Newsroom
All Our Featured Stories
AIMS, through the Next Einstein Forum announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week – 7th to 18th October 2024
“Youth-led innovations driving sustainable development in Africa.” Kigali, Rwanda, September 11th, 2024 The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), is pleased to announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week, set to take place from October 7 to 18, 2024. This groundbreaking event will be hosted [...]
AIMS, through the Next Einstein Forum announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week – 7th to 18th October 2024
“Youth-led innovations driving sustainable development in Africa.” Kigali, Rwanda, September 11th, 2024 The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), is pleased to announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week, set to take place from October 7 to 18, 2024. This groundbreaking event will be hosted [...]
Social Media
The latest from our various Social Media
New Malaria Vaccine Shows Promise in Kenya
November 16, 2014 | Blog
The NEF is excited to announce breakthroughs in scientific discoveries in Africa. A recent article highlighted that a new malaria vaccine shows promise in Kenya. The RTS vaccine prevents the malaria parasite from infecting, maturing and multiplying in the liver, from which it typically re-enters the blood and infects red blood cells. “We saw a [...]
Read More... from New Malaria Vaccine Shows Promise in Kenya
“Africa Needs Science, Not Aid”
November 10, 2014 | Blog
The claim is a bold one. Africa needs science, not aid. While Africa continues to experience an economic boom, with Nigeria leading as the continent’s largest economy, its growth is based largely on extraction of natural resources by foreign firms rather than boosting industrial productivity. Authors Nkem Khumbah and Melvin Foote make the point that [...]
‘Exciting’ drug flushes out HIV
July 25, 2014 | Blog
HIV can become part of someone’s DNA and lie dormant for decades, making a cure impossible. Early stage research in six people, reported at the Aids 2014 conference, shows that low-dose chemotherapy can awaken the virus. Experts said it was a promising start, but it was unlikely the drug would work on its own to [...]
GM’s potential in Africa impeded by ‘dysfunctional debate’
July 24, 2014 | Blog
Opportunities to enhance crop yields and reduce poverty in Africa are being lost because of a “polarised public debate” on the continent, according to a report released this week (21 July) by international policy institute Chatham House. Genetic modification (GM) research projects remain stuck at the field trial stage due to governments’ fears keeping the [...]
Read More... from GM’s potential in Africa impeded by ‘dysfunctional debate’
Cambridge diagnostic tool offers on-the-spot HIV testing to millions living with HIV in Africa
July 23, 2014 | Blog
A new trans-formative point-of-care diagnostic which gives instant results for the detection of genetic material from the HIV virus is being rolled out across Africa. The small, highly portable machine – known as SAMBA II – will help transform the lives of millions, especially HIV exposed infants who have a one in two chance of [...]
Equipping girls with science to drive change
July 22, 2014 | Blog
From behind the walls of a humble-looking building in Bali, a residential neighbourhood of Doula, Cameroon’s fast-paced economic hub, comes a steady, low hum. It emanates from around 20 women — avid learners immersed in scientific theory and hands-on practice. Read more [...]
Read More... from Equipping girls with science to drive change
New vaccine against five livestock diseases in progress
July 21, 2014 | Blog
Scientists in South Africa are developing a combination vaccine with the potential to offer protection against five major livestock diseases. Read more [...]
Read More... from New vaccine against five livestock diseases in progress
Gender equality for the environment: An unfinished agenda
July 17, 2014 | Blog
The first-ever United Nations Environment Assembly, that took place in Nairobi, Kenya, last month (23-27 June), came at a historic conjunction of events, as the international community discusses a new generation of Sustainable Development Goals and a post-2015 development agenda that will build on earlier successes and address gaps left over from the Millennium Development [...]
Read More... from Gender equality for the environment: An unfinished agenda
UN to unveil panel for ‘breakthrough’ Technology Bank
July 16, 2014 | Blog
A “breakthrough” UN initiative for transferring technology and building scientific capacity in the least developed countries (LDCs) will move closer in “a matter of weeks” when a panel to flesh out the proposals is announced, says an official close to the process. The high-level panel will consist of around a dozen experts from various backgrounds, [...]
Read More... from UN to unveil panel for ‘breakthrough’ Technology Bank
Opening up development ‘Without Borders’
July 15, 2014 | Blog
Balthazar Sieders and Mike Martel spend their days cycling along the coast of Africa, stopping here and there to offer free advice on computer coding to people who need it. The duo have called themselves Coders Without Borders, and they’re part of a trend. More than four decades after Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was formed, [...]
Focus on Poverty: More nutrition science or political will?
