PRESS RELEASE

Dr. Nicholas Ozor, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

The 2020 edition of the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report was officially released on 28 January 2021 marking 15 years of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP). The program aims to examine the evolving role and character of public policy research organizations. Over the last 30 years, TTCSP has developed and led a series of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between knowledge and policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security, globalization and governance, international economics, environmental issues, information and society, poverty alleviation and healthcare and global health. The report seeks to showcase the role played by think tanks in governments and civil societies with the sole aim of improving their capacity as well as performance. A total of 11,175 think tanks were catalogued and ranked in 2020 by expert panels comprising of members from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

Once again, the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) has retained its top position as the 1st Top Science and Technology Policy Think Tank in Africa and 10th globally. According to the report, this category is dedicated to the leading science and technology institutions within the global community. The top think tanks in this category provide superior innovative research and strategic analyses on topics ranging from innovation and telecommunications to energy, climate, and life sciences. These think tanks excel in research, analysis, and public engagement on a wide range of policy issues with the aim of advancing debate, facilitating cooperation between relevant actors, maintaining public support and funding, and improving the overall quality of life in the relevant countries that they cover. ATPS ranked tops in various other categories assessed in this report (see figure 1).

ATPS remains the premier science and technology policy research think tank in Africa with over three decades of impact oriented research policy on science, technology and innovation (STI) on the continent. We have facilitated the development and implementation of several STI policies in most African countries since the ‘80s.

Details of the ranking can be found in the report at:
https://repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/18/

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Dr. Nicholas Ozor, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

The 2019 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report was officially released on 28 January 2020 marking 14 years of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) that aims to acknowledge important contributions as well as emerging trends in think tanks worldwide. The report seeks to showcase the role played by think tanks in governments and civil societies with the sole aim of improving their capacity as well as performance. A total of 8,248 think tanks were catalogued and ranked in 2019 by expert panels comprising of members from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
The report shows that the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) has retained its top position as the 1st Top Science and Technology Policy Think Tank in Africa and 10th globally. According to the report, this category is dedicated to the leading science and technology institutions within the global community. The top think tanks in this category provide superior innovative research and strategic analyses on topics ranging from innovation and telecommunications to energy, climate, and life sciences. These think tanks excel in research, analysis, and public engagement on a wide range of policy issues with the aim of advancing debate, facilitating cooperation between relevant actors, maintaining public support and funding, and improving the overall quality of life in the relevant countries that they cover. ATPS ranked tops in 17 other categories assessed in this report (see figure 1).

ATPS remains the premier science and technology policy research think tank in Africa with over three decades of impact oriented research policy on science, technology and innovation (STI) on the continent. We have facilitated the development and implementation of several STI policies in most African countries since the ‘80s. The ATPS has been leading a major impact-oriented project on Networking Africa’s Science Granting Councils in 15 sub-Saharan African countries under the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the British Department for International Development (DFID), the National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa, and most recently the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The initiative aims to promote social and economic development in the region through research and innovation. More details about this Initiative are available online at: https://atpsnet.org/projects/building-partnerships/
The ATPS also ranked tops in many other categories that were used to assess Think Tanks across the world. Notable among these categories are: Best Managed Think Tank; Think Tank with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals; Best Independent Think Tank; Best Trans disciplinary Research Think Tank; Best Advocacy Campaign Think Tank; Think Tank with the Best Use of the Internet; and Think Tank with the Best institutional collaboration involving two or more Think Tanks; Best Think Tank in Domestic Health Affairs among many others.
Details of the ranking can be found in the report at:
https://repository.upenn.edu/think_tanks/17?utm_source=repository.upenn.edu%2Fthink_tanks%2F17&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
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The Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) mobile applications are now publicly available on Google play. This comes 18 months after the design, development and testing of the first two applications: LandInfo and LandCover. These innovative mobile data collection and analysis tools support local land management and land use planning to optimize food security, land restoration, and climate change adaptation programs.

