Policy
Goal
The overall goal of the National Science and Technology Policy is to attain
sustainable socio-economic development through the development and application
of science and technology in order to improve the standard and quality of life
of Malawians.
General Policy
Objectives
The general policy objectives that will facilitate the achievement of the
overall goal are to:
Establish and strengthen national capacity to research, evaluate, select,
acquire, adapt, develop, generate, apply, and disseminate technologies;
Develop and raise the national productive
capacity and improve competitiveness through the efficient application of
technologies;
3.2.3 Promote and develop traditional, endogenous, new and innovative technologies;
and
Create knowledge and S&T awareness
to improve and develop the scientific and technological culture of Malawians.
Specific
Policy Objectives
Within the context of the guiding principles; overall policy goal; and the general
policy objectives, the specific science and technology objectives shall be
to:
Establish a National Commission for Science
and Technology as the apex body responsible for the effective management
and coordination
of an efficient
and development-oriented S&T policy and strategy;
Build national capacity
for integrating S&T into national development
programme planning and implementation;
Improve the allocation and availability
of financial, human and physical resources to S&T institutions;
Enhance
multidisciplinary R&D programmes through the establishment
and strengthening of the multidisciplinary research-oriented R&D institutions
and programmes;
Strengthen S&T education at all levels;
Promote sustainable human development
through the sound management of the environment;
Promote S&T culture;
Promote the role of information and communication
technologies for the development of an information-based society;
Promote
the development and application of S&T for economic
growth and diversification, competitiveness and employment creation;
and
Promote the participation of all Malawians
in the development and application of S&T with special emphasis on women,
youth and other special interest groups.
1. Institutional Development
The institutionalization of science
and technology has been a problem in Malawi. Currently, however, the
Office of the President and Cabinet is, through the National Research
Council of Malawi, at the apex of the national institutional structure
for science and technology. The National Research Council of Malawi
is, according to its constitution, required to provide science and
technology advice to Government on all matters relating to scientific
research and technological development. This constitution has a weak
legal basis. Consequently the Science and Technology advisory function
will, under this policy, have a strong legal basis and be based in
an executive capacity in the Office of the President and Cabinet. This
will constitute a significant restructuring of the science and technology
institutional structure in order to strengthen its capacity and will
be achieved through the establishment of a National Commission for
Science and Technology by legislation. Although R&D institutions
will remain under sectoral ministries, they shall have dual reporting
responsibilities to their line ministries/departments and the Commission.
2. Science and Technology Human Resources Development Statistics for S&T human resources in Malawi reveal a low stock of S&T personnel at an estimated figure of 42 R&D professionals per million of population in 1991. This is against the recommended minimum target for African countries of 200 per million of population by the year 1980. Malawi, therefore, needs to make significant strides in improving her stock of S&T
human resources. There is a wide range of initiatives already in place to
address the shortfall in technical manpower including the re-organisation
and strengthening of technical, entrepreneurial and vocational education
and training. To this end, Government has adopted a Technical, Vocational,
Entrepreneurial Education and Training Policy. In order to achieve these
objectives, the following strategies will be adopted:-
Strengthen university education in science and technology and increase
and diversify post-graduate training programmes;
Ensure that the universities
offer postgraduate studies leading to MScs and PhDs on an on-going basis;
Create institutions constituting an inter-disciplinary bridge between
different faculties;
Promote the involvement of professional
institutions in the training of S&T human resources while ensuring gender
equity;
Promote an integrated,
demand-driven, competency based modular technical, entrepreneurial and
vocational education and training system;
Monitor gaps between supply of and
demand for technically skilled human resources.
Ensure the retention of S&T human resources
in Malawi; and
Undertake
national surveys of scientific and technological human resources on regular
intervals in order to establish the national stock
as a basis for
developing human resources in all S&T fields.
