Bornice Biomndo
18 August 2008
Nairobi — Poor education systems have been cited as the main reason behind Africa's failure to make headway in fighting poverty.
Speaking during an inauguration workshop on Monday, African Academy of Science director Thomas Egwang faulted the education systems for not being efficient in fostering innovation among students.
"Our (African) education systems are producing job seekers and not job creators; that is why we are languishing in poverty. Scientists need to come together and figure out what is wrong," Dr Egwang said
This, he said, could be done through special conferences that would convene major players within tertiary institutions, including ministers, university lecturers and professors, who he said were the main generators of scientific information.
He added that Africans scientists needed to be imparted with skills such as business and entrepreneurship so as to sustain themselves as well as come up with relevant solutions to Africa's problems.
The two-day workshop organised by The Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) aims at stimulating a culture of science and technology in response to national socioeconomic issues such as health, climate change and food security.
The top agenda for the seminar is the initiation of a 1.5 million Euro investment, funded by the Royal Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs and partner institutions, which will see to the establishment of academies of science in all African countries as well as formation of links with African universities.
IN attendance are a host of renown professors from different academies of science in Africa, who are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding later today on how the initiative will be undertaken.
Representing Kenya was Prof Felix Luti of Kenya National Academy of Sciences, a body under the ministry of Higher Education and Science and Technology.
The key note address was given by Prof Mohammed Hassan the president of NASAC, who highlighted the need to encourage more women and young people into science. He said that out of the 54 states in the continent, only 13 have national science academies.
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