Africa needs to invest more resources in universities as a commitment to genuinely contribute to economic development and poverty and disease alleviation on the continent, said the South African Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor.

Minister Pandor was speaking at an inaugural awards ceremony in Johannesburg, namely, the Department of Science and Technology/Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) Excellence in Research and Innovation Management Awards to celebrate excellence in research and innovation in Southern Africa.

The Minister said that, over the past few years, there had been a notable increase in the demand for higher education in Africa, stretching institutions beyond capacity.

The majority of mobile students come from less developed countries to developed countries, while mobility within the Commonwealth countries is influenced by cost factors, increased competition in the market, and skills shortages.

She said while South Africa had benefited from this increased mobility, the country had not managed to expand the number of researchers, warning that the country was edging toward a demographic cliff as half of the country’s professors were due to retire in the next decade.

“This is worrying because of their research output. Back in 1994, the over-50-year-old researchers only produced one in 10 credited publications. Now these over-50-year-olds produce five in 10 of our scientific papers,” said Pandor.

Pandor encouraged students from around the world to study in South Africa, and reiterated the government’s intention to step up efforts to attract postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists to the country.

“International students, postgraduates, and researchers bring tremendous benefits to South Africa and they make an enormous contribution to the intellectual vibrancy and diversity of our educational institutions.”