July 14, 2014 | Blog
The second Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) has just been launched, providing detailed evidence on efforts to reduce hunger (ten indicators) and undernutrition (12 indicators) in 45 developing countries. [1] The data show that the richer among these countries often do better — more resources should, after all, mean better outcomes. They also show [...]
Read More... from Focus on Poverty: More nutrition science or political will?
Local communities ‘sidelined’ in development research
July 11, 2014 | Blog
Development research remains far too academic and disconnected, with a “minuscule fraction” ever reaching local communities in a useable form, experts say. The research community rarely succeeds in transmitting knowledge to the people their work is supposed to help, said speakers at the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes’ meeting in Bonn, Germany, [...]
Read More... from Local communities ‘sidelined’ in development research
How to build research partnerships that benefit farmers
July 10, 2014 | Blog
Agricultural research for development spans a broad spectrum of activities — from ‘upstream’ research, generally at universities or advanced research institutes, to much more ‘downstream’ research by plant breeders to put better crops in farmers’ hands. As a result of this spread, activities can become fragmented, with little communication between specialised teams along the research [...]
Read More... from How to build research partnerships that benefit farmers
NCRST Awards Research Grants to the University of Namibia
July 9, 2014 | Blog
The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) has awarded grants to researchers at the University of Namibia (UNAM) under the Namibia/South Africa Joint Bilateral Collaboration Research Programme. NCRST, as the authority responsible for coordination and development of research, science, technology and innovation in Namibia has given researchers from the University of Namibia grants [...]
Read More... from NCRST Awards Research Grants to the University of Namibia
Q&A: Science policy lessons from Latin America
July 8, 2014 | Blog
Latin American teams have been achieving strong results at the World Cup in Brazil. But science in the region has been performing well too. With Argentina, Brazil and Mexico leading the way over the past decade in regional research and development (R&D), Latin America is currently the second fastest growing region in the world for [...]
Read More... from Q&A: Science policy lessons from Latin America
Next Einstein Forum announces new cohort of 25 Fellows, Africa’s top young scientists
August 5, 2019 | Feat Articles, Fellows, Highlight, News, News Articles
Kigali, Rwanda, 5 August 2019 – The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) today announced its third Class of NEF Fellows Class, 25 strong scientists, all under 42 years, whose research and innovations are contributing to solve Africa’s and the world’s most pressing challenges. “I am excited to announce the 3rd class of NEF Fellows for two [...]
CALL FOR A CURATOR FOR THE NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM ARTS AND SCIENCE FESTIVAL (ASF) FOR THE GLOBAL GATHERING 2020
June 18, 2019 | Africa, Highlight, News, Person, Science
The Arts and Science Festival seeks to increase scientific and artistic awareness among the participants of the Global Gatherings; to promote widespread access to new knowledge and scientific experiences; to support and improve formal and informal science education; to encourage young people to study arts, science and technology subjects further and to consider careers in [...]
NEF Digital Economy Poll: Over half of all respondents believe infrastructure is the greatest need
June 12, 2019 | Africa, Highlight, News
In the days following the publication of Moving from goodwill to action: A call for a Coordinated Vision for Africa’s digital economy by the Next Einstein Forum, we conducted a poll on Twitter, inviting our online audience to tell us what the greatest challenges facing digital economy in Africa are. We listed four solutions: better [...]
The push towards artificial intelligence in Africa
June 5, 2019 | Africa, Blog, Feat Articles, Highlight
“Despite the support, many of us still have trouble making it to conferences. I have had papers accepted at meetings but been unable to attend because Western countries such as Australia denied me a visa, even though I was already settled and working professionally in Europe. We need more efforts to overcome these barriers and [...]
Read More... from The push towards artificial intelligence in Africa
Will Africa Take Full Advantage of its Biodiversity?
May 23, 2019 | Africa, Highlight, News, Science
On the UN International Day for Biodiversity 2019, NEF caught up with Dr. Jessica Thorn, an AIMS Climate Change Science Fellow, on her viewpoint as a scientist especially the opportunities & challenges in the conservation of Africa’s and the world’s biodiversity today. This year’s theme is “Our Biodiversity, Our Food and Our Health. This day is [...]
Read More... from Will Africa Take Full Advantage of its Biodiversity?
Cities must lead the clean energy drive, says report
May 17, 2019 | Blog, Highlight
Did you know, that poor households in cities spend 14-22% of their income on energy? As urban growth intensifies energy use, cities must lead with efficient fuels and renewables. Cities can implement practical solutions to meet the need of the urban under-served through development models that slow carbon emissions & shift to cleaner cooking fuels [...]
