摘要:According to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the development of Africa depends critically on science, technology and innovation. 1 However, Africa contributes to only about 1.3% of the global investment in research and development (R&D). In response, the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiated a series of consultations in 2003 which resulted in Africa’s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (2005–2014). 1 In South Africa, the Draft White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation was released for public comment in September 2018. 2 This document acknowledges that there has been slow progress on the gender agenda in many countries and includes gender transformation in the pillars required for a South African responsible research and innovation approach. Measures to increase cooperation between relevant stakeholders include the development of gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. There are, however, concerns that this document does not clearly articulate the required strategy that will enable science and technology to contribute to the solutions for some of the country’s challenges. 3 A number of independent views have suggested that a variety of methods and processes is required to find solutions to these challenges.