Africa is positioning itself as a global leader in science, technology, and innovation, with governments investing in STEM education, research commercialization, and workforce development. CNBC Africa’s Ericks Shyaka spoke with Neil Turok, Founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, on how these efforts are shaping the continent’s future.
Africa is positioning itself as a global leader in science, technology, and innovation, with governments investing in STEM education, research commercialization, and workforce development. CNBC Africa’s Ericks Shyaka spoke with Neil Turok, Founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, on how these efforts are shaping the continent’s future.' What happens at AIMS is you're encouraged to think outside the box, to look for opportunities. Where are the new markets? Where are the big challenges government wants to solve? How could your skills address those markets or needs of government? And once you get into that mindset, you realize that the skills you have, especially computing, data science, analytical thinking, critical thinking, is everywhere, needed desperately everywhere, whether it's banks or investment firms or government or new high-tech start-ups. These skills are widely needed, and the trick is to connect those skills to a real application. So AIMS is all about proving the value of mathematics to society through either the beauty of mathematics, the beauty of understanding the universe, that's what I think about most of the time, or which everybody enjoys. We enjoy learning about black holes and the Big Bang and exciting phenomena in physics, but it's not just beautiful, it's powerful. And we try to give our students the skills to recognize that power and then to think creatively, how do I use it? And this is what's driving industry forward today. Raw materials are the past for Africa. It's no longer good enough just to extract raw materials, agricultural products. You need to build value into those raw materials by producing the final product, by marketing, by using skills to grow the productivity of your products. And that all requires essentially mathematical skills, quantitative understanding, profound quantitative understanding, ability to model, to extrapolate, to make a business plan. Making a business plan is essentially a mathematical exercise. You say, what if we do this? Let's quantify it. Let's assess that. Is it going to work? We have to model it. Modern businesses and economies are built on mathematical modeling. You can rule out a new product or design or strategy if it fails quantitatively. There's no point in pursuing it. And so having those skills is absolutely valuable and critical in a competitive global economy. So Africa has a chance to leapfrog, just as it did with mobile phones. Africa can leapfrog old ways, and let's say traditional ways. With funding challenges like STEM education, what innovative financing models or partnerships do you believe can help institutions like yours ensure long-term sustainability? So the first priority of AIMS is always to convince the government that its own young people's minds are the most valuable investment it can make. And so we have close partnerships with governments, and then we have our product, which is our alumni. And very often they go and work for government ministries. And here in Rwanda this is particularly true. The Rwandan government has a very deep appreciation of the value of science and technology and education more generally in the future economy. So we work closely with government, but we are always being creative about how we raise funding. We have extremely low overheads. So overheads at AIMS, administrative overheads, eight percent this year. This is very unusual for university. All of our funds are invested directly in the programs and the people and the training. But I'll give you one example of a creative financing model. So AIMS is now, we have three and a half thousand alumni with masters. Many of them go on to PhD. We have about at least a thousand PhDs already. But the next step in the AIMS journey is to get to that PhD level and above. This is the story of Korea. How did Korea create Samsung? Well, they invested in education. They got PhDs. They sent their best students overseas to learn lab skills. They brought them back to Korea. They made labs, and Samsung was the result. We're at the similar stage. We want lots of PhDs, not knowledge for knowledge's sake. These are PhDs who are absolute experts, and each one of them have done something original and novel. How do you fund PhDs in large numbers? China's generating tens of thousands, maybe even more, PhDs per year. That's why they're leading in science. That's why BYD today overtook Tesla. You can charge your car in five minutes. Where does that come from? It comes from science, from consistent investment in technology. All PhD stuff. So how do you fund it for Africa? Well, Africa has a human talent. Europe and North America and other countries are short of highly motivated PhD students.
Theme: Impact of STEM Education and Research Investment on Africa's Economic Growth
Africa is making significant strides in positioning itself as a global leader in science, technology, and innovation. Governments across the continent are increasing their investments in STEM education, research commercialization, and workforce development to drive economic growth and shape the future of the continent. CNBC Africa recently interviewed Neil Turok, the Founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), to discuss the transformative impact of these efforts on Africa's knowledge economy. Turok emphasized the importance of thinking outside the box at AIMS and looking for opportunities in emerging markets and addressing the big challenges that governments aim to solve. He highlighted the versatility of skills such as computing, data science, critical thinking, and analytical thinking, which are in high demand across various sectors including banking, investment firms, government, and high-tech start-ups. AIMS plays a crucial role in demonstrating the value of mathematics to society by equipping students with the necessary skills to apply mathematical concepts creatively to real-world applications. Turok underscored the significance of mathematical skills in driving industries forward and emphasized the shift from relying solely on raw materials to adding value through mathematical modeling and quantitative understanding. According to Turok, the ability to create value-added products, develop marketing strategies, and enhance productivity requires profound quantitative understanding and the capacity to model and extrapolate data effectively. Modern businesses and economies thrive on mathematical modeling, enabling them to make informed decisions based on quantitative assessments. Turok highlighted the critical role of mathematical skills in ensuring competitiveness in the global economy, stating that Africa has the opportunity to leapfrog traditional methods and embrace innovative approaches to economic growth. When addressing the funding challenges faced by institutions like AIMS in promoting STEM education and research, Turok emphasized the importance of innovative financing models and strategic partnerships. While maintaining close partnerships with governments, AIMS focuses on creative fundraising strategies to ensure long-term sustainability. Turok highlighted the institution's low administrative overheads of eight percent, allowing the majority of funds to be invested directly in programs, people, and training. One of the innovative financing models implemented by AIMS involves supporting the progression of its alumni to the PhD level and beyond. Drawing parallels with Korea's investment in education leading to the creation of tech giant Samsung, Turok emphasized the importance of cultivating a pool of highly skilled PhD experts to drive scientific advancements. He highlighted the success of countries like China, which generate substantial numbers of PhD graduates annually, contributing to advancements in science and technology. Turok emphasized that Africa can leverage its abundant human talent pool to fill the gap for highly motivated PhD students in Europe, North America, and other regions, thereby driving continuous investment in technology and innovation. In conclusion, Africa's focus on STEM education, research, and innovation is pivotal in unlocking the continent's economic potential and fostering sustainable growth. By equipping the next generation with essential skills and fostering a culture of creativity and innovation, Africa is poised to lead the way in the global knowledge economy and drive future advancements across various industries.
"The first priority of AIMS is always to convince the government that its young people's minds are the most valuable investment it can make."
['STEM education', 'research commercialization', 'workforce development', 'mathematical skills', 'innovation', 'economic growth', 'Africa', 'technology', 'investment', 'science']