South Africa is to host this year’s World Science Forum (WSF), one of the leading global events examining science’s role in society, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, scheduled to hold from 5th to 9th December, 2022.
South Africa will be the first African country to host the WSF and the fourth country in the world.
At the soft launch of the first WSF to be held in Africa, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande said he was pleased South Africa will be playing host to the science community.
He said: “I am delighted to speak to you this morning on the occasion of the launch of South Africa’s hosting of the WSF 2022. The moment is therefore appropriate to share with you our exciting plans for an event, which we are confident will not only ignite conversation but also inspire action to ensure science advances social justice”.
The Soft Launch is a function that precedes the official launch of the World Science Forum aimed at providing members of the media and key partners with a taste of what the main event will offer.
The World Science Forum is an international conference series on global science policy organised biannually, which brings together leading scientists, researchers, private sector, civil society and global media to discuss the challenges facing science in the 21st century.
The Minister also stated out the vital objectives which the country would like to achieve through hosting the forum as it include a global debate to inspire concerted action and harnessing science as an instrument for social justice.
He added that debate at the forum will also question what role science should play in ensuring resources, opportunities and privileges in society are accessible to all and distributed fairly.
“We also look forward to hosting our international visitors at many of South Africa’s leading science institutions, including the South African site of the Square Kilometre Array telescope”.
This will be the first time the conference is to be hosted in Africa, since inception in 2009 it has only been organised in Hungary, Brazil, and Jordan.
This first African gathering is themed “Science for Social Justice” and over 1000 people are expected to attend the event.
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