Federation of African Societies of Chemistry

On the 23 February 2006 the Federation of the African Societies of Chemistry was founded  in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).  The founding members of the Federation consist of the Chemical Societies of Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia, as well as the 'African Association of Pure and Applied Chemistry' which is based in Tanzania.

The Federation was founded to 'create a network of African chemists to encourage cooperation and help disseminate research results'.  Members are encouraged to improve chemistry teaching and raise public understanding of chemistry and increase the awareness of the role that chemistry plays in economic development.  The Federation plans to embrace as many African chemical societies as possible in the coming years and to establish working groups in the various areas of chemistry, including food chemistry, environmental chemistry, chemical education, analytical chemistry, natural products and medicinal chemistry.  

During the 22nd Annual Congress of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia the founding ceremony for the FASC took place.  The theme for the Annual Congress was entitled 'Chemistry in Africa in the 21st Century' and various sectors were represented including UNESCO, the International Science Programme, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Addis Ababa University.  They were also among a host of partners who helped to fund the participation of African chemists from outside Ethiopia over the three days that the event lasted.

FASC conducted its 1st Annual Congress during a three day event in September (13 - 15 September 2007) which was themed on 'Chemistry for Sustainable Development in Africa', which focused on areas including Green Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Food Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry.