CHICAGO--Despite being one of the world's richest regions for diamonds, platinum, gold, and copper, sub-Saharan Africa has largely been unable to convert its natural resources into economic prosperity. It's a bleak record, historically, with colonialism, corruption and resource mismanagement getting much of the blame.

But in a symposium at the AAAS Annual Meeting, experts identified a ray of hope. By fostering partnerships between academia and private institutions, they said, universities can secure much needed funding for important projects and produce the next generation of skilled science and technology workers. Private corporations can get access to the skilled workforce and cost-effective research.

Margaret Kigozi, director of the Uganda Investment Authority, said that her agency is trying to increase public-private partnerships in her country by overcoming some of the cultural misconceptions between the two sectors. Private corporations, which have funding and resources, do not see the value academia can play in their business, Kigozi said, while academia, which has the technical knowledge, thinks that the private sector is undereducated and only driven by profit.

"We need to show each community not only that they can work together, but that partnerships serve each of their interests," said Kigozi.

She highlighted a program from her office which rewards farmers for making progress in managing their crops. Entitled "Prosperity for All," the program funds successful small-scale projects by farmers and works with newspapers to convey the new agricultural techniques to others. She cited a farmer who used waste from his chicken coops to fertilize his crops.

Beyond partnerships among public and private institutions, Andy Nyblade, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said that increasing the number of skilled African workers, especially in the geosciences, will allow Africa to better retain the benefits of its rich natural resource deposits.

Nyblade has co-developed a program that improves the management of the African natural resources sector by improving geosciences education in African universities. The program, AfricaArray, has raised $10 million and has supported 60 students at different stages from undergraduate degrees to financing postdoctoral fellowships. Many of these students then go on to work in the African natural resource sector.

Many of them work on surveying the continent's natural resources, which are largely unmapped. That, he said, allows countries to use their deposits to help finance public goods and services. 

"Africa is a resource-rich continent, and they need a trained professional science workforce to identify and extract the materials," said Nyblade.

Sarah Banas, a symposium co-organizer from the AAAS International Office, said that Africa has huge need for scientific development, adding that science plays a big role in water quality, climate change, and access to medicine.

Over the past several years, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and other key science and education officials have pledged to use scientific and technological development to drive economic growth. The leaders say that sustainable development and better management of its natural resources will be built on science, and that education is key to building a better future.

"Commitments from governments like Uganda and Rwanda are encouraging signs that there is will and an understanding that science is in their national interest," said Banas. She added that this has encouraged members of the African diaspora to bolster science and technology on the continent.