3. Technology Development and Transfer
A strategy for technology development and transfer in Malawi will recognize
the fact that most of the technology required for national socio-economic
development is available in the public domain and may be purchased or acquired
through training and other modes of technology transfer. It must also note
that Malawi cannot develop without creating an autonomous capacity for the
endogenous development and application of technology for socio-economic development.
A viable strategy for technology development and transfer will, therefore,
involve the designation of a national focal point for technology assessment,
monitoring and forecasting of foreign technology in order to promote selective
development of endogenous technology. This is essentially the classical make-some-buy-some
strategy for the development and transfer of technology and the national
focal point will be required to adopt this strategy in its operations.
The specific strategies for the implementation of the make-some-buy-some
strategy will be taking action to:
Assess Malawi’s needs and capabilities based on its S&T state- of- the-
art and national resource endowment (human, material and institutional) and
integrate specific S&T components into socio-economic development planning;
Monitor
imported technology by establishing national capability to screen technology
agreements, search and select imported technology, negotiate,
bargain and acquire the technology; adapt the technology; and assimilate
and diffuse the technology; and
Foster selective development of endogenous
scientific and technological capacity in order to undertake or promote the
assessment of S&T needs and
their prioritization;
Promote innovation at the firm level including
development of indigenous S&T and introduction of new products and processes and encourage
the conduct of R&D and commercialization of the R&D results at the enterprise
level;
Promote S&T activities in such areas as design
and manufacturing, engineering services; and diffusion of indigenous technologies;
and
Provide adequate S&T services such as information,
standardization and certification, quality management and venture capital
financing.
4. Popularization and Utilisation of Science and Technology
Science and technology institutions in Malawi
have in the past taken various initiatives to promote and popularize S&T. The programmes include the
mounting of S&T exhibitions at such occasions as the Scientific Revival
Day of Africa and African Industrialization Day. The media has made some
contributions towards educating the general population on the role of science
and technology in development and this will be encouraged. In order to further
popularize and promote utilisation of S&T, research and development institutions
in Malawi will focus on both mission-oriented and on discipline-oriented
R&D. Mission-oriented research focuses on useful science and on ensuring
that the results of R&D efforts improve the quality of life of the society
in both general and specific terms. For this to be achieved it will be necessary
for R&D efforts to be based on demand rather than supply. This is where
society, represented by Government, takes a leading role by identifying its
needs which R&D should endeavour to meet. To this end Government and
industry will promote and support contract research programmes that address
identified needs. Contract research programmes put emphasis on the interaction
between the internal system of R&D institutions and the external systems,
represented by society, politicians; and the economy in general. In addition,
the policy will:
Promote increased coverage by the popular
media of R&D and S&T activities in Malawi;
Encourage local scientists
and technologists to publish results of their research work in local
journals whose publication would be supported
by Government;
Establish within the context of the Malawi
Business Council or other appropriate mechanisms, a National S&T Colloquium
which will be presided over by the State President or Vice President; and
5. Extension, Diffusion and Commercialization of Technologies
Technology extension services aim at transferring
best practices to end-users at a fee or ex-gratia. Recent developments
in Malawi
point towards
the desire by Government to turn research institutions into corporate
entities. This will affect the ability of R&D institutions to provide technology
extension services which, under the new environment, would have to be paid
for by the end-users. Technology is said to have diffused when it is used
in production environments similar to that for which it was originally
intended. If the technology was imported from abroad, it is considered
diffused if local skilled personnel are capable of operating, maintaining
and repairing the technology. The process of commercialization of
technology consists of a multiplicity of steps covering the areas of idea
generation,
experimental R&D, technology generation and development, prototyping
and technology marketing. R&D personnel are not well equipped to
undertake some of these activities thereby requiring the involvement
of other
players in the process.
In order to promote the extension, diffusion and commercialization
of technology, the following strategies will be adopted:-
Promote contracting-out by Government of technology extension,
diffusion and commercialization services to local S&T institutions;
Encourage
tripartite research designed to bring together the research efforts of
R&D institutions, industry and Government;
Provide assistance for project
feasibility studies, engineering consultancy and design services; and
Establish
venture capital funds to promote the commercialization of technology.
