Empowering youth in Africa to be creative leaders in science and technology

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” – Chinese proverb.

Today’s digital revolution enables economies and drives innovation across all economic sectors. Africa, its people, and its leaders continually battle the double challenge of achieving SDG targets and adapting to climate change. More than 30% of primary-school-age girls remain out of school in Sub-Sahara Africa. Also, Africa’s contribution to global scientific knowledge stands at 1.1%. Consequently, Africa’s ratio of scientists and inhabitants currently stands at 79 scientists per million inhabitants, the lowest. Also, scientists trained in Africa often work elsewhere due to the lack of infrastructure and availability of resources.

Hence, this session will consider how African youth can be prepared to be creative leaders in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and embody excellence in science and technology by tackling Africa’s mega challenges. The session will also examine how the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences is enabling young people in Africa through innovative education to address the continent’s mega challenges. This session will also feature a movie by AIMS titled Wajenzi (means builder in Swahili).