Mr. Louis Blanc (OSS) and Ms. Stacey Noel (SEI Africa) at
the Regional Steering Committee Meeting.

Dr. Nicholas
Ozor,
ATPS
Executive
Directorandthe projectDr.
Nicholas
Ozor
among
key
invitedguestsatcoordinatoroftheATPS-CDSF
Project
chairedthemeeting.
the event.

Representatives from various organisations who have partnered together to implement the ATPS-CDSF Project.

From Left: Ms. Stacey Noel (SEI Africa) and Mr. Louis Blanc(OSS) follow the proceedings of the meeting.

Dr. Nicholas Ozor (Left) , project coordinator of the ATPS-CDSF
Project and Ms. Ann Nyambane (SEI) at the Regional Steering
Committee Meeting27

www.atpsnet.org

ATPS National Chapter Coordinators

ATPS NATIONAL CHAPTER COORDINATORS

Australia
Mr. David Doepel
Chair, Africa Research Group, Murdoch
University
90 South Street
MurdochWestern Australia 6150
Tel: +61418912287
Email: d.doepel@murdoch.edu.au
Benin
Dr. Roch L. Mongbo
Senior Lecturer & Researcher
Director of LADyD (Lab for Social
Dynamics and Development Studies)
Universite’ d’Abomey-Calavi,Benin
02 BP 778 Gbe’gamey
Cotonou, Benin
Tel: +229-21360126
Cell : +229-95966446 / 97374797
Email: rmongbo@intnet.bj or
Rochl_mongbo@yahoo.com
Botswana
Dr. John Mothibi
Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering &Technology
University of Botswana
P/Bag 0061
Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: +267 3554348
Fax: +267 3952309
E-mail: mothibij@mopipi.ub.bw
Burkina Faso
Dr. Benoit Kabore
Université de Ouagadougou
01 BP 4487
Ouagadougou 01
Burkina Faso
Tel: 226 812008/380715
Email: benkabor2003@yahoo.fr

Cameroon
Prof. Sylvester Ndeso Atanga
Senior Visiting Lecturer, Epidemology &Public HealthFaculty of Health Sciences
University of Buea
P.O. Box 63
South West Province
Republic of Cameroon
Tel: + 237-653774599/ 243094176
Cell: +237-99841433
Email: silawrence2011@gmail.com
or ndesoatpscamnet@
rocketmail.com

Cote d’Ivore
Prof. Arsène Kouadio,
Associate Professor, University of
Abidjan-Cocody ; Researcher, CIRES
Director, Laboratoire de croissance
Economique
Executive Director, Institut pour leDéveloppement (IPD),
Coordinator, ATPS Côe d’Ivoire,
Coordinator, RIA Côte d’Ivoire,
Fellow Researcher, AERC, Poverty
Economic Policy (PEP),
Cocody, Boulelevard Latrille
08 B.P. 1295 Abidjan 08, Côte d’Ivoire
Tel : +225 22 44 60 99
Fax: +225 22 48 82 84
Mobile : +225 07 98 46 80 /05 95 97 91
E-mail: arsene.k@ipd-ci.org
arsenekk@yahoo.fr
arsenekouadio@hotmail.com
Egypt
Ms. Manal Moustafa Samra
Focal Point Coordinator
45 Noubar Street, Bab El-Louk
8th Floor, Apt 29,Cairo
Egypt
Tel: +20105005284
Email: mmsamra@gmail.com

Ethiopia
Mr. Wondwossen Belete,
Ag. National Coordinator
Director of Intellectual Property
Protection and Technology Transfer,
Ethiopian Industrial Property
Organization (EIPO)
Email: wondwossenbel@yahoo.com
GambiaVacantGhana
Dr. Fred Amu-Mensah
Senior Research Scientist
CSIR Water Research Institute
P.O. Box M.32
Accra, Ghana
Tel: +233-24-4748197
Fax: +233 21 77 7170
Email: assabil@aim.com orobeyie@gmail.com

28

Kenya
Mr. Kenneth Williams Aduda
Senior Research Fellow
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University
P.O. Box 201 - 40601
Bondo, Kenya
Tel: +254 057 - 2501804
Fax: +254 057 - 2523851
Email: adudakenwo@gmail.com
Lesotho
Mr. Denis Sekoja Phakisi
Acting National Coordinator
Manufacturing Manager
Loti Brick
P.O. Box 8008, Maseru 100, Lesotho
Tel: +266 5885 3389
Fax: +266 22310071
Email: ds.phakisi@lycos.com
Liberia
Dr. Wollor Emmanuel Topor
National Coordinator
Acting Dean
College of Science and Technology
University of Liberia
Tel: + 231-6875802
Email: wollortopor@yahoo.com
Malawi
Kingdom M. Kwapata
Bunda College, P.O. Box 219,
Lilongwe, Malawi
Tel: +265 999195477
E-mail: kwapata@yahoo.com
Mali
Dr. Sidiki Gabriel Dembele
Agrochimie/Agroforesterie et Fertilitédes sols
Bureau Ouest-Africain d’Appui
Organisational et de Technologies
Appropiées
B.P. E 3730, Bamako, Mali
Tél. : (223) 226 2012
Fax : (223) 226 2504
Cell : (223) 71 3806
Email: sidikigabriel@hotmail.com orousmanenia2000@yahoo.fr
MoroccoProf. Saïd Boujraf
National Coordinator
Director of the Clinical Neuroscience
Laboratory
Department of Biophysics and Clinical
MRI Methods

www.atpsnet.org

ATPS National Chapter Coordinators

ATPS NATIONAL CHAPTER COORDINATORS

Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy,
University of Fez
BP. 1893; Km 2.200, Sidi Hrazem Road,Fez 30000, MoroccoTel: +212 667 780 442
Fax: +212 535 619 321
E-mail: sboujraf@gmail.com

