Use science and technology to spur development, Africa urged

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 

By ELIZABETH MERAB
More by this Author

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.