Women scientists at the CSIR are ensuring African scientists are at the forefront of solving African problems.
They are doing this through their latest developments in, tackling health, food security and locally produced drugs.
Having diabetics pricking themselves each and every day to test their blood glucose levels, might soon be a thing of the past through the introduction of PHD candidate, Valentine Saasa's, nanotechnology breathalyzer.
Saasa said people could forego the painful and expensive monthly strips, for their device which would use breath to detect the blood levels.
Dr. Janine Scholefield, Senior Researcher at the CSIR, said they had managed to combine two of the most advanced molecular technologies, by making stem cells through skin and genome engineering.
Simply put, they had managed to take skingraft samples to create stemcells for almost any cell type in the body.
Female researchers from the CSIR unveil ground-breaking research. Video: Goitsemang Tlhabye
"In the lab we have turned them into brain cells, liver cells, white blood cells and to beating heart cells in a dish, which is pretty amazing to see."
This can be used to create white blood cells that can not be infected by the HIV virus and one day help Scientists better understand how the virus works but also to make drugs better suited to the African demographic population.
"Because sub-Saharan Africa has the greatest genetic variety in the world, there are mutations in their liver metabolism genes, leaving a significant portion of people unable to metabolise the drugs coming in from abroad."
As such, Scholefield said, they're solution would take African variations and start genetically engineering stem cells to include our mutations, sprinkle drugs on to them to find out what's causing toxicity from drugs.
And perhaps create drugs that would be better suited to the African continents population.