A Fortnight of Foresight Observed at the COMSTECH

COMSTECH Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Centre for Policy Research and Training organized a course on “Foresight” in Islamabad, Pakistan from June 29 to July 10, 2009 to enable STI policy makers and researchers envisage what future may have in store for the OIC member states. It was delivered by five experts in Future Studies and Foresight.

Sohail Inayatullah, Professor at the Graduate Institute of Future Studies, Tamkang University (Taiwan), Ian Miles, Professor at the Manchester Business School, the University of Manchester (UK), Ozcan Saritas, Assistant Professor at the Manchester Business School, the University of Manchester (UK), Amer Qureshi, Managing Director, Capstone (Consulting, Training, and Outsourcing Firm) based in Dubai (UAE). Dr. STK Naim, Consultant at COMSTECH directed the course.

The participants represented two continents (Africa and Asia), four regions (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa) and eight OIC countries (Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sudan).

The training sessions also included practical exercises for participants on scoping and scenario building. The participants showed a high degree of interest in the practice of foresight. They appreciated socio-economic, political, cultural and technological challenges facing OIC member states and the need to conduct foresight in the said areas of national development of their countries.

Two weeks of courses, lectures and interactive sessions envisaged the possible future for the OIC region. The training session successfully covered all aspects of the foresight and covering its theory and practice. It is expected that the training imparted by COMSTECH would prove to be solid base for the participants to undertake such exercises in foresight in their respective countries.

Reported by: Ameen Amjad for Monthly COMSTECH News