The earliest examples of women scientists come from Africa — in the persons of the Egyptian physician Merit Ptah, who practised medicine around 2700BC, and Zipporah, a physician who lived around 1500BC. Ancient Egyptian women were free to attend medical school with men or attend one exclusively for them at Sais.
In the second century, Maria of Alexandria, an alchemist, invented the water bath, the three-armed still (a version of which was used by the early settlers in the Cape to distil brandy) and other chemical equipment. And in 370AD Hypatia, a mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, lectured at the University of Alexandria. She invented the plane astrolabe for measuring the positions of stars and planets, an apparatus for distilling water and the hydrometer for determining the density of liquids.
But research shows that women in Africa today are under-represented in the fields of science and technology. Most of them occupy lower positions than men in the hierarchy. This challenges African governments to find ways of improving the situation.
African heads of state convened in Addis Ababa at their 8th Ordinary Session this year and adopted the Declaration on Science, Technology and Scientific Research for Development. They also declared 2007 the year of building constituencies and champions for science, technology and innovation in Africa.
The AU Commission, through its department of human resources, science and technology, is planning a First African Union Conference of Women in Science and Technology to bring on board and encourage women to participate in the development of science and technology in Africa.
The conference will seek to identify role models for women scientists who could mentor young women; develop programmes to encourage more women to follow careers in science and technology; and increase women’s contributions and recognition for their role in the application and development of science and technology for Africa’s development. In so doing, Africa’s human capital in science and technology will be increased.
In his keynote address at the Women in Science 2007 Awards, Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena announced that South Africa will take the lead in this initiative by hosting the conference in Johannesburg from August 29 to 31 2007.
“I believe we can turn the tide of low participation rates of women in science by inspiring young women to carve out a niche for themselves in science and engineering, thereby contributing to the improvement of the lives of our people,” he said. “I urge all women scientists to be part of the science agenda aimed at building the science systems of the continent.”
Conference themes will cover such areas as women in science and technology, role models, gender mainstreaming, career myths and realities, and curriculum impediments to the participation of women in science and technology.
Topics will include Women Entrepreneurship in Science and Technology; Popularisation and Promotion of Science and Technology among Women; Women and Science Education; and Women, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Intellectual Property Rights.
Participants will discuss the establishment and operational issues of an African Association of Women in Science and Technology. They will then elect a continental committee to coordinate the activities of the association. Each participant will be encouraged to form a similar national association in her home country.
The national associations would be affiliated to regional associations, which would in turn be members of the continental association. This cascading structure is intended to ensure that the association’s programmes reach women on the ground in member states.
The association’s emphasis will be on activities that empower women.
“The challenge for Africa is to find ways of empowering women to reach their full potential as a resource for science and technology that can be called upon to solve our continent’s critical technical problems,” says Dr Botlhale Tema, Adviser on African Affairs in South Africa’s Ministry of Science and Technology, and one of the organisers of the conference.
It is also important for women to benefit from the findings of science and technology so that they will be able to improve the living conditions of their families. Women should, for example, have an understanding of how diseases are caused and how to keep themselves and their families healthy.
“I call on Africa’s women scientists to take up this agenda and develop projects to address these issues,” Tema said in conclusion.
For more information contact Anneline Morgan on [email protected], Tel: +27 12 843 6334 or +27 82 523 4918