Mozambique to launch science parks for development

[Im The Truth]

Mozambique to launch science parks for development
Carol Campbell
29 October 2008 | EN
Mozambique to launch science parks for development - SciDev.Net

[MAPUTO] Mozambique's government will drive the development of four 'science parks' across the country to encourage scientists to find solutions for its social, health and infrastructural problems.

António Leão, national director of Mozambique's Ministry of Science and Technology, says the initiative is aimed at taking science and technology to the people.

"These parks will be places where science and industry meet to find appropriate and workable solutions to our country's problems," Leão told SciDev.Net.

The parks will be located near the capital Maputo and in the Zambezia and Nampula provinces and will house research into agricultural technologies, energy, telecommunications, biotechnology and building materials.

"The first science park with an area of 950 hectares will be located in Mahica, a small town that is 98 kilometres from Maputo," said Leão. It will concentrate on information communication technology in its initial stages.

Leão said there was already a malaria research programme based at the site of the first proposed park and that more research programmes would be encouraged to base their offices and laboratories in the science and industry hub.

The formation of the parks — which are planned to look like South Africa's Centre for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) — was announced by Mozambique's minister of science and technology, Venâncio Massingue, at a press conference in Maputo this month (15 October).

The allAfrica online news service reported that the initial funding of US$25 million for the first park would come through a partnership between the Mozambican and Indian governments, and would cover laboratories, computer equipment and ensure water and electricity connections.

Massingue told SciDev.Net it is imperative that Mozambicans become able to support and maintain the technology and industry the country needs to progress.

"We can't have computers if we don't know how to fix them when they need repairs," he said. "In the past we had to send computers out the country when they need repairs."

Mozambique was devastated by two decades of civil war following independence in 1975 and still faces massive infrastructure backlogs. Massingue, who trains as an electrical engineer, is determined to use science and technology to uplift his country and encourages scientists to "go and talk to the people" in their efforts to resolve issues relating to health, agriculture, energy and water provision.

[Langalibalele]

This is awesome! Mozambique may be able to return to the ambitious development model it implemented under Eduardo Mondlane, carried out under Samora Machel and abandoned during Chissano. It was not necessarily Joaquim Chissano's fault, because Renamo and SADF war criminals made it impossible for the masses to commit themselves to the national program. I am sooo glad to hear this news! It is a return to anti-imperialist struggle!

[Langalibalele]

Originally Posted by Im The Truth

Mozambique was devastated by two decades of civil war following independence in 1975 and still faces massive infrastructure backlogs. Massingue, who trains as an electrical engineer, is determined to use science and technology to uplift his country and encourages scientists to "go and talk to the people" in their efforts to resolve issues relating to health, agriculture, energy and water provision.

Philosophical question: Is a counterinsurgency which is completely funded and supported by an outside country truly a civil war? I mean, Renamo had no political objectives inside of Mozambique until the SADF shot down Samora Machel's plane in 1988. Then the SADF began training Renamo mercs for political leadership. Does that qualify as a civil war or an Imperialist proxy war? Somebody clear that one up for me.

[Im The Truth]

I'd say imperialist proxy war, especially since SADF was one of the largest and long lasting imperialist forces in Africa. Inside majority of the Southern African freedom struggles there was this imperialist proxy war going on.

Simply put the "civil war" or "ethnic cleansing" are always the result of imperialist proxy wars. These imperialist have done a good job of making our people believe in these fights over ethnicity or tribe, internal fighting, and fights over religion as if these thing aren't the direct result imperialist proxy wars. The imperialist are so quick to put up a smoke screen when really they start and fund wars and fade into the background hoping their side wins in the end. Then when there side start getting beat down they sent in the U.N. to "stop the internal fighting".

For those that don't know, imperialist proxy war is a war where two imperialist (usually european but not always) forces indirectly face each other resources. The American-Russian Cold War is a perfect example of this. Sometimes African liberation struggles are so hard to understand because this phenomenon is going on. This is going on today with the East (China, India) vs West (U.S., Europe) in Africa.

[Langalibalele]

One disappointing aspect of this news is that the Mozambican govt wants $25 million from the bloodsucking Imperialists.