6. Incentives, Motivation and Use of Local Expertise
In recent years, notable
improvements have been experienced in the utilisation of local expertise
especially
in consultancy
services.
More however, needs to be done to motivate local S&T personnel.
Malawi does not have a track record for innovation. Documentation at
the Registrar Generals’ Office reveals the non-existence of a
patent for an innovation solely emanating from local R&D. Lessons
from elsewhere show that in order to promote an innovation culture
requires the identification of national development problems requiring
new solutions; the existence of an environment conducive to converting
new ideas into successful business ventures; and the availability of
awards that recognize individual achievements.
Other than the Malawi Award for Scientific
and Technological Achievement (MASTA), there are no other awards
that
promote innovation. In order
to ensure that local S&T personnel are provided with adequate incentives
and are suitably motivated, mechanisms will be established for identifying;
encouraging; and developing special talents and competencies by taking
action to:-
Revive the Malawi Award for Scientific and Technological Achievement,
and ensure that its range of awards is diversified in order to open
it to more recipients and that it is administered annually;
Introduce
new awards to complement MASTA such as the Outstanding Invention
Award, Outstanding Entrepreneur Award and a Presidential Award in
order
to promote innovation;
Provide for an administrative system that enables
local scientists who develop specific technology applications to
benefit directly
from such works through payment of royalties;
Encourage and fund participation
of S&T personnel in local and international
scientific and technological fora
Continue and entrench the use of local personnel in consultancy
services;
Encourage young people in the education system to be innovative
by increasing their exposure to national development problems and
making the science
syllabi more relevant to Malawi;
Establish inventors societies based on interest
groups in educational and R&D institutions; and
Re-introduce "The
Most Innovative Stand" at the Malawi International
Trade Fair.
7. Basic and Applied Research
The so called scientific approach
has three stages the first of which is where no agreed scientific
theory exists
for the discipline
concerned and trial and error is permitted. This is followed by
a second stage where theory has been developed and agreed upon.
The
third stage is the finalization stage which, in contrast to the
first two stages, allows society to influence the practical application
of the theory. The gradual movement from the first stage to the
third
stage has led to the distinction between basic scientific research
and applied technological research. Malawi must carefully balance
between basic and applied research. Whatever
mix of basic and applied research finally characterizes Malawi’s S&T
system, efforts to improve scientific and technological publications
will be made
since bibliometric publications and citation analysis is one of
the most efficient and objective method of evaluating research
performance.
Strategies to promote basic and applied research will include taking
action to:
Enhance stakeholder participation in the identification
of areas for technological research and development and planning the implementation
of specific R&D programmes;
Develop
innovative methods for ensuring adequate funding for R&D activities
focusing mainly on technological research without neglecting scientific research;
Promote
private sector funding of R&D activities through the provision
of specific incentives;
Develop science disciplines in the university
system that would lead to the establishment of journals specific to those
disciplines
such as a Malawi Journal of Chemistry for Chemistry as a science discipline;
and
Establish and strengthen professional associations
and societies
to enhance discipline-oriented R&D.
8. Cooperation, Collaboration and Networking
Cooperation, collaboration and networking
at both national and international levels, is essential for successful development
and transfer
of technologies.
International cooperation has the advantage of securing the greater value from
expenditure through R&D structures. It reduces unnecessary duplication
of efforts and shortens the lead times preceding the operational stage of research.
In addition, international cooperation increases credibility of research findings,
promotes greater concentration of scientific and technological publications,
and makes available skills that do not exist in a given country. At the international
level cooperation, collaboration and networking are supported by Governments
because of the rapidly increasing cost of R&D endeavours, the limited financial
resources and the slow growth of national expenditure devoted to R&D. Extensive
cooperation among local scientists using a multi-disciplinary approach, international
collaboration through human resources development and networking with the private
sector characterized the maize research programme and ensured the success of
the program. The situation in Malawi is characterized by low-level cooperation
between researchers largely because of the sectoral affiliation of R&D
institutions in spite of limited national resources allocated to R&D.
