4. LESOTHO. Nomahlubi Shezi High Impact Innovation, Johannesburg. Introduction. Areas of specialization in R&D LESOTHO

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1 4. LESOTHO Nomahlubi Shezi High Impact Innovation, Johannesburg Introduction The Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology (MCST) has been given the mandate to coordinate science and technology development in Lesotho, and to oversee the evolution and operation of an effective S&T policy and a national innovation system. In line with this mandate, the Ministry will establish appropriate instruments to promote, motivate, guide, fund, facilitate and monitor S&T institutions, including new and on-going research programmes. The Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology (MCST) published the National Science and Technology Policy for Lesotho in The policy advocates for science and technology as sole providers of an enabling environment for expression of the shared vision and aspiration of the people of Lesotho. Areas of specialization in R&D LESOTHO Political Facts - The country gained political independence from the British Colonial Protectorate administration on 4 October 1966 Economic Facts - Lesotho has no substantial natural resources other than water - More than 85% of the population of 2 million live in rural areas mainly engaged in agriculture and informal activities - Estimated Growth in GDP in 2004 was 1.3% Demographic Facts - Total population is HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate was an estimated 23.2% in 2005 Local Research institutions The National University of Lesotho (NUL) is the only university in Lesotho s tertiary education system. It is an autonomous institution under the general direction of its governing council reporting to the Ministry of Education. NUL s multidisciplinary science facility provides an ideal structure for spearheading Lesotho s science teaching and research efforts. With reasonably well-equipped laboratory facilities, the National University of Lesotho s S&T departments do not currently operate as a homogenous unit for teaching and research. S&T staff complement is modest, and this will need to be substantially augmented if it is to effectively undertake both full time teaching and research in an on-going manner. Plans are being developed to launch a multidisciplinary research unit comprising intra-faculty teams in science, technology, social, political and economic sciences to integrate these two sets of research outputs. Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) is an autonomous institution under the general direction of a governing council. It is a principal science and technology institution with the special mandate of training and developing Lesotho s technical, commercial and vocational skills base in technical and professional competencies. Its programmes will have direct functionality to work place requirements in technological areas as well as practically for research and innovations in science and technology and commerce. This requires it to work closely Page 89

2 Sarua Study on Science & Technology in SADC Countries with industry, commerce and government to deliver a wide range of disciplines and skills to match the competitive dynamics of Lesotho s labour market. LP will also assist as required in the accreditation of technical and vocational programmes, with the national quality assurance bodies. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a leading agency on technical and vocational training within the Ministry of Education. It is charged with the development of training of persons for skilled occupations to meet poverty alleviation and socio-economic development needs. A list of performing R&D institutes is presented in the table below. This table details the proposed agenda for these institutes as well the specific research outputs. Table 41: Agenda for Research-Oriented S&T Institutes R&D Institutes Primary Research Objectives Specific Research Outputs NCIR National University of Lesotho Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) Ministry of Agriculture (MA) Ministry of Education & Training (MET) ATS Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Environment (MTCE) R&D and innovation Teaching, research, material and product development Process & procedure and product improvement; training, extension service and technical advice. Increased on-farm productivity, Better marketing facilities & higher value added output and income. Increased life and occupational skills; business, vocational and entrepreneurial training. Higher rate of acquisition, use transfer and popularization of appropriate technologies for steady SME growth Increased local use and management of natural and environmental resources. Increased & more reliable & regular S&T and environmental information. Research, product innovation and S&T advice Management and S&T skills, technical publications, technical advice, laboratory support, new materials & process innovations. Technical and vocational skills, technical publications, community outreach services and appropriate technology solutions. New processes, new products, new uses for products, new and appropriate technologies and improved farm practices. Enlightened educational policy & programmes, certification, new courses & teaching materials methodology, and new publications. Procurement, development & demonstration of appropriate technology choices, designs and prototypes. Skills upgrading & technical advice. Stronger domestic linkages, value added output, more trade and market intelligence information. Daily forecasts and recording of S&T information, environmental impact and risk assessments. Main providers/supplier of R&D services All RDIs receiving/using public funds Science & education faculty, Agriculture faculty, Social sciences & Health Science & Engineering Schools, Agriculture, Domestic Sciences and Arts Research divisions in the ministry and all outstations and extensions offices. All tertiary level teaching and research institutions, technical, trades and vocational training centres. All divisions of the ministry dealing with labour and community-related activities. All ATS divisions and RIC/ RDC attached. All divisions and outreach offices of the ministry. All divisions dealing with environment & all meteorology divisions and outstations. Regional Innovation Centers (RIC) Better use of local plants, materials & indigenous skills and technologies. Source: Lesotho Science & Technology Policy Document Practical workshops, demonstration and training sessions for ruralbased SMEs. All established RIC and RDC offices. Page 90 A Baseline Compiled Study by: Johann on Science Mouton and Technology and team and 14 January Higher Education 2008 in the SADC Region