The LandInfo application allows users to enter point-specific information about soil texture, topography and easily observable soil properties. It provides free cloud storage and sharing, and allows the app to return site-specific data including temperature, rainfall, estimated amount of water the soil can store for plants, and growing season length. The LandCover application functions via the stick method in assessing vegetation cover and structure of

pastureland. The outputs of the Land cover provide important information such as percentages of bare ground and vegetation cover, which is important in rangeland health monitoring.

“ATPS has been supporting the development of the LandPKS through field work and data collection and is now looking forward to creating awareness, building the capacity of stakeholders including farmers, rural development planners, policy makers, and extension workers, and mobilizing policy supports on the use of the applications as a tool for farm decision making and land use planning,” said Dr. Nicholas Ozor the Ag. Executive Director at ATPS. 

Speaking during the official launch of the LandPKS tools and public release at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) on Wednesday, 22nd April 2015, Dr. Ozor welcomed and appreciated the support of all the delegates who were drawn from the academia, civil society and policy-making institutions.

“The launch of LandPKS is a step forward in reducing food insecurity and environmental degradation challenges,” emphasized Dr. Hussein Farah the Director RCMRD.  He was pleased with the good turn out of the invited delegates and as the host he officially welcomed them. 

Further, Dr. Patrick Wargute the Director The Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing (DRSRS) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources – Kenya, stated that the LandPKS will go a long way in land rehabilitation, climate change adaptation, enhancing food security, and in sustaining ecosystem based adaptations.

Mr. Robinson Mugo of SERVIR- Eastern and Southern Africa brought the project into perspective and informed delegates that “SERVIR is about connecting space technology and science in the village.” He further explained that, the LandPKS will globalize access to knowledge and information about land potential for governments and communities, it will also identify the knowledge and information to each type of land and soil and connect people with similar types of lands and challenges with each other.

In addition, Dr. Adam Beh from United States Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA- ARS) presented the project and demonstrated how the App works.  “ The LandPKS App is now available on Google play store on Android platform however with time we shall ensure that it is available on I-phone, windows and other platforms” he re-affirmed. He went further to explain that LandPKS is a knowledge engine supported by global databases and models. 

The LandPKS team has developed a cloud-based, land potential knowledge system powered by geospatial datasets that allows the potential of land to be defined explicitly and dynamically for unique and constantly changing soil and climate conditions. The knowledge engine, together with mobile phone and cloud computing technologies, will also facilitate more rapid and complete integration and dissemination of local and scientific knowledge about sustainable land management.

The flow of data in the LandPKS system starts with site data that is collected from the field via mobile phone applications. The users’ input data are combined with geospatial data collected based on user location to run simulation models of potential soil productivity and erosion risk. Simulation results are used to create customized outputs that are returned to the user via the mobile application. The LandPKS strategy is efficient, easy to use and provides actionable information with modular, hierarchical (drill down to increasingly complex inputs and output) and open source, it complements and leverages related efforts like; ISCRIC, Africa soil Information Service (AfSIS), Vitalsigns, World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), United Nations Convention to combat Desertification (UNCCD), JournalMap.Org among others.

The launch of the app marks the start of connecting knowledge and information that already exists and can be uploaded therefore allowing land owners all over the globe to use their land to the fullest potential. The represented organizations including primary partners and field collaborators consisted of; Regional centre for mapping of resources for development (RCMRD), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), united Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), , SERVIR-Eastern and Southern Africa, United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA- ARS), Department of Resources Surveys and Remote Sensing (DRSRS) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources – Kenya, NASA, Ministry of agriculture livestock and fisheries- Kenya , Kenyatta University ( KU), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) among others. 