Strategies to promote cooperation, collaboration and networking will include
taking action to:
Promote the establishment of
professional associations such as the Malawi Academy of Sciences;
Establish
a research funding mechanism that fosters and encourages collaboration
and networking among local researchers
Evaluate and maximise
benefits from Malawi's membership to regional and international groupings
that promote coordination and integration in science
and technology; and
Encourage the establishment
of and strengthen mechanisms that promote collaboration and networking
for R&D.
9. Role of the Private Sector
The private sector has been identified as the engine for
economic growth and is responsible for creating demand for S&T programmes and services. Technology,
and its judicious application in the productive sector, has the potential of
enhancing and accelerating economic growth by, for example, improving productivity
and competitiveness. The private sector could also contribute to the development
of technological skills by going into contract research arrangements with local
S&T institutions in R&D projects aimed at providing specific services
to the sector. These services include technology sourcing, transfer, adaptation,
assimilation and dissemination. In order to motivate the private sector to
play a leading role in creating demand for local S&T services, Government
will consider putting in place some fiscal incentives including tax relief.
Strategies to promote the participation of the private sector in local S&T
development will include taking action to:-
Establish legislation that makes private sector
investment in local S&T development
tax deductible;
Encourage the private sector to support skills training
under TEVETA;
Encourage the private sector to subcontract
to local S&T institutions
and researchers their technology and research development programmes; and
Invite the private sector to contribute towards
the development of S&T policies
and strategies so that it influences the application of S&T in
national socio-economic development
10. Women Participation in the development and Utilization
of Science and Technology
The population census of 1998 indicate that 52% of Malawi's
population is female. Despite this statistic, the participation in and utilization
of S&T by women has not received the attention it deserves. Not many women are motivated to study S&T
subjects at secondary and tertiary levels of the education system. The development
and transfer of technology often does not focus on the needs of women. The World
Summit for Social Development, however, noted that the participation of women
in the labour market and their equal access to employment requires, among other
actions, improving women's access to technologies that facilitate their occupational
and domestic work, encourage self-support, generate income, transform gender-prescribed
roles within the productive process and enable them to move out of stereo-typed,
low-paying jobs.
Malawi will, therefore, adopt strategies that foster the participation of women
in the development and utilisation of science and technology by taking action
to:-
Encourage research into all gender differentiation in science and technology
education and employment;
Promote access of women to S&T education at
all levels;
Foster gender equity
in science and technology in education and the workplace;
Facilitate the entry
of women into employment in the fields of science and technology and their
progress within such employment; and
Foster socially responsible and gender
inclusive science and technology.
11. Cultural Requisites for Science and Technology
Malawi’s culture, like elsewhere in Africa is dominated by superstition, traditional ideas and beliefs and low levels of literacy. For example, in the village setting, innovative smallholder farmers who follow modern agricultural practices are often suspected and sometimes accused of using charms in order to attain high yields. This poor S&T
culture is a serious impediment to socio-economic development. The ease with
which technologies may be imported from abroad enables planners and policy-makers
import 'comfort' and pay lip-service to the creation of a science culture among
their own people. A cultural revolution is, therefore, a requisite if science
and technology is to play its rightful role in changing the poverty situation
in Malawi. Strategies for achieving this will include taking action to:
Inculcate science and technology awareness and appreciation at all levels
of Government, especially at the policy-making and planning levels,
Elevate
S&T awareness and appreciation by including S&T in the educational
system through intensifying creative thinking and problem solving skills;
Design
syllabi that achieve a balance of S&T, the arts and humanities;
Increase vocational
and technical skills content in secondary schools and intensify efforts at
increasing S&T competence to acquire, absorb and disseminate
S&T knowledge and skills.
