ATPS-USA Policy Chatham House Strategic Planning Roundtable (Updated, to be held on 31st October 2012)
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) will host a Chatham House Round Table discussion on “Strategic Planning for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Research and Practice in Africa in a post Rio+20 World: Role of Africans in the Diaspora and Friends of Africa in the United States”, scheduled on 31 October 2012 at the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars. The event, which was originally planned for 29th October 2012 was pushed forward due to bad weather. The activity is being organized by the ATPS in collaboration with the Africa Program and Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity of the President Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars, Washington DC.
The round table is designed facilitate dialogue amongst key stakeholders and development partners in the identification and prioritization of thematic and facilitative activities that will help strengthen the engagement of African in the USA in African policy dialogues and also in USA based policy dialogues on African development issues as part of the ATPS Phase VII Strategic Plan, 2013 – 2017. This was born out of on-going efforts to reverse brain drain into brain gain through effective knowledge circulation between Africa and rest of the world, as part of the implementation activities of the African Manifesto for Science, Technology and Innovation, launched in Cairo, Egypt in November 2010. Soft copies of the Manifesto can be downloaded from the ATPS website and hard copies will be made available at the meeting (cf: https://www.atpsnet.org/Files/the_african_manifesto_for_st&i.pdf ).
This marks the first implementation activity of the ATPS-USA chapter since it was officially launched at the Wilson Centre, Washington DC 0n 8th June 2012. The strategic planning dialogue will no doubt contribute to shaping the future engagement of the African Diaspora in STI policy research, policymaking and practice in Africa. Delegations to the Chatham house round table include leading STI policy research experts, policymakers, and private sector actors in Africa and the USA, and development partners, philanthropies, and foundations working on Africa. The President of the European Academies of Science Advisory Council (EASAC) who is also on the ATPS Board will also grace the occasion to share EU experiences on Africa based programs, providing multiple perspectives in the dialogue. Leading STI experts from Nigeria and Kenya, including former and serving government officials will also grace the occasion with their practical experience in engaging the Diaspora in Africa’s development struggle.
Venue: 5th Floor Conference Room, The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza – 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004-3027.
Contacts: Prof. Kevin Chika Urama, Executive Director, ATPS.
E-mail: executivedirector@atpset.org .
Dr. Anthony Ikeme, e-mail: atpsusa@atpsnet.org