NEF Ambassadors to Attend NEF Global Gathering, Second Edition to be Held in March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda
KIGALI, Rwanda, February 24, 2017 – The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) (http://NEF.org) today launches the search for fifty-four science and technology ambassadors, one champion for each African country. Selected NEF Ambassadors will join the NEF Fellows Class as part of the NEF Scientist Community.
NEF Ambassadors will attend the NEF Global Gathering, the second edition of which will be held in March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. They will have the opportunity to chat with emerging and world-renowned scientists, leaders in the technology sector, as well as industry and political leaders, at an innovative gathering that will focus on how science and technology can solve global challenges, stimulate sustainable growth and accelerate human development.
“The 2016 edition of the NEF Global Gathering in Senegal was a resounding success, mainly because 60% of the attendees were technologists and young emerging scientists. As members of the NEF scientific community, NEF Ambassadors provide, in addition to their growing expertise in science and technology, a fresh and local perspective. They will represent their country and the continent on the global stage and foster growth focused on science and development, ”said Mr. Thierry Zomahoun, President of NEF and Chief Executive Officer of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) .
“NEF Ambassadors must reside in an African country, be under the age of 42, have completed graduate studies in science or technology, or have significant entrepreneurial accomplishments. They should also have a history of leadership within their community, be passionate about advancing science and technology, and have an active and ongoing online profile.
“NEF Ambassadors conduct outreach activities with the local public while developing their own careers through NEF partnerships, which provide opportunities for mentorship and collaboration with senior researchers,” said Dr. Youssef Travaly, Director of NEF programs and content.
About the Next Einstein Forum:
Launched in 2013, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, is Africa’s global platform for science and technology. The NEF brings together outstanding thinkers and prominent speakers from around the world in Africa, in global gatherings that take place every two years. The first global gathering of the NEF was held in March 2016, under the high patronage of H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal. The 2016 NEF Global Gathering brought together more than 1,000 participants, 50% of whom were under the age of 42 and 40% of whom were women.
Every two years, the NEF Global Gatherings feature Africa’s best young scientists and connect them with leaders from Africa and the rest of the world in high-profile forums, in which participation is permitted only through invitation and which touch on three pillars: science, society and politics. The NEF Institution runs a dedicated NEF Membership Program which aims to identify and reward top scientists and technologists in Africa; it is a program that selects 54 science and technology ambassadors from across the continent (one ambassador per country), and conducts benchmarking, as well as political outreach activities to the public.
The NEF has been approved by the African Union Commission, as well as by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the governments of Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and a growing number of partners from the private sector and civil society around the world. All share the desire to see the African scientific community play an influential role in the global scientific community, in order to ensure sustainable human development in Africa and elsewhere in the world.
Source: NEF
Uploaded by Anne Marie DWORACZEK-BENDOME
February 25, 2017
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