Utilize mass media to strengthen public awareness
and appreciation of S&T by expanding the S&T content of both the print and
electronic media and the training of journalists to improve the standard
of S&T journalism;
and
Demystify science by producing popular science materials for the
young both in print and electronic media.
12. Intellectual Property Rights
The intellectual property legislation in Malawi
comprises the Patents Act, 1958, the Registered Designs Act, 1958; the Trade
Marks Act,
1958 and the Copyright Act, 1989. The Patents Act provides for a nationally
independent system of patent protection in all fields of technology with a
patent term of
sixteen years and possible extension. The existing Patents Act and other
related acts need to be amended to comply with the Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual
Property Rights (The TRIPS Agreement) that Malawi ratified under the World
Trade Organization. The implementation process of the National Science and
Technology Policy will follow-up this exercise. In addition, the Trade Description
Act,
1987 which deals with the applications of false trade descriptions to goods
will
also be re-aligned.
Patents form an important indicator of the performance of a national R&D system
and find systematic use in economic analysis. Patent documents form an important
source of technological information essential for project identification
and commercialization of technologies. Consequently, this National Science and
Technology Policy will promote the use of patents for upgrading technology
in
the economy
with special emphasis on the industrial sector. The strategies for achieving
this will include taking action to:
Set up sound and user-friendly patent information services that would
readily exploit patents as a source of technological information for the benefit
of the economy;
Encourage and follow-up the review of intellectual property
legislation in Malawi to make it consistent with international practice;
Encourage
the establishment of a Malawi Association of Inventors to enhance interaction
between Malawian inventors and inventors in other
countries;
Train staff of selected R&D institutions in
the use of the international patent classification in general, and the use
of patents
as sources of technological
information, in particular; and
Enhance collaboration with regional
and international patent offices.
13. Indigenous Knowledge, Beneficial Rights and Rights of Origin
Although there are conflicts between cultural beliefs and
scientific challenges, a lot can be gained from the indigenous knowledge systems
and technologies
embedded in Malawi’s culture. The indigenous knowledge base in traditional medicine, for example, needs to be understood, preserved, further developed and protected for the benefit of the country. Intellectual Property Rights legislation systems, which cover the body of knowledge that may generally be classified as "Western",
are weak at protecting indigenous knowledge because it is owned collectively
by extended families, clans and communities and because substantial parts of
indigenous knowledge is transmitted orally. This tacit and embedded knowledge
needs specialized nurturing and protection. Developments in the fields of broadcasting,
cinematography, television and others can easily lead to improper exploitation
of the cultural heritage of a nation without due respect to the economic interests
of the communities from which it originates. Consequently, this National Science
and Technology Policy will provide for the identification, development and protection
of the system of indigenous knowledge. The strategies for achieving this will
include taking action to:
Commission studies into indigenous knowledge systems in order to identify,
isolate and document the knowledge
Promote training in indigenous knowledge
systems;
Promote indigenous knowledge which is known and proven through its
dissemination and commercialisation;
Establish appropriate incentives that
promote the generation and utilisation of indigenous knowledge; and
Develop
appropriate legislation that protects the rights of origin of indigenous
knowledge systems and national genetic resources.
14. Biotechnology and Biosafety
Biotechnology is revolutionalizing production systems in
agriculture and practices in health delivery systems across the globe. Its applications
have
led to further increases in agricultural productivity and major advances in medical
science and technology. Malawi, however, has not taken full advantage of the
opportunities offered by biotechnology. Consequently, there has been no special
effort to further develop national competencies in this emerging technology through
the development of human and institutional capacity beyond the first and second-generation
forms of biotechnology such as fermentation and tissue culture, respectively.
