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The Africa Institute
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| 12. The Africa Institute By Zanele Khoza and Elizabeth le Roux |
| The Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) is a statutory body
primarily focusing on political, socio-economic, international and
development issues in contemporary Africa. It was established in terms
of the AISA Act of 2001, although historically the research council has
functioned since 1960 as a non-profit organisation. The AISA Act was based on a number of key principles that are particularly relevant for African development, especially in terms of the confluence of initiatives aimed at advancing the renewal of the continent, such as the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). |
 Former Public Enterprise Minister Jeff Radebe addressing the “South Africa: Ten Years After Apartheid” conference earlier this year. |
| The Minister of Science and Technology appoints AISA council
members, who are accountable to the Minister. The AISA council consists
of a chairperson, a chief executive officer and seven other members,
all of whom are authorities in the area of research and corporate
governance. The council is supported by a small staff, which includes functional experts in technical matters and support services. AISA’s role is to provide research and policy development; to conduct research and embark on training programmes; and to establish, participate in and maintain networks for peace, development and prosperity on the African continent. This is expressed through three main divisions: research and development; publications and communications; and library and documentation services. AISA contributes to the goals of the National System of Innovation. Its research programmes have a particular impact on knowledge generation, human resources development (especially developing capacity in African studies, a scarce resource in South Africa), social sciences and innovation. AISA’s research also ensures the quality of policy decision-making, as it has an impact on various government departments, non-governmental organisations and other bodies. The research division is divided into programmes that focus on topical issues such as African unity, peace and governance, sustainable development and area studies - forming a significant source of expertise in a country that is still coming to terms with its role as a part of the African continent. |
 At the AISA conference is President Thabo Mbeki, AISA CEO Eddy Maloka and Professor Abdoulaye Bathily from Senegal. |
| The research division is supported by an internship programme and a
liaison division that coordinate events, partnerships and fellowships.
Early in 2004, AISA hosted a highly successful international conference
entitled ‘South Africa: Ten Years After Apartheid’, which was attended
by hundreds of scholars from around the world. AISA’s research findings are disseminated to the general public through the publications and communications division. This division aims to disseminate information as widely as possible, to promote awareness and consciousness of Africa, and to create awareness about and raise the visibility of, AISA. The Institute’s publications include a quarterly, peer-review journal, Africa Insight, a book series to showcase AISA’s research, occasional papers to provoke debate and keep decisionmakers informed and reference works such as the ever-popular country Caption. At the AISA conference is President Thabo Mbeki, AISA CEO Eddy Maloka and Professor Abdoulaye Bathily from Senegal. profiles Africa A-Z and the ‘facts and figures’ manual, Africa at a Glance. AISA’s library and documentation centre comprises one of the most comprehensive collections on African post-independence resources in respect of politics, economics and development issues, as well as having a special focus on current affairs and maps. Visitors are encouraged to email or fax AISA with requests for documentation, and can also visit the library on site. The most recent development is a project on the AISA Knowledge Bank, which will enable researchers to integrate geographical information systems and data analysis for the purposes of forecasting. An extraordinary amount of diverse information can be mapped and analysed in this way. For more information on AISA, please contact AISA at ai@ai.org.za or visit their website at www.ai.org.za. |
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Nominations of potential candidates for the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Board of Directors
