Inmdian knowledge systems in africa

1. INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS POLICY:
VISION AND GOALS FOR AN INDIGENOUS
KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS POLICY FOR SOUTH
AFRICA
Mogege Mosimege
Indigenous Knowledge Systems Unit
Technology for Development
Programme
Department of Science and Technology
Presentation made to the Arts and
Culture Portfolio Committee on 09
November 2004

2. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
OF IKS IN SOUTH AFRICA
• Audit of Indigenous Technologies between 1996
and 1998; Portfolio Committee instrumental in
the support and advancement of IKS
• Involvement of the CSIR and 9 Universities in
the Audit; Each university conducted its own
Provincial Workshop to report on its findings
• First National Workshop on IKS at University of
North West: September 1998 (jointly organized
by the Portfolio Committee, DACST, and the
CSIR; Supported by other stakeholders)

3. IKS IN DST
• Establishment of Ministerial task team to Draft
Legislation and Policy on IKS in 1999
• Delegations by Task Team to India and China in
1999 – 2000 to learn about IKS in the two
countries
• Provision of ring-fenced funding to the NRF for
research in IKS since 2000
• Establishment of Unit dedicated to IKS within the
Department of Science and Technology in 2001

4. OBJECTIVES OF THE IKS
UNIT
• Undertake an intra and extra departmental audit, as well as an audit of
international IKS activities and processes.
• Actively participate/engage in regional and international IKS activities
• Actively co-ordinate national IKS interventions and projects and link
relevant ones to international efforts
• Developing and implementing IKS legislation, policy and strategy
• Providing mechanisms and infra-structure for the codification,
documentation and preservation of IKS
• Promoting research, monitoring and evaluation of IKS
• Promoting and developing IKS within the National Systems of Innovation
• Providing mechanisms for the development and management of IKS
database

5. IKS POLICY
• Key Policy Drivers – 4
• IKS and the National Systems of Education and
Innovation
• Stakeholders and Role Players in IKS
• Institutional Framework
• IKS Funding and Principles
• National and International Imperatives
• Role of various Government Departments and
the Intergovernmental Committee on IKS

6. KEY POLICY DRIVERS IN THE SOUTH
AFRICAN CONTEXT
• Affirmation of African cultural values in
the face of globalisation
• Development of the services provided by
Indigenous Knowledge Holders and
Practitioners
• Contribution of indigenous knowledge to
the economy
• Interfacing with other knowledge systems

7. Key Driver 1: Affirmation of African cultural
values in the face of globalization
• Redress
– The recognition and protection of indigenous
knowledge and IKS in South Africa for cultural
reasons .
– Knowledge institutions created during the
apartheid era and before it are still in the
process of being transformed to give
expression to an African intellectual
personality.
– The Policy seeks to creatively advance the
course of IKS within the context of complex
economic, social and cultural rights.

8. Globalisation
• With South Africa’s re-entry into the global arena,
there are both opportunities and challenges for
the prudent management of IKS.
• An indicator of the serious effect of globalisation
is the rapid attrition of language diversity across
the world.
• IKS policy framework places great emphasis on
the promotion of international linkages in IKS
from the perspective of sharing best practice and
commitment to common objectives

9. Key Driver 2: Development of Services
Provided by Traditional Healers
• In Africa up to 80% of the population uses
traditional medicine to help meet their health care
needs.
• According to WHO, the most important issues
affecting the practice of traditional medicine fall into
four categories: (i) National policy and regulatory
frameworks, (ii) Safety (iii) Efficacy and (iv) Quality,
Access,and Rational Use.
• There is a need to intensify R&D work in this
area, particularly as it relates to recording the IKS
and supporting traditional healers on safety and
accessibility.

10. Key Driver 3: Contribution of Indigenous
Knowledge to the economy
• In South Africa IKS are “owned” by and provide
services to disadvantaged people who are prone to
unemployment.
• Consideration is given to the role that IKS can play in
employment creation, poverty alleviation and
technology transfer.
• In deploying the economic potential of IKS, three main
factors are considered: the creation of incentive
mechanisms to promote IKS innovation; the promotion of
IKS in the context of sustainable development, the
promotion of IKS as an employment creator.

