Macky Sall and Paul Kagame at NEF
President of Senegal Macky Sall has told the African scientific community, that despite Africa being late on industrial level, the continent has all it takes to catch up with numerical revolution.
Sall is in Rwanda for the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), a second trip within one week.
He was in Rwanda last week for the signing of the continental free trade area. On Tuesday, he flew back to Kigali to attend the NEF, the second of its kind after the Dakar inaugural edition in 2016.
“If I do the route to Kigali again, it’s for bringing the unique support, so that the meeting held in Senegal becomes a continental agenda,” said President Sall shifting easily from French to English.
Sall pledged full support to the scientific community to advance the continent to the next level.
“For not being marginalized, if Africa was late in industrial revolution, we have to catch up with the numerical revolution and we have capacity to do so,” Macky Sall said.
Sall is already optimistic that Africa can do it.
“For example, we have managed the mobile money transfer, a technology now en route to other continents,” the president of Senegal said adding that it is possible for Africa to reduce the North-South digital divide.
Macky Sall and Kagame on NEF panel – March 27th
He also said all other technologies including the internet of things, robotics and others should also follow.
Sall said that his country already is on a good truck, whereby the country started the Senegal Virtual University with now 20,000 students.
“Africa should not be contested with words. We should be actors of transformation. We have the chance of economy of knowledge,” Sall said.
In side event on Tuesday, scientists from across the world shared what they are able to achieve.
On the ongoing panel of the Heads of State-Macky Sall and Paul Kagame on top of other scientists, panellists made commitments in developing science on the continent.
Yesterday, a Pan African Science Journal was launched, to promote the visibility of Africa based research.