For further information about this app and for collaborative opportunities, please contact: 

The Executive Director,

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), 

3rd Floor, The Chancery Building, Valley Road, 

P.O. Box 10081- 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya, 

Email: executivedirector@atpsnet.org 

Telephone: +254 (0) 20-2714092; 

Mobile: +254 (0) 713 161 928; Fax +254-20-2714028

Farmers, development organizations, extension workers and national governments will soon have an opportunity to share, access and apply the best available knowledge and information to determine the agricultural productivity and erosion risk level of land at field, regional, and national scale using the new Land Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) mobile application

Leveraging the emerging trends in mobile phone technology, the LandPKS mobile phone app allows users principally farmers to make accurate farm decisions on the potential of their land in terms of crop production; types and soil erosion risk based on soil features, and also produces knowledge for aiding decision making in sustainable land management practices. The LandPKS mobile app facilitates the integration of local and scientific information and knowledge through crowdsourcing and innovative support system that provides users with robust information with similar characteristics to their land from other places around the world to be able to make farm decisions on production. Currently, LandPKS users get information on relative productivity and erosion risk for maize and grass.

The LandPKS mobile app relies on various sources of global datasets including Digital Elevation Model (DEM) maps, derivatives (slope, curvature, aspect, and land forms), weather data (precipitation, land surface temperature, and solar radiation), wind (NCEP/NCAR reanalysis) soil data (depth, texture, toxicity, workability, rock fragment, content etc), land cover, and land use maps among other datasets. The LandPKS project has made considerable effort to partner with different organizations such as African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS), Regional Centre for Mapping of resources for Development (RCMRD), and Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). Another supporting partner is The Africa Soil Information system (AfSIS) who is providing soil database for validating maize predictions.

The partners have been holding several fortnightly meetings to ensure that the success of the LandPKS project is fully achieved. ATPS is working with LandPKS to provide policy briefs, develop a LandPKS stakeholders mapping and communication outreach strategy where ATPS will be greatly involved in the implementation of the project.

So far, the LandPKS mobile app has progressed to providing relative grass and maize productivity estimates. However, validation, and testing of model’s confidence levels on both maize and grass are still on going. Proper predictions are determined by the understanding and accuracy of the user, light source and soil conditions (wet or dry). The LandPKS soil colour app (an important feature of the app) is still under development.

In spite of the enormous progress made with the development of the app, there remain some challenges that need to be addressed like; inadequate data availability in Africa, unwillingness of institutions to share data, as well as sparse data in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) where the knowledge system is being piloted. Predictions are therefore relative estimates. Following several feedbacks and information input, the LandPKS mobile app inte rface and capabilities are being modified using higher resolution datasets(30m) to improve the accuracy in predictions.

In future, the app will incorporate local knowledge on working practices (indigenous knowledge), globally connect users with similar needs/problems, and improvement of the models predictive capabilities through use of artificial intelligence. This will be one development of its kind that will contribute to sustainable food production, reduction in soil erosion risk and increase income opportunities for future generations.

For inquiries on collaboration and funding support, please do kindly contact:
The Executive Director, 
African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS),
3rd Floor, The Chancery Building, Valley Road,
P.O. Box 10081- 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya,
Email: executivedirector@atpsnet.org  
Telephone: +254 (0) 20-2714092; Mobile: +254 (0) 713 161 928; Fax +254-20-2714028

From left:- Stephen Bekoe (PHD Student), Dr Dorothea Kleine (Director ICT4D Centre), Martha Ugwu (National Coordinator ATPS UK), Ambrose Nwodoh (Outreach and Communication Director, ATPS UK)

The ATPS UK Chapter and Royal Holloway University of London have explored the opportunities for Research, Partnership and Collaborations as part of an initiative to foster collaboration between the ATPS and the ICT4D Centre in the University. 

The ICT4D Centre is a renowned Cross Disciplinary research Centre that is based within the Geography Department at the University. The Centre was awarded the UNICEF Chair in ICT4D in 2007 and ranked 7th globally in the Science and Technology research category in the 2014 Go To Think Tank Index with the ATPS following closely at 13th globally in that category and only second in Africa.

The talk which was delivered by the Outreach and Communications Director of the ATPS UK Chapter, Mr Ambrose Nwodoh accompanied by the ATPS UK National Coordinator Martha Ugwu, was attended by a cross selection of Senior Academics and Postgraduates students from the ICT4D Centre. Notable attendees were the Head of Geography Department and a Professor of Human Geography Kate Willis, Director of the ICT4D Centre and Director of MSc Practicing Sustainable Development Dr Dorothea Kleine, Lecturer in Human/Environmental Geography, Dr Gwilym Eades to name but three. 

