Event Report: 2024 Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Annual Forum and the Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting

The Botswana Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology hosted the 2024 Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Annual Forum and the Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting from 11 to 15 November 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana at Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino. The forum's theme  was ‘Science Granting Councils in a Dynamic African Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Landscape’.

See the Ministry's press release on the event, BW Botswana TV's full feature on the event and the NRF's post on the Academic Symposium. 

In addition to the Academic Symposium, the week's events a SGCI Masterclass, learning and reflection Workshop, SGCI governance meetings, GRC SSA regional consultative meeting,

The Chair collaborated with DSI-NRF Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation, the 4IR, and Sustainable Development at the University of Johannesburg (UJ-TRCTI) to present the Masterclass or Executive Seminar on Monday 11 November. Professors Erika Kraemer-Mbula and Caroline Ncube co-authored and presented a paper entitled 'The role of Innovation Agencies in enhancing Africa’s Innovation Ecosystems: a deep dive into Intellectual Property.' This paper then seeded further discussions in the workshop. 

The week's events were well attended and extremely well received.