STEM in Africa

INTERVIEW

CONNECTING SCIENCE TO HUMANITY IN AFRICA

Katie Lewis speaks to Thierry Zomahoun, development strategist and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, about the challenges and opportunities surrounding STEM education and research on the African continent

To what extent does Africa have an image problem when it comes to At AIMS, we believe the best way to prepare African talent is to reinvent science and innovation? How can this be addressed? how we learn; in other words, we are creating the university of the 21st Century. If we create the right conditions for learning, bold research, We must acknowledge that Africa does have an image problem when it experimentation, commercialisation and entrepreneurship, we can arm comes to science and innovation, particularly from outside the continent. the next generation with the tools they need to succeed. And women must For example, how many people know the names of African researchers be a part of this solution. working on Ebola? Our goal at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), and through initiatives like the Next Einstein Forum We believe in a two-pronged approach. For those 11 million young people Fellows, is to change this perception, both on the continent and abroad. who are entering the workforce every year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, governments working in tandem with the private sector must invest in But I must say, there has been progress. The change is more rapid on entrepreneurs and small, medium and large industries that provide on- the continent and slower across the globe, but Africa is transforming. the-job training. The most brilliant of these young people should be given Initiatives like the Square Kilometre Array in South Africa and the Silicon opportunities to further their knowledge though R&D. Equally, we must Savanah in Kenya, as well as innovations like Cardiopad, signal that focus on creating an innovation ecosystem powered by cutting-edge R&D. Africa is pursuing innovation and science as necessary for development. Why is it so important to advocate for girls and young women to pursue This progress is part of why AIMS and other centres of excellence for degrees and careers in the mathematical sciences? research, learning and public engagement are important. In fact, in 13 years we have been able to grow rapidly into a network of six centres of Women and girls are an essential part of creating an innovative Africa. excellence based in South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Tanzania Women make up a little over 50 per cent of Africa’s growing population and Rwanda – and with more centres in the pipeline. and their under-representation in social, political, economic and scientific spheres costs both Africa and the world. According to the For what reasons is there a ‘skills gap’ in many African countries? UNESCO Institute of Statistics, only one in five countries globally has What can governments, policy makers and industries do to create achieved gender parity in scientific research. So the situation is not young African leaders in health sciences, tech, finance and other unique to Africa. STEM disciplines? Keep in mind that women’s contribution to economic activities is There are various reasons. Africa’s colonial legacy meant that the considerable through the informal sector. African women constitute colonialists did not allow Africans to study maths and science. At the 70 per cent of the informal economy. The UN Food and Agriculture time of independence, we had administrators but not scientists. We must Organization estimates African women are responsible for 70 per cent also admit that African leaders delayed in changing course and we have of crop production, 50 per cent of animal husbandry and 60 per cent lost decades – but I believe that today’s leaders are conscious of the vital of marketing crops. Women undertake nearly 100 per cent of food role of science and innovation in their countries’ development and they processing activities, in addition to child care and other household are anxious to see results. responsibilities. Creating opportunities for women in the economy

1 INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION through STEM education will improve their earning potential, enabling Africa is home to the world’s most untapped talent: Africa’s young people. families to move out of poverty. Furthermore, women’s contributions in Young people have ideas, they have drive and, if given the education all spheres of scientific endeavor will allow Africa to compete globally at and opportunities, they will lead the world’s innovation ecosystem. We its full potential. believe the next Einstein will be from Africa – and policy makers need to duplicate our success and prepare Africa’s burgeoning youth population At AIMS, we don’t view empowering women as a favour to women. We to lead its transformation to a global hub for science and innovation. have seen that given the opportunities, mentorship and support, women compete with and exceed their male counterparts.

Could you highlight some encouraging trends you are seeing within SPOTLIGHT ON AIMS STEM in Africa? The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a tertiary African governments have made many reforms to attract funding and education and research institute in Muizenberg, South Africa, which resources to get technology-driven industries off the ground. Major was established in September 2003. It has pursued a successful research labs like IBM, Bosch, Johnson and Johnson, LG, GE and learning model that capitalises on recruiting the best and brightest Ericsson already either have a presence in Africa or will be coming to students from African countries. Africa within the next year. It employs world-class lecturers as volunteers, including Nobel Laureates and Field Medalists who live and work with the students in three-week cycles. AIMS graduates are also given entrepreneurship courses and can pursue development and private sector interests through the AIMS Industry Initiative. “You have been given an opportunity to claim In 2013, AIMS launched the Next Einstein Forum as a global your freedom, a freedom I never experienced platform to discuss the science happening in Africa and across the world. AIMS advocates for interdisciplinary collaborations, it because I did not go to school. Embrace highlights the contributions of female scientists and links academia to policy and industry for the benefit of wider society. education and you will always know freedom.” – Zomahoun’s grandmother FROM ABANDONED CHILD TO GLOBAL ADVOCATE: ZOMAHOUN’S STORY We are also seeing places like Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa becoming major hubs of innovation in a competitive, homegrown Thierry Zomahoun shares why he is so passionate about the way. The innovations coming out of these hubs are globally relevant. connection between education and development: Also, governments like Rwanda’s have radically invested in creating innovation cities to drive industry and attract regional and global “From a very young age I came to know the importance of talent. The Kigali Innovation City, for instance, has planned STEM education in empowering youth. I was born in Benin, and I was higher education institutions and research labs side by side with raised by my grandmother in Cotonou after being abandoned at a entrepreneurs and commercial industries. We are also seeing a rise in young age. She never had the opportunities I did. My grandmother machine-based technologies, advanced technology industries and cloud always emphasised that knowledge is synonymous to freedom and computing services. that the only way to be truly free is to be well educated. I remember her words to me on my first day of school: “You have been given an The bottom line is that today Africa needs to invest in creating opportunity to claim your freedom, a freedom I never experienced the pipeline of scientists and the industries that will develop and because I did not go to school. Embrace education and you will commercialise research, as well as curiosity-driven research that might always know freedom.” not see any dividends for another 100 years. This is the only way to achieve sustainable transformation. “In that spirit, I try to pass on this drive to as many African youth as I can through our efforts at AIMS and with the Next Einstein Forum. What do you see as the greatest challenges and opportunities for For us, mathematical science underlies all modern technologies – young African scientists? and its application is found in every field. Hence, uniting scientists with a common goal of creating solutions to development African scientists face the same challenges that scientists around the challenges has become my passion. globe face, including accessing funding, obtaining and maintaining the best scientific infrastructure, and collaborating across boundaries. The “As a pan-Africanist, I believe that science and innovation will challenges are obviously greater in Africa, particularly because science level the playing field for Africa globally. This idea is central to my infrastructure in some place is non-existent. African researchers often everyday efforts.” have to resort to collecting data that has been processed (and therefore published) in Europe or the US. Without international collaboration, researchers often stay in the shadows.

Moreover, there is pressure on scientists to work on immediate developmental problems. Funding for longer term, curiosity-driven research is either weak or non-existent. This needs to change, and we hope to support this change through public engagement activities. Ordinary Africans must recognise the direct link between science and innovation and improvement in their lives – which in turn means funding for science and innovation.