Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta had agreed to host next year's edition of the 'Next Einstein Forum', a large African scientific gathering, in Kenya.
Speaking on a panel alongside Senegalese President Macky Sall at this year's edition of the forum in Kigali, Kagame explained that the goal was to leverage science for development by coming up with policies and supporting young scientists.
"We will continue to invest our time, energy and politics in science. We would be losing if we didn’t support this for the benefit of our people," Kagame stated.
Sall and Kagame later awarded 17 of the top young African scientists.
The Rwandese President also dismissed the notion that he had given priority to technology at the expense of other sectors.
[caption caption="Rwandese President Paul Kagame"]
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"Rwanda did not have the luxury to choose priorities. Every sector was a priority. Rather, we tried to create a balance and share limited resources," he noted.
He explained that the 1994 genocide had forced the country to build strong institutions that would improve people's lives.
"In Rwanda, we started from a very low base on everything: we had a shattered economy, infrastructure and lost millions of lives. We had to pick up the pieces, reorganize and build institutions to help us focus on key priorities," Kagame elucidated.
NEF itself is a platform that targets to increase Africa's contribution to the international scientific progress.
It is touted as a platform that connects science, society and policy in Africa to leverage science for human development globally.
[caption caption="Senegalese President Macky Sall and Rwandese President Paul Kagame"]
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