MozambiqueEng. Lourino Alberto Chemane
ICT and Planning Advisor
Executive Secretariat, ICT Policy
Commission
Bairro da Coop
Rua Particular Dr. Antonio de Almeida
61 R/C Direito, Maputo
MozambiqueTel: +258 21 309398
Fax: +258 21 302289
Cell : +258 82 3110700
Email: chemane@infopol.gov.mz
Namibia
Surveyor Uzochukwu Okafor
Surveyor- General
Directorate of Survey and Mapping
Ministry of Land Reform
Tel: +264(0)2965036
Mobile: +264811223311
Email: uzo.okafor@mlr.gov.na
NigeriaProf. Michael C. Madukwe
Professor, Department of Agricultural
Extension
University of Nigeria
Nsukka, Enugu State
Nigeria
Tel: +234 42 771019
Fax: +234 42 771500
Cell: +234 803 700 6968
Email: madukwe@hotmail.com or
madukwemichael@yahoo.com
Prof. Femi Olokesusi
Nigerian Institute for Social andEconomic Research (NISER)
P.M.B 5 UI Post Office
Oyo Road, Ojoo, Ibadan, Nigeria
Tel: 234-8023322052/ 8073132917
Fax: +234 2 2413121
Email: femioloke@yahoo.com
RwandaDr. Marie-Christine Gasingirwa,
Director General, Science, Technology
and Research,

Ministry of Education, Rwanda.
Email: cgasingirwa@mineduc.gov.rw

Sierra Leone
Mr. Chris Squire
Head, Dept of Mechanical Engineering
Fourah Bay College
University of Sierra Leone
Mount Auroel
PMB Freetown Sierra Leone
Tel: +232 22 227831
Fax: +232 22 227453
Cell: +232 76 610600
Email: squirechris15@yahoo.com
SenegalDr. Papa Alioune Sarr Ndiaye
ESP BP 15475 DAKAR Fann
SénégalTél : Bureau (221) 864 54 18
Fax : (221) 864 21 43
Domicile (221) 820 23 88
Cellulaire (221) 634 58 88
Email : papaas.ndiaye@ucad.edu.sn or
papealiounen@yahoo.fr
South Africa
Professor Mark Swilling
Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1,
Matieland, 7602, South Africa
Cell: +27(0)83-459 7417
Tel: +27(0)21-881 3196
Fax: +27(0)21 - 881 3294
Email: swilling@sun.ac.za
Sudan
Mrs. Nadia Hassan Sidahmed
Economic Studies Department
Industrial Research & Consultancy
Centre (IRCC) Sudan
Tel: +249 911449106
Email: nadiahsh@yahoo.co.uk
SwazilandProf. Musa Dube
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Agriculture
University of Swaziland
Luyengo Campus
P. O. Luyengo, Swaziland
Email: madube@uniswa.sz
Tanzania
Dr. Hassan Mshinda
Director General
Tanzania Commission for Scienceand Technology

29

P.O. Box 4302,
Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania.
Email: hmshinda@costech.or.tz
United Kingdom
Mrs. Martha Ada Ugwu
National Coordinator
59 Highgrove Road
Walderslade, Chatham
Kent, ME5 7SF, UK
Tel: +4401634310389/07985476289
Email: Martha.ugwu@yahoo.co.uk
or Martha@ugwu.fsworld.co.uk
UgandaMr. John Okuonzi
National Coordinator
Kyambogo University
Faculty of Engineering, Department ofElectrical and Electronic Engineering,
P.O. Box 1, Kyambogo, kampala, uganda
Tel: +256 782 353034
Email: jokuonzi@kyu.ac.ug or
okuonzijohnie@yahoo.com
United States of America.
Dr. Anthony C Ikeme
National Coordinator
President & CEO
Clintriad Pharma Services
102 Pickering Way, Suite 200
Exton, PA 19341
Tel: 484.753.3405
Cell: 215.380.9920
Fax: 610.384.5455
Email: aikeme@clintriad.com
ZambiaMs Lilian ZULU
Coordinator, Centre for Energy
Environment and Engineering Zambia(CEEEZ) Ltd, 176 Parirenyatwa Road
Suite B. Fairview, P/B E721
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel/Fax: +260 211 223118
Email: ceeez@zamnet.zm or
lmunyeka@yahoo.com
Zimbabwe
Mr. Benson Zwizwai
Economics Department, Universityof Zimbabwe
P. O. Box 880 Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 772494902
Fax: +263 4 333345
Cell: +263 912245614
Email: bmutzwizwai@yahoo.com

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
8th Floor, Chancery Building, Valley Road
P.O. Box 10081-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20271 4092; Fax: +254 20 2714028
Email: info@atpsnet.org
Url: http://www.atpsnet.org
Skype: ATPS Network

Follow us on

ATPS NETWORKATPS NETWORK

African Technology
Policy Studies Network

ATPS NETWORK@atpsnetwork

atpsnetwork’s channel

ATPS National Chapters & Focal Points