Academy of Science of South Africa
The World Academy of Sciences - Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa (TWAS-ROSSA)Not a member yet
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Social Protection in Africa: Overview for Policymakers
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). Social Protection in Africa: Overview for Policymakers. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0004What is social protection? - What are cash transfers? - What are social protection floors? - Why is social protection in Africa important? - Socio-economic context - The development of social protection in Africa - Non-contributory social protection programmes in Africa: Overview of programmes - Which types of social protection intervention are most common? - What is the size of cash transfers? - What is the institutional location and who funds social protection programmes? - How much do social protection programmes cost? - Social protection in Africa: Reviewing the evidence - Poverty and inequality reduction - Nutrition and food security - Health - Education - Gender - Productive outcomes - Community empowerment and citizen accountability - Social protection in Africa: Key issues - Rights-based approaches to social protection - Universalism and targeting -
Gender - Conditional vs unconditional cash transfers - Cash or food - Institutionalisation - Affordability - Labour market linkages and informal workers - Technology - Informal social protectio
Science Business Society Dialogue Conference: Strengthening the Science Business Society Dialogue in the SADC Region
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). Science Business Society Dialogue Conference: Strengthening the Science Business Society Dialogue in the SADC Region. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0014The conference explored various topics in the area of Science-Business Dialogue. These included: early stakeholder involvement; innovative funding options; international perspectives on science-business linkages; intellectual popery rights and technology transfer; and youth and gender perspective on science-business dialogue and innovation. The conference was attended by delegates representing science, business and policymakers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and also from other African countries and Europe.Academy of Science of South Afric
South Africa’s Technical Readiness to Support the Shale Gas Industry
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). South Africa’s Technical Readiness to Support the Shale Gas Industry. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0003The consensus report titled South Africa’s Technical Readiness to Support the Shale Gas
Industry was produced by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), in collaboration
with the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE). The report details the interventions
that are required.
The study was commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2014
and assesses current available information and technologies in the country should shale gas
exploitation be implemented to counter energy challenges. The report was considered by
Cabinet on 28 September 2016.
The report concludes that much needs to be done to put in place a clear legislative
environment and a rigorous regulatory and monitoring structure which will ensure that
operators, in using their exploration and production licences, apply best-practice
technologies that are fully compliant with the rules and regulations governing the industry.
It states that decision-making processes on whether or not to proceed with the development
of a shale gas industry must be based on robust and peer-reviewed evidence.
Recommendations in the report highlight the need for several baseline studies with a view to
improving the current understanding of the extent of the shale gas resources and the status
of the local environment in which such developments will take place.
Celebrating 20 years (1996 – 2016)
in the service of society
A key recommendation is that relevant departments, with DST oversight, should initiate a
major project to undertake, prior to the commencement of shale gas
exploration/exploitation, robust multidisciplinary, regional and local baseline studies.
A major priority for the technical readiness of South Africa to implement a shale gas industry is
the need to establish processes to continuously and accurately monitor key factors which will
impact on the sustainability of the industry.
Another requirement is that interventions are made to ensure that the requisite skills and
infrastructure required to implement such an industry are available.
The Hydraulic Fracturing Monitoring Committee is encouraged to take immediate steps to
establish a new, or strengthen an existing, government agency whose overall function is, inter
alia, to enable and facilitate the development of the shale gas industry in South Africa.
Assessment of the economic implications of shale gas development for South Africa must be
undertaken to critically assess the supply-demand situation, and comprehensive public
consultation and engagement processes with local communities in the Karoo are
emphasised.
Of major importance to South Africa’s groundbreaking scientific endeavours on the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA) project, the report recommends that any legislation that is introduced
to have oversight of the shale gas industry must be fully aligned with the Astronomy
Geographic Advantage Act, and that no hydraulic fracturing should take place within a 30
km buffer zone of an SKA site.Department of Science and Technology. South Africa
Quest Volume 12 Number 3 2016
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). Quest: Science for South Africa, 12(3). [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/12Contents: Cracking chemistry’s toughest bonds by Bronwyn White - Making electricity from waste water by Jennifer Couperthwaite - Algae driving our bioeconomy by Sarah Jones - Living with mosquitoes: a necessary evil? by Rajesh Sharma - Finding galaxies: Quest investigates - It’s not enough to test for HIV and treat it – social factors matter too by Deenan Pillay - How Africa is helping expand the global antimalarial drug pipeline by Kelly Chibale - How tiny black spots shed light on part of the Homo naledi mystery by Francis Thackeray - The NRF Awards Quest reports - Science for sustainable development by Jan Smit, Vincentia Mbaba and Lorenzo Raynard - Sex life of the world’s biggest bird - New book shows how watching dragonflies can help to monitor South Africa’s water - Zoning the ocean - Healing plants - Student’s year-long study on Marion Island reveals new penguin behaviour - Water and enviro consultancy wins top science award - Mathematics puzzl
Social Determinants of Health Workshop, 7-8 November 2016
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). Social Determinants of Health Workshop, 7-8 November 2016. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0006Monitoring data: numbers that work - data availability and use to improve social well-being (facilitator: Dr Tolullah Oni) - Data Compatibility and Integration as Measures of Addressing the Impact on Social Determinants of Health (Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Measuring Impact and Monitoring SDH Indicators (Dr Mariamawit Y Yeshak) - ‘Gendered’ Data – Measuring Lived Experiences for Men and Women for
Equitable Health (Dr Papa Diop) - Health in all policies: mainstreaming health as a measure across all sectors to address SDH (facilitator: Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Achieving Policy Coherence at National, Regional and Global Levels
to Address SDH and SDGs (Dr Michieka Okioga Michieka
7th Annual South African Young Scientists' Conference 2016, Human Rights
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). 7th Annual South African Young Scientists' Conference 2016, Human Rights. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0007This report stems from proceedings from the 7th Annual Young Scientists’ Conference held on 6 to 7, October 2016 where human rights in general, and the rights of scientists in particular, were addressed by some 80 young and early career researchers.
