Science Conference Next Einstein Forum in Africa
In late March, many international scientists gathered in Rwanda’s capital of Kigali for the largest science conference in Africa to date, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF). The Rwandan President Paul Kagame opened the event.
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Thierry Zomahoun, AIMS President and CEO & NEF Founder and Chair, the first speaker at the opening event of the Next Einstein Forum 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Besides President Kagame, speakers at the opening ceremony included NEF founder Thierry Zomahoun; Uta-Micaela Dürig, Vice Chair of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Stiftung; and Neil Turok, founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) and co-initiator of the NEF. Other highlights at the event included a performance of the Rwanda National Ballet and a welcome address by the Minister of Education, Dr. Eugene Mutimura.
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) was initiated in 2016 by the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) together with the Robert Bosch Stiftung. In the same year, the first NEF Forum took place in Dakar, Senegal. The international science conference in Rwanda was the second event of its kind.
Impressions of the Next Einstein Forum in Kigali
Some attendees in Rwanda’s capital Kigali shortly before the start of the NEF science conference 2018.
Uta-Micaela Dürig, Vice Chair of the Board of Management of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, delivering a welcome address during the NEF opening ceremony.
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A discussion among participants on the sidelines of the international science conference.
Uta-Micaela Dürig and Olaf Hahn (left), Executive Director ESSA – Education Sub-Saharan Africa at the Robert Bosch Stiftung, in conversation with Jonathan Mbe (second from left) and Etienne Ehile (right), Secretary General of the Association of African Universities.
Conference participants awaiting the start of the official opening ceremony at the Plenary Hall of the Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda.
Among the goals of the Next Einstein Forum: to put Africa on the global science map and build networks among African researchers.
NEF Fellows presenting their research
About 1,500 representatives of academia, politics, the media, and civil society attended the conference in Kigali. At the heart of the conference were young African scientists: A group of 16 outstanding scientific talents aged up to 41, the NEF Fellows, presented their research in the NEF Spotlight Sessions and discussed their work with other international scientists. Conference participants also had the opportunity to attend talks by renowned scientists, such as Nobel prize winner Klaus von Klitzing.
The Next Einstein Forum aims to put Africa on the global science map, build networks among African researchers, and contribute to the development of the African continent.