Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a new, post-2015 development agenda. Concurrently, the African Union (AU) has established a blueprint for Africa’s development in the form of Agenda 2063. In the presence of these two development pathways, a new shift in the balance of emphasis on Africa’s development aspirations has evolved, with interface between Social and Natural Sciences/Applied Sciences becoming pivotal in the achievement of sustainable development goals. It is generally agreed that Africa made significant strides under MDGs. This was achieved with limited Science and Technology support. As such African countries have realised that much more can be achieved if both social and natural sciences as well as Technology are equally leveraged. With this awareness it is being contended that for African countries to be able to attain sustainable development goals, the interface between social sciences and technologies need to be supported by serious investment consideration in Science and Technology. .

The 7th Africa Unity for Renaissance International Conference seeks to bring together established researchers and scholars in the fields of sustainable development, economics, green economy & renewable energy, environment and systems sciences to interrogate Africa’s response to the new development agenda as specified in the SDGs and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Participants will converge in Pretoria to develop Africa’s approach to Sustainable Development Goals. Discussions will be guided by following themes:-

• Review of the Millennium Development Goals: How Africa has performed
• Poverty and inequality
• Climate change and environmental uncertainty (including hazards and disasters)
• Science and Technology models for achieving Sustainable Development Goals
• Systems thinking and Systems Models for developmental planning to achieve Sustainable Development Goals
• Peace and Security as a basis for achieving Sustainable Development Goals
• Investment approaches and models for achieving Sustainable Development Goals
• Strength, Opportunities and Weaknesses in African economies that may hinder or promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals
• Emerging trends of development patterns under Sustainable Development Goals
• Renewable Energy as a catalyst for achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Conference dates

The conference will take place on the 21st to the 24th of May 2017 while Africa Day Expo will be on 25th of May 2017.

Interested presenters must submit their abstracts to

Rodney Managa at Rmanaga@hsrc.ac.za or Tsholofelo Madise at Tmadise@hsrc.ac.za