National Academies of Science in Africa
Academies of Science support the implementation of a nation’s science policy through their dual mandate: promoting and honouring scientific excellence and providing evidence-based science advice to their nations. Since 2008, ASSAf has engaged in collaborative and academy development work with various national science academies. There are over 110 academies of science across the globe, some of which are over 350 years old such as the Royal Society (United Kingdom). In Africa, there are twenty-nine (29) national academies of science namely:
- Algeria – Académie Algérienne des Sciences et Technologies (AAST)
- Benin – Académie Nationale des Sciences, Arts et Lettres du Benin (ANSALB)
- Botswana – Botswana Academy of Sciences (BAS)
- Burkina Faso – Académie Nationale des Sciences du Burkina (ANSB)
- Burundi – Academie Burundaise Des Sciences Et Technologie (ABST)
- Cameroon – Cameroon Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- Congo – Académie Nationale des Sciences et Technologies du Congo (ANSTC)
- Cote d’Ivoire – National Academy for Cote d’Ivoire
- Egypt – Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT)
- eSwatini – Kingdom of eSwatini Academy of Sciences
- Ethiopia – Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS)
- Ghana – Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS)
- Kenya – Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS)
- Madagascar – Madagascar’s National Academy of Arts, Letters and Sciences
- Malawi – Academy of Sciences in Malawi
- Mauritius – Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology (MAST)
- Morocco – Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology in Morocco
- Mozambique – Academy of Sciences of Mozambique (ASM)
- Nigeria – The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS)
- Rwanda – Rwanda Academy of Sciences
- Senegal – Académie des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal (ANSTS)
- South Africa – Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
- Sudan – Sudanese National Academy of Science (SNAS)
- Tanzania – Tanzania Academy of Sciences (TAS)
- Togo – Académie Nationale Des Sciences, Arts Et Lettres Du Togo (ANSALT)
- Tunisia – Tunisian Academy of Arts and Letters
- Uganda – The Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS)
- Zambia – Zambia Academy of Sciences (ZaAS)
- Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS)
The oldest academy is Madagascar’s National Academy of Arts, Letters and Sciences, which was established in 1902, while the youngest academy is the Academy of Sciences in Malawi which was established in 2021. In addition to the national academies, there is an individual member-based academy, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) that draws its membership from across Africa.