ASSAf President heads NASAC

Professor Robin Crewe, President of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), was elected the President of Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) during the 6th General Assembly of NASAC held in Cape Town, South Africa on 11 November 2010.

Crewe took over from Professor Mohamed Hassan who laid a solid foundation for African science academies to work together through this network. In his tenure as President of NASAC, Crewe sees the key challenges as: the revitalisation of NASAC’s governance structures, science academy development in Africa, policy advice at a continental level, and sustainability of the network. A ten-year strategic plan is being developed that will guide and position NASAC as an effective and formidable African body to advance science and technology development within the continent.

NASAC is a consortium of science academies in Africa and was established in 2001 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the auspices of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the InterAcademy Panel (lAP). It is committed to enhancing the capacity of existing science academies and encouraging the creation of new academies in African countries where none exist.

Crewe is Vice-Principal of the University of Pretoria (UP). He obtained degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg and was awarded a PhD in entomology from the University of Georgia, USA, where he developed an interest in chemical communication and social organisation in social insects. He is the former Director of the Communication Biology Research Group, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), a position that he held for ten years. In addition, he was Dean of the Faculty of Science at Wits and then Dean of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UP.

Crewe has been active in the development of professional registration of natural scientists and the promotion of learned scientific societies. He was recently elected as President of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa. His accolades include a Gold Medal from the Zoological Society of South Africa, honorary membership of the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations (APIMONDIA), and he is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and a Chevalier de l'Order National du Mérite (France).

As President of NASAC he will be assisted by three Vice-Presidents, Professors Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Paul Mugambi, President of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, and Mostapha Mosto Bousmina, Chancellor of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology in Morocco. Professor Amadou Lamine Ndiaye, President of the Senegal Academy of Sciences and Arts, was elected as Secretary General, while Dr. Shem Arungu-Olende, the Secretary General of the African Academy of Sciences will serve as Treasurer. Collectively, the 6 form NASAC’s Executive Committee.