12 Dec 2017

Botswana government is committed to ensuring the optimal utilisation of all available technologies for the benefit of its people, Vice President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, has said.

Delivering a keynote address at a four day 9^th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS) 2017 on December 11, Mr Masisi said the conference came at the right time for Botswana, being a year after the launch of Vision 2036, which seeks to achieve prosperity for all.

“This conference will accord us an opportunity to reflect on our progress as part of the global community, which embraces scientific advances and technological changes as key drivers of economic performance in pursuit of prosperity, wealth and happiness,” he added.

The government, he said affirmed that science held the potential for progress in respective nations. Science, technology and innovation, he said were key factors that needed to be implored to propel the country’s economy to greater heights.

To achieve this, he said, Botswana in NDP 11, had indicated precise initiatives and strategy to increase investment in quality research activities and ‘to direct those research activities towards meeting the needs of the economy and industry.’

The NDP 11, vice president said considered research, innovation and development as catalysts for creating a high performing economy.

Therefore, without a continuous innovation in materials, he said the industrial sector could not attain competitiveness and sustainability.

“The discovery, understanding and exploitation of new materials are at the heart of a revolution that has changed our daily lives and will continue to do so in the future,” he said.

Seventy per cent of all technological innovations, Mr Masisi said were directly or indirectly inked to materials, adding that since the 1970s, the percentage had been increasing and was expected to continue increasing steadily up till 2030.

For that reason, he said it was not surprising that AMRS had been established, so that Africans in Africa and beyond would also come on board in the field of science and technology, particularly in material science research.

He therefore encouraged delegates to discuss ways in which Africa could stimulate innovation through policies and support research development to advance its materials development.

In his welcome remarks, Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Alfred Madigele, said the conference was meant to reflect as a continent and acknowledge the strides that had been made in the science and technological research and development ecosystem.

Additionally, he said the forum also provided a platform to discuss how best Africa could advance research and development in material science to contribute towards economic development and also identify the gaps and determine what ought to be done.

Material science, Dr Madigele said, was a critical element in most scientific and technology advancement ‘and time is now for Botswana to be a significant player in the ecosystem of research and development in this field.’

“The formation of AMRS has its origins in the August 2000 US/Africa Material workshop that was held in South Africa. The workshop was co-organised and sponsored by US National Science Foundation and the South African National Research Foundation,” he explained.

Such organisations, the minister said sought to explore opportunities for collaboration between US and Africa with an over arching objective of developing materials research capacity in Africa.

The interaction of the organisations, he added, birthed a forward-looking sustainable framework for driving materials research in Africa.

In December 2002, he said, the AMRS was officially launched in Dakar, Senegal, ‘subsequently biennial international conferences were held in various countries in Africa and today, we have the opportunity of being counted among such countries’.

Dr Madigele expressed gratitude that Botswana was chosen as a destination to convene the high calibre scientific meeting, saying such was a sign of confidence in the country.

For that reason, he said Botswana was honoured to host AMRS 2017, as events such as these confirmed that the country was indeed the destination of choice, among the many nations ‘and we intend to keep it that way.’

“It is equally the case that this gathering epitomises our global competitiveness as a country. 

We value such interaction and we are committed to ensuring that we maintain the momentum of bringing such international gatherings to our shoves,” he added.

African Materials Research Society chairperson, Prof. Nelson Torto, thanked Vice President, saying it was through his guidance that Botswana managed to host AMRS 2017.

The conference themed: Addressing African Challenges Through Materials Development, attracted more than 500 delegates from over 65 countries around the world. 

The delegates, who have gathered to discuss how to address Africa’s challenges through materials development, include scientists, entrepreneurs, policy makers and development practitioners.

The AMRS series of conferences allows scientific and research communities to build knowledge, foster relationships and promote action for further understanding and collaborations in the broad fields associated with materials science and technology.

The themes of AMRS 2017 reflect both the needs of the global research community such as energy and health, as well as the needs that are specific to Africa.

This year’s conference themes include; materials for; health, water, agriculture/environment, energy and mining/construction. ENDS