Address by the

Chairperson of the African Union Commission

H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma

on the occasion of the

3rd Annual African First Ladies Discussion on

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

September 22nd, 2014

Credit Suisse, 1 Madison Avenue,

New York, USA

 
Your Excellency, President Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Honourable First Ladies

Chairperson of the Bunengi Foundation, Ms. Savannah Maziya and Board members

Our sister, Honorable Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women

Excellency Commissioner for Human Resources Science and Technology of the African Union Commission

Fellow panellists, Ms. Julia Gupta from Credit Suisse and Mr. Kamran Khan, Vice President of Compact Operations
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

I am honoured, on behalf of the African Union Commission, to participate in this 3rd Annual African First Ladies discussion on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); an issue that is so critical for African development.

We have made the point so many times, and will keep repeating it, that African development will not happened at the pace and depth it needs, without the empowerment of its girls, its youth and its women; and it will not happen by neglecting 50% of Africa’s talent, as Savanna so eloquently said.

The Common African Position on the Post 2015 Development Goals, correctly notes: “investment in children, youth and women always generate substantial development multipliers with positive effects on all sectors of the economy and society.”

The Common African Position, and our vision for the next fifty years, Agenda 2063 therefore emphasise the need for gender parity and equality, as well as the development of African skills and technological capacities as a driver of our transformation agenda.

Our people, especially young men and women, are our most precious resources, and we need to develop their skills, especially in the STEM areas, to modernise agriculture and agro-processing; to build, expand and maintain our infrastructure; to develop manufacturing and add value to our natural resources and to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Africa’s capacity to feed itself now and in the future requires increasing investments in climate change research, biotechnology research and development, and innovation.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

One of the key MDG goals was to achieve gender parity in education. By, 2014 out of forty-eight (48) countries that provided data, 18 countries achieved gender parity at primary school level.

In Africa, as is the case across the world, we are also beginning to see some increases in the number of girls that takes science and maths at primary school level. As they enter higher levels of education, however, the numbers of girls and young women steadily decrease.

Even in countries where girls and boys complete secondary school in equal numbers and with similar scores in maths and sciences, there are fewer women majoring in science and engineering at universities. By graduation, men outnumber women in nearly every science and engineering field, and in some, such as physics, engineering, and computer science, the difference is dramatic, with women earning only 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees.
Deliberate efforts are therefore needed to ensure that girls and young women have access to primary, secondary and higher education, and that they are steered towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Countries where such efforts are being made are beginning to see movements in the right direction. For example, Rwanda since 2006 implements a deliberate strategy to promote women’s participation in science, maths and technology (SMT) as part of the country’s vision to create a knowledge-based society. Thus they have increased the percentage of girls enrolled in maths and chemistry in secondary education from 22% and 35% respectively in 2004 to 30% and 45% respectively by 2010.

A survey amongst Nigerian women science, maths and technology university graduates showed a drastic increase in the number of females graduating in SMT discipline over the years: only 5% received their degrees in 1980 and before, 25% between 1981 and 1990 and rising to 70% between 1991 and 2000.

The Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) in 2009 saw women as percentage of total science and technology enrolments range from 17% and 18% at universities in Kenya and Uganda respectively, to 24% and 27% for Tanzania and Rwanda . The female proportion of science and technology academic staff at these East African universities was even more shocking: 2% in Rwanda, 3% in Kenya, 5% in Uganda and 7 % in Tanzania. And of course, if you don’t have role models in STEM, they will not be attracted to these areas.

Studies on the reasons for the low participation of girls and women in science, technology and mathematics identified early childhood environment, family expectations, societal image, gender stereotypes, and the school environment and gender issues more broadly , as amongst the reasons for the continued low participation of girls and women in STEM. In addition, the UNESCO Atlas of Gender Equality in Education, also identifies other factors such as the importance of female role models in girls’ academic success; and distance from school, which impacts more on girls than on boys. The broader issue of access and quality of education are therefore also important.

The Forum for African Women Educators (FAWE) introduced its SMT model in 2005, featuring activities such as science camps, clubs and study tours for girls, publishing profiles on women achievers in science-based fields, exposing girls to female role models in science and technology fields and by awarding achievers in SMT subjects. This model has been introduced in a number of countries across the continent . Schools where this have been introduced are beginning to see higher rates of girls’ participation in STEM subjects, improved test scores, as well as improvements in teachers’ attitudes towards girls’ abilities and participation in STEM and improvements in instructional materials for these subjects.

The work by initiatives such as the African First Ladies and the Bunengi Foundation is therefore critical, to advocate for more girls and women in education and in STEM, but also more generally to advocate for changes in the overall status of women. The AU is also involved in campaigns against early marriages, and to keep girls in school for as long as possible.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Technology brings about great changes and opportunities to leapfrog development. The African continent faces great challenges, but at the same time have huge opportunities: its people, its natural resources and the positive trajectory on a number of social and economic indicators, including growth, participation in education, progress on maternal mortality, on the HIV pandemic, on gender equality and on peace and security.
To address our challenges and to turn our opportunities into shared prosperity for all, we must invest in our most important resource - our people and we must go stem

We therefore congratulate the African First Ladies and the Bunengi Foundation for the work they do to champion girls participation in STEM, and look forward to working with them on these issues.

I thank you