The establishment of the Biotechnology - Ecology Research and Outreach Consortium
(BioEROC) in Zomba is an important entry point for Malawi to adopt third generation
forms of biotechnology such as gene marking which has potential in improving
productivity in crop and livestock production. Equally important is the action
taken by government to develop a legal framework governing biosafety issues in
Malawi. In order to promote the development of Malawi’s interests in the field
of biotechnology the following strategies will be adopted:
Establish and strengthen centers of excellence in specific areas of biotechnology;
Increase awareness in biotechnology and its potential impact on socio-economic
development through demonstration and training centres;
Intensify the development
of the human resource capability in biotechnology;
Establish a national programme
of action for promotion and adoption of biotechnology;
Establish capacity
to monitor and evaluate biosafety issues in the economy; and
Establish programmes
of international cooperation in biotechnology.
15. International Conventions,
Protocols and Agreements
Malawi is a signatory to a number of international conventions, protocols and agreements in the field of science and technology. Malawi has also signed bilateral cooperation agreements in science and technology with some countries in the region and beyond. It is therefore important for the country to maximise her benefits from these arrangements. To ensure that Malawi benefits from such international conventions, protocols and agreements in the field of science and technology, the following strategies will be adopted:
Establish national consensus on all international conventions, protocols,
and agreements before ratification by consulting expert opinion;
Create
national awareness of the international conventions, protocols and agreements
in the fields of science and technology which Malawi has already acceded
to and those that will be acceded to in the future; and
Establish
practical mechanisms to ensure that Malawi benefits from the international
conventions, protocols and agreements already in force.
16. Information and Communication Technologies
Information and communication technology involves innovation
in microelectronics, computing (hardware and software) telecommunications and
optic-electronics –microprocessors, semiconductors, fibre optics. These innovations enable the processing and storage of enormous amounts of information along with rapid dissemination of information through communication networks.
Malawi like the rest of the world is living in an age of knowledge and information coupled with opportunities and dangers. Enhancement of capabilities in information and communication technologies can bring affluence to us by increasing efficiency. On the other hand, ICT is widening the digital divide between the information technology haves and have-nots. The whole world must cooperate to close the gap and seek co-prosperity. To that end we must take “globalization of information” a step further to “globalisation of the benefits of information”.
We must make effort so that all of humanity can share the benefits of advanced
information and communication technologies.
In order to promote the use of information and communication technologies,
the following strategies will be adopted:
Encourage and promote the establishment of electronics industries;
Enhance
use of such technologies in the social sector through the use of satellite
based information exchange systems and remote sensing;
Strengthen national focal points for information
and communication technology issues; and
Promote the development and regular review
of an information and communication technology policy that would guide developments
in the sub-sector.
17. Competitiveness and Productivity
The 1998 Africa Competitiveness Report put Malawi at rank 21 on a 23 point scale
of nations based on an average of six indices namely; openness, government, finance,
labour, infrastructure and institutions. Although the state of Malawi's physical
infrastructure contributed greatly to her low score, the other indices also contributed
significantly to making Malawi less competitive. Improvement in national competitiveness
depends on higher contribution from total factor productivity. In addition to
an optimal mix of capital and labour, other determinants of productivity include
education, training and technology. The application of technology in the productive
sector is a basis for innovations. In order to improve her competitiveness and
productivity, Malawi needs to develop its national system of innovation which,
according to international practice, consists of a network of public and private
institutions whose activities and interactions enable the generation, importation,
assimilation, modification, diffusion and use of economically useful knowledge.
The strategies for achieving these objectives will include actions to:
Create fora for interaction between the productive system on the one hand;
and the scientific, technological, educational and training systems on the
other; to promote productivity and innovation through diffusion and training
programmes;
Create fora for interactions between the productive system
on the one hand and the financial and administrative systems on the other
to provide financial support and regulatory incentives for innovative ventures;
Develop
human resources and, establish and strengthen institutional structures that
promote productivity and innovation; and
Establish institutional
capability for technology monitoring and forecasting at the enterprise level
in order to support technology management
activities like diagnosis, evaluation and development of enterprise specific
strategies and projects.