African nations set targets for scientific and technological development

By 1980, African States should be spending at least 1 per cent of their gross national product on research and development; they should have between 1,000 and 2,000 scientists each per million inhabitants and for every engineer engaged in research there should be at least two specialized technicians.

These targets were set by representatives of thirty-eight African nations attending the ten-day CASTAFRICA conference which closed in Dakar on 30 January after adopting a series of sweeping recommendations for strengthening African science and technology.

At the close of the debate, the Director-General of Unesco, René Maheu, warned, however, that basic decisions must be made by African governments if the CASTAFRICA recommendations are to be implemented. 'Without these decisions at the national level', he said, 'all the outside aid will have only a marginal effect.'

Mr Maheu announced that he plans to call a meeting where representatives of Unesco, the Economic Commission for Africa and the Organization of African Unity can hammer out a common strategy for implementation of the recommendations for greater co-ordination between international and regional organizations concerned with science and technology.

Noting that Africa suffers from an extreme shortage of qualified researchers and technicians, the conference called for increased efforts to orient young people toward science careers and for measures to halt the brain drain from the continent.

African universities, the delegates decided, should develop closer ties among themselves and with other research institutions in order to co-operate more effectively in training and research.

Among the many recommendations of the conference were those which dealt with the establishment of science information centres and clearing houses, a central technological data bank with subregional branches, and plants for production and maintenance of scientific equipment.