The Doha Plan of Action, approved by representatives of 132 developing countries
who met June 12-16 for the second South Summit in Doha, Quatar, encourages the
use of indigenous knowledge in the process of improving scientific and technological
innovation and capability—a concept that has been receiving an increasing
amount of attention in African countries. The plan stipulates that intellectual
property rights must be respected and that there must be a means to grant appropriate
benefits to those who develop new products. African Science and Technology Minister
Mosibudi Mangena expressed similar sentiments in May at the National Conference
on Financing of Health Science Education at the University of Cape Town, South
Africa, when he said that modern drugs from the developed world overshadow the
value of traditional herbal-based remedies that may contain important cures for
common diseases such as malaria and AIDS. The importance of indigenous knowledge
was also addressed at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first national
forum on research in May, where it was cited as crucial in the country’s
efforts to achieve sustainable development.
