Use science and technology to spur development, Africa urged
Wednesday March 28 2018
Thierry Zomahoun, president and chief executive of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) at the Next Einstein Forum in Kigali on March 27, 2018. PHOTO | RWANDA PRESIDENCY
Science and technology can speed up social and economic development in Africa, participants at the Next Einstein Forum in Kigali were told.
"Africa should not stand idle in the wake of global technological advances. Science and technology has the potential to build vibrant social and economic growth on the continent," said Thierry Zomahoun, president and chief executive of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), who is also a NEF founder and chairperson.
Mr Zomahoun urged African governments to invest more in science, technology and research as well as the required infrastructure.
He added that Africans should not only be consumers of global technology, but also inventors and managers of technologies.
The three-day forum, which brings together about 1,200 scientists, policymakers, business and civil society leaders, and entrepreneurs focuses on highlighting the contributions of Africa's scientists and innovators to the global community.
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung, a German charitable institution.
Launched in 2013, the NEF aims to connect science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage science for human development.