Read More... from Cities must lead the clean energy drive, says report
Scientists have created a silicon beating heart
Researchers have created an artificial, silicone heart to help combat the shortage of donor hearts. The silicone heart has been developed by Nicholas Cohrs, a doctoral student in the group led by Wendelin Stark, Professor of Functional Materials Engineering at ETH Zurich. It looks like a real heart. And this is the goal of the first [...]
Read More... from Scientists have created a silicon beating heart
Young African Robotics Designers Sparking at Pan African Robotic competition in Senegal (PARC 2018)
Technology is taking part everywhere in this modern era of time, specially to face the challenges that require a sustainable development and help less fortune communities to have the privilege of standard living conditions. Africa by its high potential and promising future should be in the front line for implementing the technology that help local [...]
NEF Community of Scientists Review Digital Economy Strategy, Elects New Executive Committee
April 3, 2019 | Blog, Feat Articles, Fellows, Highlight
17 March 2019 -NAIROBI — The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Community of Scientists (CoS) elected a new Executive Team for its 2019–2021 Session. New Chair Prof. Sanushka Naidoo, NEF Fellow from South Africa, replaces Dr. Yebebal Fantaye, NEF Fellow from Ethiopia, who led the group during the 2017–2019 Session. This Sunday afternoon, the Next Einstein [...]
Why Africa Should Embrace Artificial Intelligence
May 28, 2018 | Africa, Blog, Highlight, News, Technology
Machines might scare policymakers from Brussels to Washington, but artificial intelligence could yield a significant developmental dividend in the developing world. In African markets, the technology behind Alexa and Siri can be harnessed to diagnose illness or address traffic gridlock. With better predictive models tapping into the alternative data that does exist, AI is helping small [...]
Read More... from Why Africa Should Embrace Artificial Intelligence
Young Nigerian scientist Tolullah Oni shines at World Economic Forum 2018
January 25, 2018 | Africa, Blog, Fellows, Healthcare, Highlight, News
NEF Fellow Dr Tolullah Oni at the global stage at this year’s World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, where she will be speaking about her work on public health to the forum’s theme: “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World”, longside speakers like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S.’s Donald Trump. As [...]
Read More... from Young Nigerian scientist Tolullah Oni shines at World Economic Forum 2018
For tech to be funded, it must improve lives
January 9, 2018 | Africa, Blog, Highlight, News, Policy, Science
Technology can’t solve problems. Neither can data, for that matter. It can’t plug the holes of governance and political will but, without it, we cannot hope to address the myriad problems facing African countries. This idea permeated the Science Forum South Africa. Whether it was in the use of satellites to monitor the continent’s resources [...]
Read More... from For tech to be funded, it must improve lives
There’s No Such Thing as Being Bad at Math: How Neuroscience Is Changing the Equation
It’s common to hear well educated adults declare themselves “not a math person,” sometimes proudly. Indeed, many people of all ages believe that mathematical ability is something you are either born with or not, rather than something to be mastered with focused effort. This belief is wrong. What’s more, it’s harmful to kids as they have their first [...]
UGANDA’S SCIENTIST NAMED AMONG THE NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM AMBASSADORS, CHAMPIONS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ACROSS AFRICA
December 21, 2017 | Ambassadors, Blog, Highlight, News
Uganda’s Joanitah N Nalubega named among the champions of Science & Tech across Africa. She’s an industrial chemist, with a deep passion for technology, currently working to deploy solutions for the health sector using technology. Also a founding partner of a fellowship of creatives called Kafunda Kreative which seeks to build the capacity of young creatives [...]
40 Africans Under 40 – Making It In Africa
December 18, 2017 | Africa, Blog, Fellows, Highlight, News, STEM
NEF Fellow Mouhamed Moustapha Fall, recognized by Africa.com under Top 40 Under 40 extraordinary men and women who are transforming the future of Africa. This list includes people who are making amazing contributions in their respective fields of expertise. Young Africans are smart people who’ve taken it upon themselves to use their various talents and fields of [...]
Read More... from 40 Africans Under 40 – Making It In Africa
STEM fields need to be more friendly to women
According to NSF’s Science and Engineering Indicators, the STEM fields are dominated by a male presence. For example, 11.1 percent of physicists and astronomers are women, 22.7 percent of chemical engineers are women, 35.2 percent of chemists are women and 7.9 percent of mechanical engineers are women. NSF also says that Women, Minorities, and Persons [...]
