South Africa: Minister Blade Nzimande undertakes extensive Science, Technology and Innovation visit to Tunisia and Algeria
These visits are in response to invitations to Minister Nzimande by the Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr. Mondher Belaid and the Algerian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr. Kamel Bidari.
Through these visits, Minister Nzimande seeks to reinforce existing science, technology, and innovation bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Tunisia and Algeria as part of a broader commitment to grow the size and intensity of intra-Africa STI cooperation for development.
Minister Nzimande's programme will include bilaterals with his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts and visits to key science institutions.
In Tunisia, the Minister will visit the Borja Cedria Technopark, the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, the Bardo National Museum for arts and history and the City of Science Museum.
In Algeria, the Minister will visit, the Centre for the Development of Advanced Technologies, the Saad Dahlab University, and the Great Mosque of Algiers.
One of the highlights of Minister Nzimande's visit to Algeria will include a guest lecture organised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific cooperation on Pan-African cooperation.
Reflecting on the importance of these visits, Minister Nzimande stated that "Our visit to Algeria and Tunisia forms part of our long standing international relations strategy to strengthen meaningful science, technology and innovation cooperation with fellow African countries and to advance the objectives of the African Union's Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA).'
'Pan-African STI cooperation and development are of paramount importance given the current unstable geopolitical environment and the imperatives of securing the sustainable future of the continent. All our efforts are therefore aimed towards developing what we refer to as a sovereign science, technology, and innovation agenda for Africa,' added the Minister.
The two visits will conclude with the adoption by the DSTI and counterpart Ministries, of two new comprehensive Plans of Action, aimed at intensifying cooperation with Tunisia and Algeria, respectively.
This will be an immediate and concrete implementation of the ambitions for South Africa's science diplomacy, which Minister Nzimande had outlined in his Budget Vote speech last week.
The Minister's delegation includes senior officials from the Ministry, the Department and the Entities of the Department such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), as well as experts from the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Republic of South Africa.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
3 hours ago
- The National
UAE welcomes Trump's AI Action Plan, ambassador Al Otaiba says
The UAE's ambassador to the US commended the AI Action Plan unveiled by the Trump White House on Wednesday. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba applauded the much-anticipated artificial intelligence plan just hours after several executive orders related to the three-pillared AI strategy were signed by President Donald Trump. 'The UAE welcomes President Trump's AI Action Plan and is ready to fast track our strategic AI partnership with the US, first announced during [President Trump's] May visit to Abu Dhabi,' Mr Al Otaiba posted on social media. 'As a trusted partner, we are working closely with leading US companies to adopt and scale American technology in the UAE and beyond,' he added, referring to the 5GW UAE-US AI Campus announced in May. The UAE ambassador also reflected on the country's commitment to a $1.4 trillion investment framework in the US related to artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing. 'We are collaboratively setting a new 'Gold Standard' for securing AI models, chips, data and access – delivering lasting benefits for both our nations and the world,' he wrote. A week ago in Pennsylvania at an energy conference, White House cryptocurrency and AI adviser David Sacks also boasted about the UAE's commitment to work with the US. 'I know that our Gulf state partners will honour our security agreement,' Mr Sacks said, talking about US confidence that American-made technology would be protected in the UAE and wouldn't be diverted to potentially adversarial countries. In recent years, the UAE − the Arab world's second-biggest economy − has pursued becoming an AI front-runner, as it seeks to diversify its economy from oil. The country's efforts have resulted in the establishment of start-ups, partnerships and investments from industry leaders like Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI, to name a few. Through the creation of language models such as Falcon Arabic, the UAE has also sought to ensure aspects of Arabic culture are not left behind in the AI surge, with many large language models based on English-language data. In 2019, the UAE announced the establishment of a university dedicated to AI, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
Morocco, Gambia Pledge to Make Partnership a Model of Inter-African Cooperation
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Mr. Nasser Bourita and Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad Mr. Sering Modou Njie, reiterated on Wednesday in Rabat their countries' shared commitment to making the Morocco-Gambia partnership a model of inter-African cooperation based on values of solidarity and mutual support. During their meeting, the two ministers also praised the strong ties of brotherhood and solidarity uniting the two countries, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Adama Barrow. They also discussed various ways to deepen ties between Morocco and The Gambia, and reviewed cooperation between the two countries in areas of common interest at the bilateral, regional, and international levels. Mr. Bourita and Njie also reaffirmed their commitment to exploring new prospects of cooperation in priority areas such as investment, industry, trade, fisheries and renewable energy, health, water, education, infrastructure, and ports. In this regard, Mr. Bourita reiterated Morocco's willingness to contribute to the implementation of The Gambia's National Development Plan 2023-2027, which aims to provide basic social services and promote social and economic development in The Gambia. Njie's visit to Morocco is his first travel abroad since his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Gambians Abroad. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
Morocco: His Majesty the King Congratulates Egyptian President on July 23 Revolution Anniversary
His Majesty King Mohammed VI sent a message of congratulations to President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, on the occasion of the anniversary of the July 23 Revolution. In this message, the Sovereign expresses, on His behalf and on behalf of the Moroccan people, His warm congratulations to President Al-Sissi, imploring the Almighty to renew such an occasion for the brotherly Egyptian people with further progress and prosperity. On this occasion, His Majesty the King conveys His pride in the exceptional fraternal ties between Morocco and Egypt, expressing His conviction that these relations will continue to progress rapidly, driven by the shared will and ongoing coordination between the two Heads of State in service of the brotherly Moroccan and Egyptian peoples' aspirations and interests. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.