The Cameroonian inventor and scientist, Arthur Zang presented his cardiopad at the Next Einstein Forum that took place in Kigali, Rwanda last week March 26-28 2018.

The gathering brought together many African Scientists, the private sector and policy makers with the dream that the next scientist to invent something that will change the continent and the world at large like Albert Einstein did will come from Africa.

The forum participants included a Presidential panel made up of Presidents Paul Kagame or Rwanda and Macky Sall of Senegal. The two heads of state were excited after pitches and projects were presented and both showed their full support to NEF as well its agenda.

The Next Einstein Forum Pitching & Project Presentation

• Arthur Zang presented his invention, the Cardiopad, a tablet computer which uses solar panels to give heart examinations and give the diagnosis through Bluetooth or using the Internet to hospitals. The innovation has the potential to reduce the rate of cardiac related deaths in the rural areas.
• Another Cameroonian, Cedric Atangana and his team also showcased their project, Infinity Space, an e-commerce company that designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, robotic systems, online and offline services and mobile payment means. Other projects showcased include:
• Temie Giwa-Tubosun’s LifeBank, an enterprise based in Nigeria that improves the access to blood transfusions in the country with prospects to expand to other countries in Africa;
• Dr Vinet Coetzee who has invented a device that can detect malaria accurately. Her device measures sensitive skin color in the palms to accurately predict if someone has malaria or not in just a matter of seconds;
• A medical jacket was also presented that uses algorithms to detect pneumonia in children as a well as a made-in-Liberia machine that transforms debris from palm oil to skin care products.

Views of Participants

When asked which application he would invent if he were a 20-year old Zuckerberg, President Paul Kagame said “I find myself here, which makes me think that I shouldn’t be the next Zuckerberg, but rather I should be one to enable others to become the Zuckerbergs.”

African scientists made it clear that there is a need to reduce the gap between science and its beneficiaries saying the gap has been too wide in Africa. They said attention should be paid to children’s knowledge because scientists believe every young child is a scientist. According to Dr France Cordova, “All children are scientists. Because they ask questions”.

President Macky Sall called on all African states to improve the quality of STEM subjects and science in higher education. He said there should be policy reforms that serve to attract foreign investors into the technology sector.

He said, citing Japan and India that Africa needs “to have similar public private partnerships like those you see here at NEF. African states also need to believe in technology. Technology is what separates states today. Africa cannot be absent from the world stage in terms of innovation.”

The Next Einstein Forum, NEF, which was launched in 2013 is a platform that connects the society, science and policy in Africa with the rest of the world. It’s goal is to leverage science for human development the world over. NEF is an initiative of the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, AIMS, working in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Source(s): BIZCOMMUNITY, KTPRESS

Photo Credit: NEF