Background

In the age of the global knowledge economy, the sustainable development of a country is closely linked to scientific research. A university laboratory can be expected to generate income to the university using the state of the art facilities, while also provide enough usage time to cater for the teaching needs of the students. Laboratories which run along the line of research and consultancy can be a catalyst for growth of the relevant industry. Accreditation is key in the process, it constitutes a formal recognition that a testing laboratory is competent to carry out the tests identified within the scope of accreditation. Laboratory accreditation provides formal recognition of competence to laboratories, thus raising the efficiency and effectiveness of laboratory operation. It allows customers to select appropriate testing services and minimizes the risk of unreliable results.

Properly functioning scientific equipment is an indispensable component of research, but espite the overwhelming importance of scientific research in the quest for the sustainable development of modern societies, universities and research institutions in developing countries suffer from inadequate scientific equipment (Öman et. al. 2006).  Thus, in many developing countries scientists lack an operating research infrastructure (Öman and Lidholm, 2002). African countries are recipients of technology and advanced scientific equipment, however most of equipment is unavailable due to breakdowns and lack of maintenance (Mzengeza, D., 2003).  These institutions are expected to train manpower in the fields of science and engineering and to conduct research at a level comparable to other similar institutions worldwide, but this cannot be achieved if essential instruments, piece of equipment and facilities needed for this purpose are unavailable or are not maintained.  The scientific workforce cannot be trained and research cannot be conducted at a level comparable to that of other similar institutionsworld wide if the essential instruments, equipment, and facilitiesare unavailable or are not maintained (Öman et. al. 2006).  This situation must be acknowledged as one of the major reasons research output from certain countries is only a fraction of global scientific productivity (Öman et. al. 2006).

Öman et. al. (2006) states that devoted stakeholders must participate fully so that the new activities can be successfully implemented. In addition, some current activities need strong backing from national authorities and international organizations.

Maintenance of scientific and technical equipment appears to enjoy very low priority in the main activities of Universities, Research and Technological Institutions in Africa (Mzengeza, D., 2003). Öman et. al. (2006) also claim that purchasing, servicing, and maintenance of scientific equipment were not being given appropriate attention. Detailed procedures for servicing and main-tenance are almost always lacking, and the management of equipment-related logistics is marked by excessive bureaucracy. Important general constraints include inadequate access to product information; uncoordinated selection of new equip-ment; long order-to-delivery times; insufficient post-purchase in-teraction with manufacturers and lack of warranties; and a short-age of user and maintenance manuals, spare parts, and servicingtools. Equally important is the non-involvement of technicians. They are not sufficiently involved in the selection and installationof new equipment and often are not provided with appropriatetraining; career profiles for technical staff are often unavailable. Severe constraints on instrument sensitivity are related to environmental conditions. Most equipment is manufactured for temperate weather conditions, and it is often not well protected against inhospitable climates. The weather in African countries can be dusty, hot, and humid. Also, equipment is manufacturedfor use with a stable electric power supply. Erratic electricity insome countries frequently results in blown fuses or burned-outtransformers and switching devices. Minor as they may seem, blown fuses can cause severe delays when spare parts are notreadily available. Moreover, sudden power outages while a com-puter is operating can damage its hard disk.

Many efforts are making science more open and accessible; they are mostly concentrated on issues that appear before and after experiments are performed: open access journals, open databases, and many other tools to increase reproducibility of science and access to information. However, these initiatives do not promote access to scientific equipment necessary for experiments (Chagas, A.M., 2018)..Mostly due to monetary constraints, equipment availability has always been uneven around the globe, affecting predominantly low-income countries and institutions. Chagas, A.M. (2018) made a case for the use of free open source hardware in research and education, including countries and institutions where funds were never the biggest problem  Implications of adopting free open source hardware (FOSH) includes the lower price tag on FOSH enables scientists in regions that are normally constrained by lack of funds to address scientific problems previously outside their reach. It fosters the discovery of untapped talent and paves the way for inside–out development, rather than relying on external aid.

Despite more than $1 trillion in development aid given to Africa in the past 50 years, Moyo D. (2011) argues that aid has failed to deliver sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction—and has actually made the continent worse off . Moyo D. (2011) states that between 1970 and 1998, when aid flows to Africa were at their peak, poverty in Africa rose from 11 percent to a staggering 66 percent. Today, Africa is the only continent where life expectancy is less than age 60. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the poorest region in the world, where literacy, health, and other social indicators have plummeted since the 1970s. To remedy this, To remedy this, Moyo claims that Africa should wean itself of aid, and estblish alternative means of financing development.