Cape Town - Speaking at the opening session of the World Science Forum (WSF) 2022 on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the forum should not only be a platform for vibrant discussion but also lead to concrete actions harnessing science as an instrument for social justice.
The WSF, which is among the most significant science gatherings worldwide, is being held under the theme “Science for Social Justice”.
“It is a great privilege to address you at the start of this historic event, the first World Science Forum to be hosted in Africa,” Ramaphosa said. “As this is the first World Science Forum to take place in Africa, we hope that it will contribute to advancing the African agenda for science, affirming the crucial contributions Africa has to make in enriching global science.”
He challenged the forum to critically consider, debate and respond with firm proposals, including the role science should play in protecting and enhancing human dignity and fighting poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Ramaphosa expressed disappointment at the inequality in access to vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for African countries, saying it was a gross violation of human rights and contributed to further loss of life.
“This experience has informed South Africa’s development of a national vaccine manufacturing programme, which includes a partnership with the World Health Organization through hosting the mRNA technology transfer hub here in Cape Town,” he said.
He also inquired about how it could be ensured that the contribution of African science is recognised as a global resource that is part of the world's responses to global challenges.
This is as the World Science Forum coincides with a special ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of the global Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope hosted in South Africa.
“The SKA is just one example of African-led science excellence on the global stage.
“We should also recall how the importance of investment in African science as a global resource was demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic when many African scientists played a leading role in the fight against the virus. The work in genomic surveillance, for example, contributed significantly to the international understanding of the mutation of the virus,” Ramaphosa said.
Cape Times