Nations are built during times of crisis when leaders and citizens come together as a common force. Many of the technologies that have shaped our world have resulted from investments by nations, mostly in times of crisis, war, isolation or times of uncertainty. The increasing and unprecedented impact of the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic on African economies and livelihoods has unequivocally demonstrated the continent’s ill-preparedness and poor response to the pandemic.
How do we do in R&D investment? Recent data shows that South Africa spent 0.82% of GDP on R&D in 2019 and has 432 researchers per million inhabitants , China , Brazil , Russia . To date, South Africa and other countries in Africa, have failed to reach the “1% of GDP target agreed by AU member states as desired minimum expenditure on R&D”, as indicated in STISA-2024 . This is the AU’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 which places science, technology and innovation at the epicentre of Africa’s socio-economic development and growth.
Government investment in R&D has benefits. Consider, for example, the case of German company BioNTech which collaborated with Pfizer on the development of its vaccine, and received €375-million from the German government and €100-million in debt financing from the EU. As a result of this public subsidy, the Pfizer vaccine will be available at lower prices in Europe than in the US.
In 2015 South Africa’s pharmaceutical sector accounted for $3,65-billion in revenue, contributed about 1.6% to GDP and provided direct employment to over 9,600 people and a further 11,100 indirect jobs. In the period 2007-2016, pharmaceutical exports increased, attesting to some pharmaceutical manufacturing capability in South Africa.
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