On Saturday, September 1, 2018, the Government of Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) to host the NEF Global Gathering 2020 in Nairobi. According to Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Hon. Dr. Amina Mohamed, the third NEF Global Gathering will be taking place at a time when Kenya has embarked on an aggressive programme of enhancing the uptake of science subjects at all levels of education through the roll-out of STEM model schools in all 47 Counties.
“We recognize that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are the key drivers of industrial growth. We are therefore focused on nurturing a young crop of innovators, engineers and scientists who will drive our industrialization Agenda forward,” she said.
NEF Global Gatherings include exciting sessions such as NEF Fellow Spotlight Sessions – TED-like events where Africa’s top scientists share their research and innovations, live online discussions with special guests, discovery sessions that unpack groundbreaking discoveries, an exclusive ministerial meeting and the NEF’s signature continental innovation competition.
President and CEO of AIMS, Mr. Thierry Zomahoun, said Kenya is a strategic country to host the event because the country provides an ideal environment for the academia and innovation to meet. A strong innovation community requires a strong link between academia and the private sector. In this regard, Kenya is ahead of the curve and his organisation looks forward to incorporating the community-based approach in their program and inviting the world of science to Africa.
“We are excited to begin the countdown to the NEF Global Gathering 2020 that will be held in Nairobi. The NEF Global Gathering 2018 was the largest scientific event held in Africa with over 1500 people attending from 91 countries. We expect 2500 delegates for the 2020 edition in Kenya. We will host special events such as the NEF Innovation Salon where startups from all over Africa and the world will showcase their solutions, the Gender Summit Africa and an exciting Arts and Science Festival for all ages,” he said.
The preliminary program will be available in March 2019 after a meeting of the NEF’s Scientific Programme Committee (SPC) in Nairobi that will discuss the inclusion of some of Kenya’s leading scientists into the SPC.
What you didn’t know about the Next Einstein Forum
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung which was launched in 2013. It’s a platform that connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world, with the goal to leverage science for human development globally.
The NEF believes that Africa’s contributions to the global scientific community are critical for global progress. At the centre of NEF’s efforts are Africa’s young people, the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance. The NEF is a unique youth-driven forum. At NEF’s headline biennial scientific events, 50 percent of participants are 42 or younger. Far from being an ordinary science forum, the NEF Global Gatherings position science at the centre of global development efforts.