Focus

The talk was focused on introducing the current directions of ATPS Network and its strengths as a leading global research in Africa. It served a perfect opportunity to present the ATPS Phase VII Strategic Plan 2013-2018 to the Centre with a view of collaborating in delivering on some of the key objectives. The Centre acknowledged the relevance of ATPS in global science, technology and innovation policy research, policymaking and policy implementation and the benefit of working with ATPS especially in delivering on its sustainable development agenda.  Both organisations share similar objectives with great emphasis on delivering practical activities that will empower poor people in the global south.

The presentation concluded with a very interactive question and answer session that focused on clarifying issues of capacity/structure of ATPS and identifying areas for collaboration. The Centre was reassured of the structure and the extensive global network of ATPS researchers that cuts across many disciplines both within and outside Africa. The Director of the Centre thanked Ambrose and Martha for the presentation and reaffirmed her commitment in developing a collaborative framework between the ICT4D Centre and the ATPS Network. . She alluded that the Centre would sign an MOU with the ATPS once a suitable project is identified.  

For all enquiries about ATPS in the UK please do contact;

The Outreach and Communications Director

59 Highgrove Road

Princes Park

Kent, ME5 7SF

UK.

Email: atps.uk@atpsnet.org

Visit ATPS website at: www.atpsnet.org

The ATPS in collaboration with Woodrow Wilson Centre held a conference on 01 May 2013 at Woodrow Wilson Center, USA. The conference aimed to assist in the development of a growing network between current and new generations of women and youth leaders in technology and innovation.

The following is a press release for the event.Click to download

Workshop Blog: Paying It Forward: How to Sustain New Generations of Female and Youth Leaders in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Africa

Video:  Technology and Innovations in Africa, A feature on the conference by VoA

Group Photo of the participants at the 2012 ATPS Annual Conference, at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The conference is the most inclusive event held each year to discuss Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation trends and development: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 22, 2012

African leaders and scholars from 29 countries from Africa, Australia, Europe, United States of America, India and Africans in the Diaspora gathered in Addis Ababa from November 19 to 22 to  deliberate on emerging paradigms, technologies and innovations for sustainable development in a post Rio+20 world.

Organized every year by ATPS ( www.atpsnet.org ) in collaboration with its partners, the conference was hosted at the new Africa Union Commission under the theme “Emerging Paradigms, Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Development: Global Imperatives and African realities ”.

The conference and workshops reflected on a post-Rio+20 futures for Africa. 

The optimism that the Rio+20 conference outcomes was expected to deliver greater global commitment to sustainable development and encourage countries of the global north to step up development assistance to African countries was well placed.

To make good use of the global commitments to sustainable development in Africa, African countries will need strategic transformative reforms in its Science, Technology and Innovation(STI)  knowledge structures, institutions and governance structures, Agricultural and resources systems research and policy, intra-Africa cooperation, knowledge circulation and networks and development pathways that enhance transitions towards wealth creation for inclusive green growth and development on the continent.

“Without aggressive policies and commitment to build endogenous capacities on the continent, Africa will remain a knowledge consumer not a knowledge producer in the third industrial revolution,” said Prof.  Kevin Urama, the Executive Director of the ATPS.

Though Africa’s scientific capacities and Gross Domestic Products (GDP) growth have improved during the past decade, technological and innovation capacities remain low and the requisite institutional and governance infrastructures are only just emerging.

“Whereas there are pockets of success in application of STI including the mobile telephony and telecommunications, among other fields, which significantly contributed to the sustained economic growth in the continent during the past decade, the continent generally lags behind her peers in skills and competencies required to fully reap the benefits afforded by STI for its development,” he said.

ATPS further maintains that Africa cannot afford to remain recluse of the emerging global realities and social, economic and environmental challenges, neither should she remain a global consumer of knowledge, technologies and innovations in the new global economy.

“There is need for Africa to build home-grown technologies and innovations for sustainable development on the continent,” said Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak the Chair of the ATPS Board and Chief Executive Officer/Secretary of the Kenya’s National Council for Science and Technology.

