The need to establish an African Scientific, Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC) dates back to the First African Congress for Scientific Research, Technology and Drug Industry that was held in Cairo 13 – 15 December 2004, and culminated in the 2005 Sirte Executive Council decision EX/CL/Dec.216 (VII), requesting the Commission to study the matter. The African Ministerial Conference in charge of Science and Technology (AMCOST V) in Congo, Brazzaville in April, 2014 reviewed the Statutes of ASRIC, which was then adopted by the Executive Council trough decision (EX.CL/Dec.747 (XXII)), thereby paving the way to establish and operationalize ASRIC.

The governance of the ASRIC consists of a Congress with a Bureau; a Scientific Committee; and a Secretariat. Establishment of ASRIC is a direct implementation of a decision of the AU policy organs. With the establishment of ASRIC, the continent has a pan-African platform that serves as a voice for the African research community and allows African scientists to be directly involved in research policy and programming process and widen the spread of research in all sectors of development and knowledge generation. ASRIC not only brings together the scientific community, but also the funding agencies, the private sector, Civil Society, Entrepreneurs and business leaders and other stakeholders.

ASRIC is to be instrumental in the implementation of various AU development policies such as the Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024), Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), and Accelerated Industrial Development in Africa (AIDA), that underpin science, research, technology and innovation. These continental development plans are part of the long-term, people-centered Agenda 2063 which fosters among other things, social transformation and economic competitiveness, through human capital development, innovation, value addition, industrialisation and entrepreneurship.

ASRIC has a broad mandate as outlined in its statute to promote research and innovation to address Africa’s socio-economic development challenges. ASRIC mobilizes African research excellence; builds and sustains a continental research-policy nexus; as well as and resource mobilization for research programmes. It will further promote dialogue and the voice of the scientific community; advocacy for knowledge and technology creation and acquisition; and link the scientific community with the production sector. It will be instrumental in supporting and strengthening national and regional councils’ STI capacities, bridging the gap between research and policy; and boosting intra-Africa and international collaboration in research and innovation.

The secretariat of the African Scientific, Research and Innovation Council is based in Abuja, Nigeria