When do African problems need African solutions?
According to the World Bank, 12 percent of humanity lives in Africa, yet it produces only about 1 percent of global research output. This gap persists because governments don’t emphasize science and technology, says 2015 Global Thinker AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM. As president of Mauritius, the trained chemist has prioritized “science diplomacy” and helped establish a scholarship for local intellectuals. 2010 Global Thinker ORY OKOLLOH has built a career determining how technology can improve lives; she’s currently at the Omidyar Network, previously worked for Google, and co-founded Ushahidi, a crowd-sourced platform for crisis reports. Gurib-Fakim and Okolloh recently connected to discuss harnessing the energy of the world’s youngest continent and whether “African solutions to African problems” is a dated trope.
AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM:
