South Africa's science minister told a packed forum in Pretoria that African countries need to stop letting foreign donors decide what gets researched on the continent. Blade Nzimande said the donor money usually comes with strings attached that push projects that don't actually solve local problems around food security or climate adaptation. He wants African governments to pool cash and build their research networks instead of waiting for handouts from the West.
The minister laid out a plan to beef up labs and data centers while fixing how math and science get taught in public schools. He also called out the brain drain problem, where talented scientists bail for better gigs overseas because wages and working conditions are trash back home. Nzimande pointed to stuff like local vaccine manufacturing and mineral processing as examples of research that could actually create jobs if governments backed it properly.
The minister laid out a plan to beef up labs and data centers while fixing how math and science get taught in public schools. He also called out the brain drain problem, where talented scientists bail for better gigs overseas because wages and working conditions are trash back home. Nzimande pointed to stuff like local vaccine manufacturing and mineral processing as examples of research that could actually create jobs if governments backed it properly.
