Kigali, Rwanda – Human progress is grounded in the mastery of science and mathematics, Rwanda President, Paul Kagame has said. In his welcome address at the ongoing Next Einstein Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, President Kagame said researchers and commercial enterprises apply those capabilities to practical problems and discover innovations that save lives and transform economies.
“Knowledge economies are prosperous economies. Today, more than ever before, adequate math and science proficiency is a prerequisite for a nation to attain high-income status, and the gains in health and well-being that go along with it,” President Kagame said.
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Launched in 2013, the NEF is a platform that connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage science for human development globally and believes that Africa’s contributions to the global scientific community are critical for global progress.
President Kagame said for too long, Africa had allowed itself to be left behind, but that was starting to change, as depicted by the important work on display at Next Einstein Forum.
“But as Africa catches up to the rest of the world, we cannot afford to leave our women and girls out of the equation. The gender gap in science is a global phenomenon, but that is no reason to accept it as inevitable,” he said. “Whatever the causes may be, we have to dedicate ourselves to closing the gap, because [the] opportunity will never be equal without equal access to knowledge”.
President Kagame was however quick to add that it was not just about filling heads with information and performing well on exams.
“The purpose is to apply that knowledge to solve the problems facing our continent and our world. That requires an innovation ecosystem in which government, business, and educational institutions all reinforce each other,” he said. “We need to build on the good initiatives underway to create more productive linkages with the African research and innovation community, both in universities and start-up firms”.
He said too often, it was just assumed that technical expertise was unavailable in Africa. “Governments are as guilty as big companies in this regard. We keep going back to the same external suppliers for solutions, without making every effort to procure the services here. It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Let’s use the resources we have to give these talented African specialists the chance to grow and compete professionally”.
He said there may be some extra costs in the short term, but doing so would not only build institutions in Africa but increase capacity for international collaboration as well.
Scientific research is fundamentally about cooperation across borders. Its global character accelerates the process of discovery and multiplies the benefits, he added.
“We do not aim to create an autonomous African science that operates in isolation. That would defeat the purpose. We are working to fully connect Africa to the global networks that have been so productive”.
Meanwhile, AIMS President and NEF founder Thierry Zomahoun in his opening remarks at the forum said: “We are here to celebrate the contribution of Africa in global science. We want to shine the light of Africa in contribution to science”.
This is part of the NEF coverage by Andrew Mambondiyani.