By Duncan Mboyah
The International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) has established a regional hub in Rwanda to promote scientific advice in Africa.
Prof. Remi Quirion, President of INGSA said that the focus is to build the capacity of scientists in Africa, noting that five scientists who will be in charge of this task are currently undergoing training.
“This hub is expected to expand its operations to support the creation of functional networks at a regional level and serve as a hub for capacity development for Africa,” Prof. Quirion revealed.
Prof. Quirion who is also Chief Scientist of Quebec noted that there is a great technological revolution that is evolving fast in all fields, including AI, quantum computing and astronomy that need to be understood in all parts of the world, Africa included.
He, however, said that these transitions that offer huge opportunities, call for leadership for African states to stay ahead in this transition in supporting and promoting its experts and research centers and developing policies adapted to the Countries and continent’s realities.
The East African hub, he said, will help promote engagements on these technological advances to create change in different fields of expertise inside and outside of the African continent to collect their perspectives for the betterment of Africa and the world.
He added that technological shift has arrived and cannot be confronted with a local perspective but requires the involvement of international inclusion.
Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente commended INGSA for choosing Rwanda as its Africa Hub. “This is a token of confidence and acknowledgment for Rwanda’s commitment to the use of scientific evidence in policy making,” he observed.
Dr. Ngirente committed Rwanda’s support to INGSA’s mission of promoting the connection between global knowledge and policy, ensuring that decisions are based on solid evidence.
He said that the hub is timely since many of the global challenges now transcend national borders and science can build a common ground between nations and help align actions.
Dr. Ngirente noted that the challenges that the world is facing today are interconnected, complex and trans-boundary hence the need to adopt comprehensive, innovative and transformative approaches rather than traditional technical solutions.
“Large-scale socio-economic and socio-technical transformations will be required if we are to stop increasing inequality and create a just and equitable future. Science is therefore a critical enabler to bridge this gap,” he added.
Gaspard Twagirayezu Rwanda’s Minister of Education noted that Rwanda recognizes the significance of science, technology, and innovation in all sectors as crucial drivers for promoting social welfare and sustainable development in the country.
Aligned with our Vision 2050, he said science is expected to play a key role in Rwanda’s journey towards becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050, ensuring high standards of living for all Rwandans.
Twagirayezu revealed that Rwanda has strategically invested in the entire education system, at all levels from primary education, secondary education to higher learning institutions as part of building a knowledge-based economy.
“Our goal is to develop our human capital by providing comprehensive training in different fields of science,” he added.
The Minister said that through this approach, Rwanda is preparing a workforce with the necessary skills to meet the demands of both private and public labour markets.
He said that Rwanda has established the institutional arrangement that is needed to create an environment conducive for science development and innovation that translates into new technologies needed to support the economic growth of the country.
Twagirayezu revealed that the East African country launched its national Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy in 2022.
He said the country’s AI policy provides a roadmap to enable Rwanda to harness the benefits of AI and mitigate its risks.
“Building on the mission of the Vision 2050, Smart Rwanda Master Plan and other key national plans and policies, it equips Rwanda to make use of AI for sustainable and inclusive growth,” he added.
