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The report summarises the results of a survey of African Universities’ experiences in collaborating with scientists and institutions in developed countries. The study was carried out by the Association of Commonwealth Universities to provide background information to support the recent development thrust aimed at strengthening African universities through greater investment and North–South (and South–South) collaboration. It focuses primarily on social sciences and humanities research. The report presents empirical data on institutional goals, resource availability, prevalence and satisfaction with collaborative arrangements, challenges faced by individual researchers, capacity building as well as training and research support.

This paper presents a review of the challenges of international scholarly scientific collaboration. It looks at institutional constraints and points out that the challenges and problems multiply when collaborators come from different countries with differing conditions, resource endowments and institutional structures. It is easier to call for more and better forms of international collaboration than it is to design them. The report asserts that good design is helped by a better understanding of what collaboration is and how it has been carried out. It draws on social research insights to help reduce the transactional, financial, ethical and emotional costs of international linkages and exchange and provides a conceptual framework for thinking about international collaboration issues.

This chapter of the IPCC special report on climate change's regional impacts is one of the most authoritative sources on the issue, despite a considerable amount of work having been published since.

The chapter covers the regional climate, key vulnerabilities for various sectors, such as terrestrial ecosystems, water resources, agriculture and fisheries, coastal zones, human settlements and health. A synthesis outlines the potential impacts on the continent and lays out the key challenges that should guide further research.

This chapter should be read together with chapter 10 of the IPCC's 'Climate Change 2001' report. They cover similar ground, but various developments in research distinguish the two. The document is also available in French (PDF).

This chapter of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the authoritative source on climate change impacts and vulnerabilities in Africa. It summarises much of the peer-reviewed literature that explains how Africa will fare in a changing climate.

Background information on why Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change is provided. The major issues of regional concern including unreliable water resources, food security, natural resource management and loss of biodiversity, human health, the built environment and infrastructure and desertification and how these will be compounded by projected climate change are discussed.

The chapter highlights the uncertainty of predicting climate change impacts in Africa and emphasises the existing diversity of African climates.

The provided synthesis of years of peer-reviewed research is essential reading for anyone interested in climate change in Africa. The text is also available as an html document.

This paper provides a call for a new Green Revolution focused on Africa. It summarises the successes and failures of the original Green Revolution, setting out the challenge of igniting a new one that can succeed in Africa.

The authors identify the need for more robust seed varieties, more trained scientists, improved inputs and cultivation practices, better supply and marketing infrastructure, and greater access to irrigation. Achieving these, say the authors, will require strong partnerships between philanthropists, governments, donors, research institutes and the private sector, as well as decisive leadership.

This draft report of the High-Level African Panel on Modern Biotechnology recommends that African governments prioritise biotechnology as a tool to promote development and integration. The panel advises African leaders on developments in biotechnology, capacity building needs, and measures for regional cooperation and regulatory harmonisation.

The report suggests measures to develop capacity, regulate biotechnology and improve North–South and South–South collaboration. It recommends a structure based on 'local innovation areas' where clusters of innovative companies, their suppliers and service providers, universities and research institutes are all concentrated in a small area.

This draft report is subject to ongoing consultation and is likely to undergo further development. It is an essential read for anyone tracking the evolution of high-level biotechnology policies in Africa.

This paper maps African countries' knowledge base through patent applications and publications. It shows South Africa as academically, and technically, the strongest country of the continent. The number of publications is growing in other African countries, but patenting remains limited all-round.

The paper ends on a positive note, arguing that African countries already possess the basis for knowledge-driven development.

This 200-page report provides background data and analysis on climate impacts in sub-Saharan Africa, and identifies 'hotspots' of environmental change. It maps current farming systems throughout the continent, as well as key indicators of climate change including number and length of growing seasons and annual rainfall. A map of 'vulnerability' across the continent is presented, based on natural, physical, social and human indicators, and financial capital under different climate scenarios.

Some of the uncertainties in the analysis are identified and the decision-making implications discussed. Although the maps do not disclose the causes of climate change in Africa, they do give policymakers warning of the communities and farming systems likely to suffer most.

The report points out that Africa will face some of the largest impacts despite its countries being among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters. Developed countries therefore have an ethical obligation to help the continent prepare for climate change impacts, say the authors, although they also emphasise the need for local communities to start implementing adaptation strategies for themselves.

This draft document contains general guidelines on the creation and governance of health research ethics committees (HRECs) in Nigeria.

It also lists the principal characteristics research projects need to demonstrate in order to gain HREC approval. Research in Nigeria must have social or scientific value, be scientifically valid, ensure fair selection of participants, minimise health risks and undergo independent review. In addition, all participants of research projects must give their informed consent and be respected at all times. All projects must adhere to good clinical and laboratory practices. Researchers must do all they can to ensure their work has a lasting impact — transferring technology where appropriate and contributing to capacity building efforts.

This article summarises the findings of a study undertaken by US-based academics at the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture and the State University of New Jersey.  The authors analysed data on the impact of the adoption of genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize on corn production in seven southern African countries:  Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The report discusses the importance of corn in southern African farming and diets and describes the process of adoption of Bt corn, which was slow at first.

The study found that both large and small-scale farmers who planted Bt cotton benefited in terms of increased yields and reduced pesticide applications, although it was impossible to quantify the latter advantage in relation to smallholders.  Small farmers said that they liked the quality of the Bt corn varieties.

The report goes on to estimate the potential impact of improved corn yield on food security in the region.  The authors conclude by discussing possible measures that might encourage small farmers to adopt the new varieties.