Project Syndicate: Strengthening African Science
Esther Ngumbi, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and senior fellow at the World Policy Institute

“…Any good leader knows that scientific discovery and innovation fuels progress, facilitates development, and can help tackle issues like food insecurity, water shortages, and climate change. And yet most African governments are failing to fund research and development adequately in their countries. … [A] new, more collaborative approach to African science is urgently needed. … Boosting Africa’s scientific capabilities will require the continent’s leaders to do more than ask tough questions at summits; they must also allocate more funding and forge new partnerships. To overcome Africa’s human development challenges, African governments must invest in the people who can overcome them” (6/12).