Pretoria - South Africa and Tanzania will sign a bilateral agreement in Tanzania on Friday that will provide the two African states with a framework for cooperation in science and technology.
The agreement will be signed in Dar es Salaam by Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and her Tanzanian counterpart, Professor Makame Mbarawa.
Also to be discussed at the meeting are possible programmes by Tanzania to support the bid to host the Square Kilometre Array.
A recent study has shown a relatively low level of investment in research and development in Tanzania, with 0.24 percent of GDP being invested in this area.
This provides significant opportunity for South Africa, thorough the Department of Science and Technology, to provide support to Tanzania in developing its science and technology system by strengthening regional integration in the sector.
Tanzania also stands to benefit from South Africa's leadership in a number of science, technology and innovation (STI) initiatives in Africa, through the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The visit will also provide the Pandor with an opportunity to discuss issues relating to the upcoming SADC ministerial meeting scheduled to take place in Namibia in May later this year.
It is expected that South Africa will host a technical delegation of senior officials from Tanzania in the second quarter of 2011 to map out priority areas of cooperation and agree on joint resources to fund the activities. - BuaNews