11. Key Driver 4: Interfacing with other
knowledge systems
• International trade in genetic resources involves
high economic stakes today eg. the sale of drugs
based on traditional medicines alone amounts to
over US$ 32 billion a year.
• From the perspective of national
competitiveness, systems of knowledge that are
less accessible to others offer a potential
competitive advantage.
• Documentation processes critical to ensure that
other countries do not benefit unfairly from IKS
that is in the public domain without appropriate
benefit sharing mechanisms

12. IKS AND THE POLICY POSITION ON
THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF ED AND
INNOVATION FOR SOUTH AFRICA
• The policy emphasizes the importance of the
integration of IKS in Education and the necessity
for the closer working relations between DST and
DOE on IKS and the curriculum.
• Although it would be ideal for IKS to become
holistically integrated into mainstream Innovation
Systems, a first step would be to ensure the
development of adequate government
intervention on behalf of IKS, in establishing the
infrastructure .

13. STAKEHOLDERS AND ROLE PLAYERS
IN IKS
• Role of the Private Sector-capacity building
developments
• Role of Traditional Leaders -recognition afforded by
the Constitution and other legislation unfolding in
South Africa
• Role of IKS Holders- holders of core competencies and
knowledge, includes local farmers, elders, traditional
healers, etc.
• Role of Women in IKS -as repositories of a large
part of IK . It is envisaged that the SA Reference
Group on Women in S&T will create a focal point on
Women and IK.

14. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
• A National Office on IKS -as a possible
precursor to an IKS regulatory mechanisms,
initially housed at DST.
• A National Advisory Committee -to support
the department in policy analysis as well as in
respect of advice on all matters on IKS.

15. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER
STRUCTURES
• Organizations not working directly on IKS but
playing a related role:
- NACI
- CIPRO
• Research Institutions
- Science Councils (NRF, CSIR, MRC, HSRC,
etc.)
- Universities
• IKS Trusts
- iIKSSA

16. THE PRINCIPLES FOR FUNDING IKS
• It is recognised that IK system outputs
and IK policy objectives are strongly
facilitated by appropriate funding
instruments.
• Funding in research is to receive priority.
• Establishment of the IKS Fund

17. IKS FUNDING
• Allocation of ring-fenced funds to the NRF
since 2000
• Review of the IKS activities at the NRF in
March 2004
• DST and NRF to meet soon to explore the
recommendations of the Review Panel and
determine the way forward.
• iIKSSA: Seed funding since 2002/2003
Financial Year

18. INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL
IMPERATIVES
• Integrating IKS Policy with other national
Policies.
• Protection of IKS- in terms of intellectual
property rights
• Institutional Infrastructure- WIPO, ARIPO,
OAPI

19. INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENTS IN IKS
There is an increasing international trend towards recognizing the value of
IK and the advantages it provides.
• BRAZIL, INDIA and the PHILIPPINES (and other countries) recognize,
respect and protect indigenous community's rights with respect to
traditional knowledge associated to genetic resources.
• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has organized a
series of meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on
Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and
Folklore; 7 Meetings have taken place, the 7th
Meeting taking place in
Geneva, Switzerland from 01 – 05 November 2004.
• In March 2004 the Africa Group made a proposal about the principles
and elements of an international instrument on intellectual property at
the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and
Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore at the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

20. INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
• Department of Trade and Industry
• Department of Arts and Culture
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Health
• Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
• Department of Education
• Department of Foreign affairs
• Department of Land Affairs
• Department of Provincial and Local Government
• Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
• Department of Sports and Recreation
Interdepartmental Committee on IKS – has been in place since 2002

21. IKS DEVELOPMENTS IN
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS
• DOH: Traditional Health Practitioners Act
• DEAT: Biodiversity Act
• DPLG: Traditional Leadership and Governance
Framework Bill
• DTI: IKS and IPR Policy
• DST: Project on ‘Development of a Traditional
Medicines Database for South Africa’; IKS and the
Curriculum Project in the North West Province
• MRC: Mapping of Traditional Healers in South Africa,
starting with Kwazulu-Natal

22. CAPACITY BUILDING AND HUMAN
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
• Development of IKS Human Resource
Capacity
• Links with the National Innovation strategy
• Equity through redress
• Public understanding and awareness of of
IKS

23. ESTABLISHMENT, OPERATION AND
MAINTENANCE OF IKS
• Databases
• Role of Libraries
• Museums
• Oral forms of IK
• IKS Laboratories
• IKS Centres

24. CONCLUSION
• IKS offers many opportunities to SA and its people:
- Poverty Reduction
- Innovation in various fields
- Competitiveness
• SA has already made progress in developing IKS related
legislation. The Policy will help to:
- coordinate focus of initiatives
- create appropriate linkages
- lead to improved impact
• IKS Policy will guide and add to regional, continental and
international collaborations and initiatives, e.g. SADC, NEPAD,
IBSA