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The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has congratulated Prof. Tebello Nyokong, a distinguished scientist from Rhodes University, on winning the prestigious African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award.

The award ceremony took place on Saturday, 30 January 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the opening of the 26th Ordinary Session of the African Union General Assembly for Heads of State and Government.

Minister Pandor said that this proved that South Africa and Africa have world-class scientists. "Our congratulations go to Prof. Tebello Nyokong for shining the spotlight on South Africa by winning such a prestigious award."

Last year, another distinguished South African scientist, Prof. Salim Abdool Karim, won the same award.

Advancing the African space programme to address Africa's socio-economic challenges

Minister Pandor said that she was also pleased that the 26th Ordinary Session of the African Union General Assembly for Heads of State and Government meeting had adopted the African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy, which the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST) commissioned in 2012.

South Africa chaired the working group that undertook the work of developing the African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy.

Space-derived services such as Earth observation and satellite communications, navigation and positioning are crucial for the socio-economic development of the African continent. Over the past four decades such services have played a significant role in international, national and regional economic and social development efforts.

Such efforts include the proactive management of disease outbreaks, natural resources and the environment, responses to natural hazards and disasters, weather forecasting, climate-change modelling and monitoring, agriculture and food security, and peacekeeping missions and conflicts. In this respect, space science and technologies that enable the delivery of essential services and products are vitally important for the continent.

Affirming her support for the development of the African space programme, Minister Pandor said, "The benefits of such a programme include assisting in the development of a high-tech sector. This also has potential spin-offs for other fledgling industrial sectors and can provide benefits to the African continent."

Minister Pandor also thanked the formal working group for undertaking this historical work, which holds so much promise for securing an "integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena", as espoused in the African Union Vision.

Issued by Department of Science and Technology