Abidjan- Saturday, September 11, 2021

The international symposium on the role of transformational research in sub-Saharan Africa, an initiative of the Swiss Center for Scientific Research in Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), ended on Saturday, September 11, 2021 in Abidjan, with great success, according to the representative of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Goita Insiata Ouattara. "At the end of these three days of rich and fruitful exchanges, and in view of the quality of the synthesis of the work done (...) You have just succeeded in organizing a very high level of science by the quality of your reflections," said the chief of staff of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Goita Insiata Ouattara, hoping that the richness of the contributions will help to advance scientific research and innovation in our African countries.

She took the opportunity to thank the strong delegation from Switzerland led by the President of the Swiss Academies of Sciences, Prof. Marcel Tanner, for their strong involvement and multifaceted contribution to the success of this meeting. "I congratulate the Director General of CSRS, Pr Inza Koné and all his collaborators, for the quality of both the organization and the scientific content of this meeting," added Dr. Insiata Ouattara.

This international symposium is part of the celebration of 60 years of bilateral relations between Côte d'Ivoire and Switzerland and 70 years of existence of the CSRS in Côte d'Ivoire, said the Director General of CSRS, Pr Inza Koné. "One of the objectives of this meeting "is to highlight the contribution of scientific research in achieving the goals of sustainable development (SDGs) in sub-Saharan Africa through the mechanisms of translation of research results into action of sectoral development," he said.

This celebration of bilateral relations between Côte d'Ivoire and Switzerland was marked by events, oral presentations in parallel sessions, poster presentations, conferences and panels. Speakers included the project leader at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville, Spain, Dr. Mafini Dosso, the project leader at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), Dr. Bernard Lehman, the Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis, USA, Gary J. M. M., and the Director of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The event was also attended by Dr. Gary J. Weil, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis, USA, and Prof. Inza Koné, Director General of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), who is also Professor of Conservation Biology at the UFR Biosciences of the University of Abidjan, as well as by the President of the Swiss Academies of Sciences, Prof. Marcel Tanner.

During the gala opening dinner of this symposium held in the evening of Thursday, September 9, 2021, the Directorate General proceeded to the decoration of important actors at various levels who have contributed significantly to the development of research in Côte d'Ivoire, in the sub-region and worldwide. Among these distinguished, are the Director General of CSRS, Pr Inza Koné for his scientific research that contributes to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). In addition to this distinction, the 11th CSRS-Eremitage Foundation prize for research in partnership was awarded on Saturday, September 11, 2021, in Abidjan, to the research group led by Prof. Benjamin Koudou, for its subject entitled "Contribution of CSRS to the elimination of malaria and lymphatic filariasis".

This prize, endowed with an envelope of 15,000 Swiss francs (about nine million CFA francs), encourages researchers from different research institutions to collaborate and work in partnership. Placed around the theme "The need to rethink the world for sustainability: the role of transformational research in Sub-Saharan Africa", this international symposium organized from Thursday 9 to Saturday 11 September 2021, has brought together about 300 researchers and practitioners from the North and South for a sharing of experiences on the contribution of science to the positive transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa in the dynamics of co-construction of the post-crisis world. The CSRS in Côte d'Ivoire is placed under the dual supervision of the two ministries in charge of scientific research in Côte d'Ivoire, co-signatories of a scientific cooperation agreement between the two countries.

In Switzerland, the supervision is ensured by the ''Leading House'' designated by the Secretary of State for Research and Education (SER), in this case the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel whose director is Professor Juerg Utzinger. 

In Côte d'Ivoire, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for the supervision.

A.N