The conference was hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GenderInSITE), the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World South Africa National Chapter (OWSD-SANC) and the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR).
Human rights are fundamental rights of all human beings regardless of nationality, sex, race, religion, language or any other status. In South Africa, the Bill of Rights forms the cornerstone of democracy. The Bill of Rights enshrines the rights of all people in South Africa and affirms the democratic values and principles of human dignity, equality and freedom. In order to achieve these values in South Africa and in the African continent in general, citizens have to promote and respect the culture of human rights. In addition, they should promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights.
This report articulates the written, oral and poster presentations at the conference which revolved around four sub-themes, namely Human Rights in Africa: Context and Universality, Social and Scientific Dimensions of Human Sexual Diversity, Redress of Colonial Heritage in Promoting Human Rights in Africa, and the Relationship between Science and Human Rights in Africa
Quest Volume 12 Number 4 2016
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). Quest: Science for South Africa, 12(4). [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/19Contents: Africa’s giant eye in the sky: Inspiring society by exploring the Universe: Petri Vaisanen shows how SALT is expanding our Universe; A night in the life: Lisa Crause gives us a glimpse of a night at the observatory; Maintaining our second largest telescope: Keeping Africa’s second largest optical telescope, the old ‘74-inch’, in business by Lisa Crause; Old telescopes, new software: Carel van Gend shows that old telescopes are still useful; Hidden galaxies: Anja Schröder provides a multiwavelength view of galaxies hidden by our Milky Way; SALT: astronomy for the benefit of the people:
Sivuyile Manxoyi shows how astronomy contributes to sustainable development; The history of the stars: David Gilbank uncovers the history of star formation; How do we know what we know: Steve Crawford explains how astronomers use spectroscopy to unlock the secrets of the Universe; The transient Universe: David Buckley explains how we are observing the transient universe in South Africa; Sprites over South Africa
20 Years of Excellence 1996 - 2016
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). 20 Years of Excellence 1996 - 2016. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/001020 Years of Excellence 1996 – 2016 recounts the 20 years of ASSAf’s existence since the early 1990s when trailblazers in academia gave of their time and energy to realise a dream of establishing a fully representative, national academy of science to guide the democratic South Africa into a promising new era.
From drafting a constitution for the Academy; putting in place the mechanisms, statutes and machinery needed to run a working national academy of science, ASSAf’s remarkable journey testifies to perceptive vision to ensure a legacy of knowledge.
Since its inception, ASSAf has grown from a small, emergent organisation to a well-established academy. It has pursued its mandate of providing evidence-based science advice in support of policy development on issues of national significance to government and beyond.
The book describes the early beginnings to define and form a unique crucible, through to creating a unitary academy of sciences, encompassing all science disciplines.Department of Science and Technolog
Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice, 28 February - 1 March 2016, Hermanus, South Africa
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa, (ASSAf), (2016). Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0005Welcome Remarks: Prof Daya Reddy - Keynote Speaker: Prof Sir Peter Gluckman - Keynote Speaker: Prof Jos van der Meer - Topic 1 – Science Advice Ecosystem - Dr Flavia Schlegel - Prof Howard Alper - Dr Khotso Mokhele - Prof Thomas Zeltner - Dr Tolu Oni - Topic 2 – Science Advice in Times of Disasters/
Emergencies - Prof Oyewale Tomori - Prof Coleen Vogel - Prof Ram Babu Singh - Prof Bernard Slippers - Prof Virginia Murray - Topic 3 – Science Advice in the International Arena
with a Special Focus on Synthetic Biology - Prof Francisco Gonzalo Bolivar-Zapata - Prof Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker - Prof Rees Kassen - Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice - Prof Keymanthri Moodley - Country Readiness for Science Advice - Dr Orakanoke Phanraksa - Prof Mahouton Norbert Hounkonnou - Prof Kurt Lambeck - Dr Margaret Hamburg - Prof Jacqueline McGlade - Topic 5 – Interplay between Science Advice, Politics
and the Media - Ms Linda Nordling - Mr David Mair - Prof Charles Weijer - Prof Sameh Soror - Prof Bruce Alberts - Discussion - Closing: Prof Daya Reddy and Prof Jörg HackerInterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advic
The Regulatory Implications of New Breeding Techniques
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2016). The regulatory implications of new breeding techniques. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0011South Africa is one of only very few African countries that has commercialised GMOs.
A plethora of recent developments in genetic engineering and related technologies has
necessitated the reassessment of their possible value, biosafety implications and regulation.
This led the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to commission this study by ASSAf.
This study had two main objectives: to make sure South African policy appropriately and
adequately addresses biosafety requirements of these new techniques to ensure safe and
sustainable research, development and use of their products; and to ensure the regulatory
requirements are appropriate to the technologies and/or their products.
This consensus report provides an overview of the so-called new breeding techniques (NBTs),
as well as an overview of current global approaches to the regulation of these NBTs and then
makes recommendations on:
•how to assess these new and future techniques and their products regarding their possible
subjection to existing GMO legislation;
• how current biosafety policy and regulations may need to be amended to accommodate
the varying biosafety implications of these products;
• if current risk analysis frameworks and practice are sufficient to assess the biosafety of these
products.Department of Science and Technolog