Read More... from STEM fields need to be more friendly to women
AIMS, through the Next Einstein Forum announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week – 7th to 18th October 2024
September 11, 2024 | Africa, Blog, News, News Articles, Press Releases, The NEF Blog
“Youth-led innovations driving sustainable development in Africa.” Kigali, Rwanda, September 11th, 2024 The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), is pleased to announce the NEF Africa Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week, set to take place from October 7 to 18, 2024. This groundbreaking event will be hosted [...]
Wired-up Interview with Charles LM Kimpolo
April 11, 2022 | Africa, Blog, Fellows, Highlight, News, News Articles, STEM
Education problems and a lack of access to technology have been widely recognized on the continent as major stumbling blocks to economic competitiveness and social equality.” Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo, Director of the AIMS Industry Initiative, launched the Young African Technologists (YAT) project to change this situation. How? Watch his inspiring interview on WiredUp Africa [...]
Read More... from Wired-up Interview with Charles LM Kimpolo
La Somalienne Mariam Noor conçoit un anneau capable de limiter les risques d’insuffisance cardiaque
April 10, 2022 | Africa, Feat Articles, Fellows, Highlight, News, News Articles, STEM
(Agence Ecofin) – Conçu pour le traitement de l’insuffisance aortique, une condition pouvant entraîner une insuffisance cardiaque, l’anneau de Mariam Noor a déjà été testé sur un porc et a présenté des résultats prometteurs salués par des cardiologues. lien Web:https://www.agenceecofin.com/entreprendre/2103-95906-la-somalienne-mariam-noor-concoit-un-anneau-capable-de-limiter-les-risques-d-insuffisance-cardiaque?fbclid=IwAR0vMCw5_WxxaNH7TQNDr3x6FNthUt8kwT1eAOmcKOuK4NNdLRKArT-ippM [...]
Tribune How can we achieve equity in higher education for Africa’s socio-economic transformation?
April 9, 2022 | Africa, Feat Articles, Fellows, Highlight, News, News Articles, STEM
While female enrolment in higher education has tripled globally between 1995 and 2018, the gender gap is still large in sub-Saharan Africa ‘s higher-ed institutions. Women are particularly underrepresented in the STEM fields due to several barriers that the region must necessarily remove to reach its full socio-economic development potential, argues the CEO of the African [...]
Les scientifiques du Next Einstein Forum se lancent dans la lutte contre le COVID-19
June 11, 2020 | Africa, Healthcare, News, News Articles, Newsroom, Science
PAR YOUSSEF TRAVALY, VICE-PRÉSIDENT DU NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM DANS FINANCIAL AFRIK Le Covid-19 éprouve les pays africains dans leur capacité de gestion pandémique, leur maîtrise des impacts socio-économiques, la robustesse de leurs systèmes de soins de santé et de leurs réponses politiques. Cependant, qu’en est-il des scientifiques africains ? Comment s’organisent-ils pour répondre de manière [...]
Learning from the best: Evaluating COVID-19 responses and what Africa can learn
June 9, 2020 | Africa, Feat Articles, Highlight, News, Policy, Science
A Next Einstein Forum opinion paper Since the first case of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), was detected in Wuhan, China, towards the end of 2019, and declared a global pandemic on 11 March by the World Health Organization, attention has now turned to how countries have responded. The magnitude of the resultant shock from COVID-19 [...]
Read More... from Learning from the best: Evaluating COVID-19 responses and what Africa can learn
Intelligent farming: An AI opportunity in Africa (Youssef Travaly, Vice-President of NEF, in Ressources Magazine)
June 8, 2020 | Africa, Feat Articles, Innovation, News, News Articles, Newsroom, Technology
BY DR. YOUSSEF TRAVALY VICE-PRESIDENT – NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM AND KEVIN MUVUNYI RESEARCH OFFICER – NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM The Fourth Industrial Revolution will transform our lives in unprecedented ways. This revolution, which is characterised by the confluence of digital, physical, and biological systems, is slowly disrupting and redefining value chains across a multitude of industries, [...]
L’intelligence artificielle, une opportunité pour le secteur agricole africain (Youssef Travaly, Vice-président du NEF, dans Ressources Magazine)
| Feat Articles, Innovation, News, News Articles, Newsroom, Technology
PAR YOUSSEF TRAVALY, VICE-PRÉSIDENT DU NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM ET KEVIN MUVUNY, CHERCHEUR AU NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM La 4e révolution industrielle va fondamentalement changer nos vies. Caractérisée par la confluence des systèmes numériques, physiques et biologiques, elle perturbe et révolutionne progressivement les chaînes de valeur de multiples secteurs, notamment par le biais de l’intelligence artificielle (IA). Dans [...]
