Astronomy has a potential to encourage a greater interest in scientific careers among the youth

The European Parliament Delegation for relations with South Africa held an extraordinary meeting with Ms Naledi Pandor, Minister for Science and Technology of South Africa, on Monday, 7 November 2011. The meeting entitled “Promoting European African scientific partnerships: the case of radio astronomy” was chaired by Michael Cashman, MEP and Chair of the Delegation for relations with South Africa.

At the meeting Minister Pandor addressed the unique opportunities that radio astronomy presents for mutually beneficial EU-Africa scientific cooperation and discussed how this cooperation can also contribute to socioeconomic development in Africa and build the continent’s research and innovation capacities. Southern Africa already hosts some of the world’s most exciting astronomy facilities, including the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the Gamma Ray telescope HESS in Namibia and the Astronomy Development Office of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Now South Africa is building one of the world’s largest radio telescope arrays, MeerKAT, which is already in great demand by the international astronomy community.

South Africa together with other eight African countries (Kenya, Ghana, Mauritius, Madagascar, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique) is also a candidate site to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s biggest radio telescope. Prof George Miley, Vice President of the International Astronomical Union, stressed the importance of the SKA as a powerful driver of global technological growth. Expected to be operational by 2025, the SKA will be a revolutionary radio telescope that will allow scientists to address many of the fundamental, unanswered questions about the universe we live in.

Minister Pandor sees in the African SKA bid and related radio astronomy initiatives “the potential to enhance and transform international scientific cooperation, to forge new alliances, and to bridge the traditional divide between developed and developing economies.” The Minister added that “investments in research infrastructures contribute to socioeconomic development in the regions where they are located” leading to new employment opportunities and development of basic services and infrastructures in often remote, rural areas. Minister Pandor stressed that new astronomy facilities help attract young people to science and mitigate brain drain, adding, that “new astronomy programmes have been established at several African universities, including Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique”.

There are also multiple opportunities for African and European industries to work together. Large scale radio astronomy facilities in Africa can enable an unprecedented investment in infrastructure, such as ICT, wireless communication, sensor technology, renewable energy, etc. This will create important opportunities for scientists and industry allowing companies on both continents to develop new products and expand on new markets. Overall, European involvement in African radio astronomy can enhance scientific collaboration with this rapidly growing continent, and significantly contribute to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Dr Bernie Fanaroff, Director of South Africa's Square Kilometre Array Project Office, explained the importance of African partnership with the European Union, as together “they can do much more and create a focus for science and technology in European development policy.”

Further information: http://www.astroafricaeu.com

Countries

South Africa