US embassy cable - 04PRETORIA3646

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 003646 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EPS, OES/STC/ROTTIER, OES/PCI/SHAW 
PLS PASS DHHS FOR NIH/FIC/JLEVIN 
PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD, GH/OHA 
CDC FOR EMCCRAY 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12948: N/A 
TAGS: KHIV, TBIO, KSCA, OSCI, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA - NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE VISIT ON 
STRENGTHENING SCIENCE ACADEMIES IN AFRICA 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified-please handle accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has 
begun to evaluate potential partner countries for an 
initiative to develop science academies in Africa.  The 
Gates Foundation-funded initiative seeks to build science 
academies' capacity to provide independent scientific 
analysis and advice to governments, particularly on human 
health issues.  A U.S. mission team advised members of a 
recent NAS delegation to South Africa that some resistance 
to the initiative was likely, and encouraged NAS to obtain 
as much political support from government, academic and 
private sector institutions as possible.  The involvement of 
prominent South African Dr. Mamphela Rampele in the NAS 
effort should facilitate broad acceptance of the academy 
strengthening initiative.  End summary. 
 
//Background and introduction// 
 
2. (U) Health Attache, Econ Minister-Counselor, USAID Health 
Adviser, CDC Deputy Director and ES&T Officer met on August 
4 with three members of a visiting National Academy of 
Sciences (NAS) delegation to discuss South Africa's 
potential to participate in "The African Science Academy 
Development Initiative," funded by the Bill and Melinda 
Gates Foundation.  The initiative will receive USD 20 
million over ten years. 
 
3. (U) NAS was tapped by the Gates Foundation to implement 
the initiative, which seeks to build the capacity of 
Africa's science academies to provide independent, evidence- 
based advice to their governments on science, particularly 
health-related matters.  NAS has identified seven countries 
for engagement: Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, 
Ghana and South Africa.  NAS will select three countries for 
"intense" partnering, and plans to hold annual meetings with 
all seven countries during the life of the initiative.  NAS 
expects to make a preliminary decision on the three partner 
countries by November.  Early next year, NAS will support an 
initial workshop in selected countries, after which it will 
make a final decision on partners.  Next steps will include 
holding a forum on evidence-based policy-making to 
"illuminate" issues in a non-threatening way, followed by 
joint policy studies carried out by host country scientists 
in conjunction with training and support by the NAS, after 
which studies are to be carried out entirely by the local 
academies.  These activities will be largely funded by the 
Gates Foundation initiative, but NAS will also increasingly 
require the local academies to raise supplemental funding. 
The three partner countries will also receive funding for 
physical infrastructure, communications equipment and 
staffing. 
 
4. (SBU) Director of the Board on African Science Academy 
Development Dr. Patrick Kelley led the discussion and 
provided a summary of the initiative.  He was accompanied by 
Board members Dr. Michael Clegg, a UC-Irvine professor who 
serves as Foreign Secretary to the NAS, and South African 
Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Senior Advisor to the President of 
the World Bank and member of the Institute of Medicine.  The 
visiting delegation also included Barney Cohen from the NAS 
and Dr. Narciso Matos of the Carnegie Corporation.  The 
group arrived on August 1 and the Academy of Science of 
South Africa (ASSAf) organized a full schedule of meetings 
with numerous government departments, parastatal research 
councils, a science advisory body, a national association of 
university Vice Chancellors, and the Academy of Engineering. 
Kelley, Clegg and Ramphele reported that they had had 
excellent meetings and received a very positive reception 
almost everywhere.  They requested Embassy Officers' 
perspectives, based on local engagement and experience. 
 
//Academy Weak, Political Acceptance Critical// 
 
5. (SBU) ESTOff told the delegation that the relatively new 
academy of science was not well engaged with the government, 
or influential in policymaking in South Africa.  The visit 
of the NAS delegation had in fact prompted unprecedented 
communication and collaboration among ASSAf and government 
authorities and research councils, a welcome development. 
6. (SBU) The Health Attache noted that while establishment 
of an independent, credible academy of science was 
desirable, many obstacles -- such as underlying racial 
tensions linked to the past, challenges posed by the 
Department of Health including a desire for control over 
research findings, and even past perceptions of 
mismanagement at some science institutions -- could impede 
acceptance of the initiative.  Health Attache encouraged NAS 
to engage with and seek support from the influential South 
African Cabinet, the National Treasury, as well as 
Parliament, private sector companies and academic 
institutions.  He and USAID Health Adviser noted that 
several research institutions, the parastatal Human Science 
Research Council (HSRC) and Medical Research Council, along 
with the non-governmental Health Systems Trust, would likely 
feel threatened by the initiative.  Kelley conceded that one 
"reluctant" interlocutor was Mark Orkin, President of the 
HSRC.  Health Attache noted that none of the research 
organizations had the capacity to play an "umbrella" role, 
as ASSAf could.  Using the initiative to enable ASSAf to 
generate research and advice could provide scientists with 
additional political protection to release reports that 
might not be well-received by some parts of the government. 
Ramphele noted that SAG Department of Science and Technology 
officials had acknowledged the value of independent analyses 
that the initiative would promote. 
 
7. (U) Embassy officers pointed out that the NAS initiative 
complemented Mission initiatives to promote evidence-based 
policy decisions in the science area and linkages between 
U.S. and South African science institutions.  NAS and 
EmbOffs also discussed human resource challenges facing all 
of Africa, in science, health and other sectors.  Kelley 
noted that South Africa proposed the theme of "How to 
address the human resource shortage in health?" for its 
first workshop under the initiative. 
 
8. (SBU) Comment: With sufficient buy-in and support from 
government, research councils and academic institutions, the 
Gates/NAS project has the potential to build the ASSAf into 
an influential and independent institution that critically 
informs government decision-making, a very desirable 
outcome.  The involvement of the highly-respected and 
influential Dr. Ramphele will likely play a key role in 
assuring support from South African stakeholders.  Officials 
at the Department of Science and Technology are solidly in 
support of the initiative. 
 
FRAZER