Africa’s growth if not driven by a persified production structure essentially in manufacturing that would deliver quality jobs and raise incomes, would remain trepid, fragile and susceptible to negative shocks.

“Unfortunately, Africa’s initial attempts were not very successful. Rather than re-strategize, Africa and those advising Africa abandoned this strategy completely in spite of its being responsible for the basic industrial structure that currently exist,” said  Prof. Osita Ogbu, the director of the Institute for Development Studies based at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

About the 2012 ATPS international conference and workshop: The overall purpose of the conference is to critically examine the current conditions, barriers and opportunities based on this year’s theme and to provide options for transitions to more inclusive sustainable development in Africa. It is expected that African policy makers, private sector and civil society appraised of the cons and pros of alternative development pathways and policy choices. 

For more information: 

Contacts:

Prof. Kevin Chika Urama, ATPS Executive Director

E-mail: executivedirector@atpsnet.org; 

Tel: +254 20 271 4098/ 168/498

Related News: 

Press release: 2012 ATPS Annual Conference to Reflect on a Post-Rio+20 Future 

Join the conversation on:

www.facebook.com/atpsnet

https://twitter.com/ATPSNETWORK (#ATPSAC12)

Conference Blog: 

https://www.atpsnet.org/blog/index.php 

https://www.atpsnet.org/conferences/blog/index.php 

Representatives of African governments, international organizations and Africans in Diaspora are expected to converge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 19-22 November 2012 to reflect on a post-Rio+20 future for Africa.;
The 2012 ATPS Annual Conference and Workshops will bring together a wide cross-section of the regional and international Science Technology and Innovation (STI) community, including senior ministers, African Union Commission (AUC), development partners, UN agencies, academia, civil society, NGOs, scientific and technical experts, the media and others.

The forum aims to follow-up on African Ministers call on Rio+20 to strengthen political will and international commitment to implementing the goals and ideals of sustainable development and urge developed countries to proactively fulfill previous commitments and pledges to support Africa’s efforts in achieving sustainable development. Under the theme: “Emerging Paradigms, Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Development: Global Imperatives and Africa Realities”, a key focus at the event will be a close scrutiny of the linkages between a strengthened STI and sustainable development in Africa.

“We need to critically examine the current conditions, gaps and opportunities and provide policy options in STI for change-over to a more sustainable Africa,” Prof. Kevin Urama, Executive Director of ATPS asserts.

T¬he Conference will also reflect on the first Africa Forum on STI held in Nairobi from 1 – 3 April 2012 which called for African countries to, among other things, design STI policies and programs to implement strategies to support inclusive growth, employment opportunities, and sustainable development in Africa.

Global imperatives versus Africa realities

A number of global assessments on development trends and resource potentials suggest that Africa is on the move and the technical resource and productivity potentials for green growth is substantial. Huge opportunities therefore exist for homegrown development, but the STI capacities of the African countries to effectively participate in harnessing these comparative advantages remain dismal. 

Though Africa’s scientific capacities and GDP have improved during the past decade, technological and innovation capacities remain low and the necessary institutional and governance infrastructures are only just emerging. 

 “The general feeling is that the global governance architectures be it in the socio-political, economic or environmental realms still leaves Africa disadvantaged in many ways.” Prof. Kevin Urama, ATPS Executive Director explains.

Despite the fact that there are pockets of success in application of STI including the mobile telephony and telecommunications, among other factors, which contributed to the sustained economic growth in the continent during the past decade, Africa generally lags behind to fully reap the benefits afforded by STI for its development. 

 “The notorious factors are lack of skills and capacities to foster an African development agenda, inadequate implementation of policies and programmes in the area of STI, and limited political commitment,” he adds.

ATPS therefore maintains that Africa cannot afford to remain recluse of the emerging global realities and social, economic and environmental challenges of climate change; neither should she remain a global consumer of knowledge, technologies and innovations in the new global economy, the architecture of which is emerging today. 

For details visit the conference page at https://www.atpsnet.org/conferences/index.php

Conference Program