3 Research output The total number of articles published in Lesotho as indexed in the international database ISI between 2001 and 2007 was 75 which means an average output of only 7.5 papers per year. The only institution that produces scientific publications is the National University of Lesotho. Table 42: Number of Publications by Source Title Source Title Record Count % of 80 African Affairs 6 7.5% Theatre Research International 5 6.3% Journal Of Southern African Studies 4 5.0% Bulletin Of The World Health Organization 3 3.8% General Relativity And Gravitation 2 2.5% Pramana - Journal Of Physics 2 2.5% South African Journal Of Wildlife Research 2 2.5% Size of the R&D work force Universities R&D workforce In the faculties of science and agriculture, expatriates occupy the highest ranks whilst the junior positions are reserved for the locals. The information in Table 43 below lacks a breakdown in terms of level of education for the staff profile and the faculties they belong to. Table 43: Number of staff in NUL for 2002 Category Number Academic staff 223 Administrative 89 Technical 131 Secretarial 75 General 224 Total 742 Source: MCST document prepared by DST Public Sector R&D workforce No information available Trends in masters and doctoral enrolments The information for postgraduate level students at NUL is broken down by faculty and gender; however it does not distinguish between masters and doctoral enrolments. Table 44 shows a very poor number of enrolments especially for females. There are only 2% of students in the science and technology faculty. Page 91

4 Sarua Study on Science & Technology in SADC Countries Table 44: Composition of Postgraduate Students in 2002/3 Faculty Female Male Total Humanities Law Social Sciences Science & Technology GRAND TOTAL Source: MCST document prepared by DST A significant number of students leave the country to further their studies abroad mostly in the Republic of South Africa (RSA). This is due to a limited number of programmes offered at NUL. In 2003 the total number of students leaving the country for South Africa amounted to 357. A third of these students were pursuing postgraduate degrees. Key R&D Initiatives and Networks Key Initiatives An Innovation Fund was recently established to focus on national science and technology priorities and to develop Lesotho s innovation system. Government is committed to implementing the internationally accepted minimum level of 1% of GNP towards science and technology-related R&D activities. To meet this 1% obligation, it is expected that the private sector and the donor community will assist, in cash or kind, to enable the country to achieve its national development targets. Recent technological development and emerging technologies initiatives include the following: Information Communications Technology (ICT) Lesotho has developed a National ICT Policy which serves as a key instrument towards identifying the existing risks and benefits in the areas of ICT. The policy also coordinates efforts towards maximizing the utilization of ICT in order to meet the national needs. Biotechnology Lesotho is currently developing the bio-safety regulatory framework which will form the foundation for a biotechnology policy. Priority areas It is very difficult to find data on financing of S&T activities in Lesotho. This is due to the fact that institutional annual budget allocations to carry out their routine work are often referred to as expenses to carry out R&D. Very little if anything is allocated to research from other sectors or ministries with the exception of the Agricultural Research Department (ARD), NUL, ATS and Central Bank of Lesotho (CBL). The list below indicates key sectors and products that were identified for S&T focus at an S&T stakeholders conference in Renewable energy ICT programmes Biotechnology Traditional and indigenous technologies Tertiary manufacturing Animal products Water, medicine and cosmetics Horticulture Page 92 A Baseline Compiled Study by: Johann on Science Mouton and Technology and team and 14 January Higher Education 2008 in the SADC Region

5 Collaboration through international and regional networks Institutional collaboration in recent years Most of the collaboration is in the field of health which constitutes 13% of the total number of publications. The countries involved in collaboration include African, Asian, European countries and the United States of America. The International Scientific Networking is a pragmatic strategy for building the capacity of the Least Developing nations such as Lesotho. The scientific network will not only strengthen the technology, innovation, research and development but will enhance the timely advisory role that science has to play as well as build the human resource base in the process of scientific and technological development. Bilateral Agreement South Africa has a bilateral cooperative agreement with Lesotho at national level, which was signed on 6 June It was agreed to transfer knowledge and know-how on the development of the following project areas: Technology Business Incubation of the Small Scale and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) Development of a National Science Centre for Promotion of Public Understanding of Science, Engineering and Technology (PUSET). Biotechnology for health and food security. Indigenous Knowledge Systems and good practices in advocacy to promote indigenous technological capability Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Tissue culture to improve potato seed and other local crops. Other networks Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio) is one of the four regional networks in Africa. It has been established with the regional Hub being hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the Republic of South Africa. The network covers 12 countries in the sub-region which are: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Seychelles, Republic of South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The region has identified the following areas of intervention in biosciences research and development: plant biotechnology, livestock production, human health, anthropogenic activities on the freshwater ecosystems, mushroom production, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), and enhancement of capabilities of the gene banking facilities in Southern Africa. (CREST & High Impact Innovation, 2007). Facts and Figures on brain drain The national S&T policy addresses the issue of brain drain and it stipulates that private businesses are expected to exercise sensitivity in employment and to apply affirmative action wherever possible. Official documents such as working visa and residential permits can also be used as a way of temporarily attracting trained S&T personnel from within the sub-region or abroad. At the same time Lesotho will be facilitating, training and retaining local S&T personnel. The policy also addresses gender equality and stipulates that enterprises will be encouraged to pro-actively facilitate women s access and mobility into occupations requiring mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, and technology management. International and foreign funding of S&T The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which is responsible for donor coordination in Lesotho, organizes periodic roundtable conferences that bring together the country s international development partners. Fifteen donor agencies are active in the country, among them the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, and the European Union. The figure below shows the top ten donors and how much they have been contributing to various development programmes. Page 93

6 Sarua Study on Science & Technology in SADC Countries Figure 6: International donors in Lesotho Page 94 A Baseline Compiled Study by: Johann on Science Mouton and Technology and team and 14 January Higher Education 2008 in the SADC Region