African Media Agency (AMA) The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung, today announced the launch of NEF Africa Science Week in Nairobi, Kenya. Sylvia Mukasa, NEF Ambassador, ICT & Telecommunications Consultant and entrepreneur with a special focus on emerging enterprise technologies and Cloud Computing, together with local academic, science and technology champions, will lead the event.
The event aims to recalibrate innovation in Kenya with the right investments and incubator environment can lead to real economic dividends. The goal is to raise public awareness on the importance of science and technology (school age kids, general public, gatekeepers are most targeted). As well, is to foster collaboration among various research actors and initiatives so that there is coordinated public engagement around science and tech in Africa.
“We want to provide that platform for relevant discussions and monetary commitments towards research and development in Kenya”, say Sylvia Mukasa, NEF Ambassador.
According to Mukasa, no country has every developed without heavy long term investments in science research and development. Most African countries haven’t committed more than 1% of their GDP to research and development except South Africa, which has committed to reach 1% by 2020. This hampers Africa’s ability to sustainable transform itself on a socio-economic level and compete globally.