The UNU-INRA office at the University of Ghana campus.
In 1985, against a background of deepening political, economic and social crises in Africa, and, in response to the 1980 OAU Lagos Plan of Action for Economic Development of Africa, the United Nations University (UNU) assembled a group of distinguished African scientists and technologists to define what role UNU could play to enhance the ability of African universities and research institutions to contribute to finding solutions to Africa's developmental problems.
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiative has captured the vision of African governments to the extent that it has become the major determinant of their development strategies. This initiative recognizes the critical roles that higher education and especially the application of science and technology to the management and use of natural resources must play in the development of Africa. For example, NEPAD noted the importance of improving the poor state of higher education infrastructure, of raising the level of science and technology application, and of adding value to natural resources as some of the key strategies to hasten Africa's development while protecting its environment.
African countries have subscribed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and expectations of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and putting together the relevant tools needed to meet the NEPAD agenda pose serious challenges to all African countries. It has become clear that for these challenges to be met, rapid improvements in human and institutional capacity must form the cornerstone of the development agenda of every African country, and this requires well-articulated strategies. Africa's main asset, the African people, must be positioned to reap the benefits from recent advances in science and technology. A critical element for this to occur is the application of new knowledge in science and technology by African scientists to advance resources, which impact negatively on the livelihood of the African people. The conservation, development and management of Africa's resources in a sustainable way are critical for generating wealth to alleviate poverty. The NEPAD document identifies strengthening the weak research and training infrastructure in African universities and research institutions as a necessary first step to harness Africa's people and natural resources for development through the application of science and technology.
As a result, the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) was established in 1986 with a mission to support the building of African capacity by strengthening national institutions to promote sustainable use of the continent's natural resources for development. UNU-INRA's research and training activities are targeted at ensuring that African scientists, technologists and institutions acquire capabilities to generate, adapt, and apply knowledge and technology to promote more efficient utilization of natural resources for self-reliant development and thus contribute to eradicating rural poverty and improving food security.
UNU-INRA currently has 4 Operating Units focusing on:
(a) Mineral Resources (University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia),
(b) Coastal and Marine Resources (Henties Bay Center, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia),
(c) Application of Computer Technology to the Management of Natural Resources (University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon) and
(d) Socio-Economic Aspects of the Management of Natural Resources (CIRES, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
UNU-INRA's activities till date have focused on Strengthening partnership with African scientists and research institutions through networking with African universities and research institutes (the College of Research Associates) and through strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations (such as FAO and the Institutes of the CGIAR). If extreme poverty is to be eradicated in Africa, technological innovations that improve agricultural production and add value to Africa's raw materials must be generated. Technological innovations are the product of effective research and Africa's universities must take the lead in the conduct of effective research. It is on this basis that, in 1999, UNU-INRA established a network, the College of Research Associates (CRA). Members of the College have become UNU-INRA's main vehicle for implementing research and training activities with collaborating African Universities and research institutions.
UNU-INRA has also developed and strengthened relevant post-graduate programmes in African universities, including the establishment of UNU-INRA Operating Units (OU).
UNU-INRA continues to play a pivotal role in developing prototype post-graduate modules of courses and curriculum for adaptation in African Universities. One such module of courses is on environmental management and policy studies (EMPS) designed to complement science-based post-graduate degree programmes on the management of the environment. On October 16, 2003, the first MSc. (Environment) programme in an African university that incorporates the mastery of the science with a better understanding of policy issues related to the management of the environment was inaugurated at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
In addition to long-term courses, UNU-INRA undertakes short-term training programmes. To-date, 42 technologists and scientists have been trained on plant tissue culture technology while 39 scientists have been trained on the application of computer technology to the management of natural resources. UNU-INRA collaborates with the International Foundation for Science (IFS) to award sixteen grants annually (since 1998) to deserving young African scientists. Currently, 60 young scientists from 19 African countries are being supported with research grants managed by the IFS[i1].
Furthermore, UNU-INRA has conducted focus studies on the role of African women in natural resources management to inform policy. African women, particularly those in rural areas, are the main custodians of indigenous knowledge in natural resource conservation, management and food preparation. In spite of efforts to link African women to activities that promote sustainable development, these women have continued to face problems in almost all sectoral development activities dealing with natural resources management. UNU-INRA's approach has been to undertake studies that emphasize the critical role played by African women in the conservation and management of natural resources as well as highlight policies and interventions that minimize gender inequalities. In pursuit of this objective, UNU-INRA has developed case studies of successful African women who have been engaged in natural resources management enterprises in the different regions of sub-Saharan Africa to serve as role models and developed a Policy Brief that would inform policymakers on how to improve credit policies and delivery systems for women in natural resources management enterprises
UNU-INRA also aims to engage the African Diaspora in the activities of UNU-INRA. UNU-INRA's African Millennium Initiative for Science and Technology (AMIST) is a networking mechanism that is helping to bridge the knowledge gap between African scientists, technologists and academicians in the Diaspora with their home-based counterparts. The "Diaspora project" is strongly linked to both the College of Research Associates and the establishment of new Operating Units for UNU-INRA. Using these avenues, UNU-INRA is providing opportunities for the African scientists and technologists in the Diaspora to:
* Establish linkages between African universities and reputable centres of learning in the developed world. This confidence-building exercise is the first process in trying to alleviate the intellectual isolation afflicting the African scientists at home.
* Procure resources that can be used to strengthen the "cells of excellence" that have been identified by UNU-INRA as its Operating Units.
Finally, UNU-INRA makes timely and relevant information available to African policymakers through the UNU-INRA Annual Lectures. Since 1998, UNU-INRA has become the focal institution for attracting renowned scholars worldwide to share data and provide policy guidance to African natural resources and environment policymakers and/or their advisors. The UNU-INRA Annual Lectures, done in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has attracted such distinguished scholars as Prof. Calestous Juma (Harvard University), Prof. Samuel Makinda (Murdoch University, Australia), Prof. Maurice Iwu, (President of the International Society of Ethnobiology and Executive Director of Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme), Dr. John Mugabe (NEPAD Secretariat) and Prof. Robert Evenson (Yale University).
Currently, UNU-INRA's activities focus on four main thematic areas:
(1) Climate, water, land,
(2) Biodiversity, medicinal plants,
(3) Innovations, socio-economics, policy, and
(4) Capacity building.
