African Science Academy Development Initiative

A Parliamentarian
on the Value of Academies

At ASADI IV in London, Patrick Amuriat Oboi, a member of the Parliament of Uganda and its Committee on Science and Technology, delivered a speech entitled "Why Would a Government Want Independent Advice?"

Declaration of Dakar

Participants at the ASADI III conference in Senegal called for continued efforts to improve the scientific basis for policy decisions, especially those related to managing water resources and preventing waterborne diseases. Read the Declaration of Dakar.

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ASADI VI To Be Held in South Africa
The Academy of Science of South Africa will host the sixth annual ASADI conference in Cape Town from Nov. 7-10. The theme of this year’s meeting will be improving energy access in Africa.

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ASADI V Details

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ASADI V Wrapped Up in Ghana

The fifth annual ASADI conference, highlighted by the release of a report on maternal, newborn, and child health in sub-Saharan Africa, was held in Accra, Ghana. In photo at right, the president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, which hosted this year's conference in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, wishes good luck to the president (left) of the Academy of Science of South Africa, host of next year's conference that will focus on energy issues in Africa.

Science In Action Report Released
A new report from the national science academies of seven African countries estimates that the lives of nearly 4 million women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa could be saved every year if already well-established, affordable health interventions reached 90 percent of families. The report was released at the ASADI V conference in Accra, Ghana.

Watch ASADI V Welcome Videos Several leaders from the science and international policy communities sent video messages to the ASADI conference, congratulating the Ghana academy on its anniversary and emphasizing the importance of evidence-based advice in policymaking.(To play a video in full-size screen, click on YouTube icon in screen below.)

	Ralph Cicerone, president, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
	Kofi Annan, president, Kofi Annan Foundation and former U.N. secretary general
	Lord Rees of Ludlow, president, Royal Society, U.K.
	Volker ter Meulen, president, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
	Harvey Fineberg, president, U.S. Institute of Medicine
	Mary Robinson, chair, GAVI Alliance; former president of Ireland; and former U.N. high commissioner for human rights

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Full Report
(PDF 2.64 MB)

ASADI Progress Report

The African Science Academy Development Initiative: Progress and Promise highlights the strides African science academies have made in strengthening their infrastructure, issuing reports, holding forums, and building relationships with their governments.

NASAC Statement on 'Brain Drain' in Africa
In a statement to governments attending the G8+5 summit, the Network of African Science Academies -- which includes the academies participating in ASADI -- called for a new approach to Africa's "brain drain." An estimated one-third of native-born African scientists live and work in developed countries.

NASAC Statement (PDF 2.6 MB)