AbstractIn colonial Africa, scientific institutions were researching into ways of making life easier for expatriates — eg tropical medicine and the production of crops for export.With independence, the British handed over most of the research institutes and educational establishments to the new states, while the French retained a strong presence.There is now a severe shortage of trained scientists in black Africa, and heavy dependence on international assistance and transfer of knowledge.It is argued that more enduring structures for scientific and technological co-operation must be developed.