Can COVID Organics win the battle over SARS-CoV-2 infections?
May 13, 2020 | Africa, Blog, Feat Articles, Fellows, Healthcare, Highlight, News, News Articles, Science
by Dr Vidushi Neergheen* Ever since the President of the Republic of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, announced holding the cure against COVID 19 on 20 April 2020, there has been an upsurge of support for this herbal concoction named COVID organics from many African countries. The drug developed as a herbal tea by the Malagasy [...]
Read More... from Can COVID Organics win the battle over SARS-CoV-2 infections?
Coronavirus (COVID-19)-induced re-imagination: 7 things we knew, but “could do nothing about”…until we could…and did
April 20, 2020 | Africa, Feat Articles, Fellows, Healthcare, Highlight, News, News Articles, Science
by Prof. Tolu Oni* One thing is clear: we can’t avert a next pandemic with the same logic and systems that got us to this point. In addition to emergency responses to reduce transmission needed to end the pandemic, I have previously written about the need for emergency foresight in the midst of crises. This [...]
Supplies to vulnerable communities and protection of health workers, as Africa battles COVID-19
April 3, 2020 | Africa, Feat Articles, Fellows, Highlight, News
by Sara Suliman and Fatoumatta Darboe* COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) has become a household name for the disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), which has rapidly become a global epidemic crisis. SARS-CoV2 infections have been slow to enter Africa, potentially as a result of early travel restrictions imposed by multiple African countries. [...]
R&D en Afrique : une approche panafricaine s’impose pour remédier à la faiblesse des financements (Youssef Travaly, NEF)
March 13, 2020 | Africa, Highlight, News, Science, Uncategorized
Dépêche N°622703 Par Anne ROY Lundi 09 mars 2020, 18:04:00 Toute reproduction ou transmission de cette dépêche est strictement interdite, sauf accord formel d’AEF Lancé en 2013 à l’initiative de l’African institute for mathematical sciences et la fondation Robert Bosch Stiftung, le Next Einstein Forum est une plate-forme qui entend connecter science, société et politique [...]
Le Next Esintein Forum dévoile les 25 meilleurs innovateurs qui entreront en compétition lors Rassemblement international à Nairobi
February 24, 2020 | Africa, Feat Articles, Highlight, Innovation, News, Press Releases, STEM
KIGALI, Rwanda, le 25 février 2020 – Le NEF dévoile aujourd’hui sa liste des 25 finalistes pour son concours de l’Invention à l’Innovation (Ci2i) dans 5 catégories qui aura lieu durant le Salon de l’innovation les 10 et 11 mars 2020 prochain. Sélectionnés parmi plus de 260 candidatures, cette troisième cohorte de finalistes du Ci2i [...]
Next Einstein Forum unveils top 25 innovators to compete at global gathering in Nairobi
| Africa, Highlight, Innovation, News, Press Releases, Science, STEM, Technology
KIGALI, Rwanda, 25 February 2020 – Today, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) announces the 25 finalists for its Challenge of Invention to Innovation (Ci2i) competition in five categories to be held on 10-11 March 2020 in the NEF Innovation Salon. “The third cohort of Ci2i finalists, selected from 260 applications, are ambitious African innovators developing [...]
Seven reasons to attend Next Einstein Forum Global Gatherings
January 27, 2020 | Africa, Highlight, News, News Articles, Newsroom
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gatherings is a space like no other! We focus on creating a collaborative environment for young innovators and great scientific minds to come together with the singular goal of propelling Africa as a global scientific hub. The Global Gathering is the largest science and innovation gathering on the continent. [...]
Read More... from Seven reasons to attend Next Einstein Forum Global Gatherings
Les nouveaux ambassadeurs du Next Einstein Forum vont faire évoluer la façon dont la science et la technologie sont perçues en Afrique
December 2, 2019 | Africa, Ambassadors, Blog, News, Press Releases, STEM
KIGALI, Rwanda, le 2 décembre 2019,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Aujourd’hui, le Next Einstein Forum (NEF) – Forum du Prochain Einstein – annonce sa nouvelle promotion d’ambassadeurs, la troisième cohorte de jeunes figures brillantes des sciences et des technologies de toute l’Afrique. Les ambassadeurs, un par pays africain, dirigeront les activités d’engagement du public afin d’encourager l’enseignement, [...]
@NextEinsteinFor
NEF on Flickr
NEF Community of Scientists Annual Meeting- Day3
English 
French