DST Celebrates Africa Day

The Department of Science and Technology joins the rest of the Continent in celebrating Africa Day.

Africa Day celebrates the day when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor to the African Union was established by African states in 1963. Africa Day acknowledges the progress that we, as Africans, have made while reflecting upon the common challenges we face in the global environment. For South Africa, Africa Day presents an opportunity for all citizens of the republic to reconnect and recommit themselves in support of all government interventions to develop a better Africa and a better world.

Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on International Women’s Day announced that 2016 had been earmarked as the “African Union Year of Human Rights with a specific focus on the rights of women”. Dr Dlamini-Zuma also stressed that Africa ranks 15th in the top 37 amongst world classification for the participation of women in national parliaments, with 30 percent of women occupying positions in their governments as members of parliament.

Africa Day 2016 is an opportunity for the DST and its partners in the South African national system of innovation (NSI) and key African stakeholders in the STI sector to reflect and take stock of the role that women and girls have played in advancing STI.