[Wigsat-l] African Union Day: Celebrating African women scientists

[Sophia Huyer]

Joint Press release : African Union Day: Celebrating African women  
scientists
Written by Abdul Karim Koroma : Information Attache : Sierra Leone  
Embassy in Ethiopia Tuesday, 15 September 2009 04:13
Addis Ababa, September 14th 2009 – The African Union (AU) celebrated  
on Wednesday, September 9th 2009, the tenth anniversary since its  
inception in Sirte, Libya on 9 September 1999. On the occasion, the  
continental organization presented the first edition of the African  
Union Women Scientists Regional Awards which recognises the best women  
scientists in the five regions of Africa. On this symbolic day, Prof.  
Jean-Pierre Ezin, AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and  
Technology and his counterpart from the European Union (EU),  
Commissioner Janez Potočnick, Commissioner for Science and Research  
launched the call for research proposals for Africa for 2010 through  
the 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7) on Health, Environment  
and Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology.
The event took place while Mr Potočnick was visiting the AU in the  
framework of the implementation of the eighth AU-EU Partnership on  
Science, Information Society and Space as defined by the Lisbon Summit  
in December 2007.

For the Eastern region, the recipients for AU Women scientists  
Regional Awards are Prof. Romeela Mohee for basic science, technology  
and innovation sector and Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim for the earth and  
life sciences sector. Both winners are from Mauritius. Prof. Mohee  
specializes in the sustainable treatment of solid and hazardous waste  
through composting and Prof. Gurib-Fakim established the first  
database on medicinal and aromatic plants for Mauritius and for the  
South West Indian Ocean. For the Northern region, the winner is Prof.  
Sanaa Botros from the earth and life sciences sector. For Southern  
region, the winners are Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell for science, technology  
and innovation sector and Prof. Brenda Diana Wingfield for earth and  
life sciences sector. Dr McKinnell is the manager of the space physics  
group at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory of South Africa and Prof.  
Wingfield developed a research programme with a focus on the molecular  
phylogeny and taxonomy of tree pathogenic fungi. All the winners  
received 20000 USD.

Representing the Chairperson of the African Union, Muammar Khaddafi,  
Leader of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,  
Ambassador Ali Awidan acknowledged the importance of the scientific  
prize as a major achievement for the continent. He underscored the  
weight of science for a greater and brighter future in Africa.

In the same vein, Commissioner Janez Potočnick said that “through  
this Award, the AUC is indicating to the whole Continent that there  
are new pathways to follow that bring the combined talent of the  
entire population to the fore of laying the foundation for more secure  
and prosperous futures”. Prof. Jean-Pierre Ezin recalled that the  
prize is a concrete result of the AU-EU Partnership on Science,  
Information Society and Space. Talking about the importance of the  
partnership and the high priority actions, Prof Ezin emphasized on the  
criticality of scientific knowledge, stating that increased investment  
on science and technology is a must to foster social and economic  
development. To achieve this objective, he called on AU Member States  
to allocate part of their national income to science and technology.  
Commissioner Potočnick added that cooperation with EU will “help to  
strengthen research excellence; create the conditions to enhance  
adaptive research through the involvement of excellent local  
scientists and combine the latest scientific knowledge with the local  
knowledge that can unlock its potential and maximise its impact”.

All speeches are available on the AU website at www.africa-union.org

http://www.cocorioko.net/national/1638-joint-press-release-african-union-day-celebrating-african-women-scientists
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