NGO signs MoU with German Government; to build capacities of Maths, Science students

The Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AMIS), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), and the German Government have signed a five-year partnership to run a programme known as Next Einstein Initiative, with the aim of building the capacities of mathematics and science students in Africa.

The partnership will help train the students to acquire knowledge to enable them to conduct high level research that would solve some of the numerous challenges in the fields of public health, finance, social and economic issues, as well as problems with education and technology, among others.

At a brief signing ceremony in Accra on Wednesday, the President of AMIS, Mr Thierry Zomahoun, signed on behalf of AMIS while the German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Ms Anja Karliczek, signed on behalf of the German Government.

Mr Zomahoun, in his address, said the programme would run for five years and asked for support from the government and multinational institutions such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to sustain the programme.

Partnership

He explained that although they had been in partnership with the German Government for the past seven years, the current partnership was to intensify their efforts to achieve their mission of training Africa’s brightest students to flourish as independent thinkers, problem solvers and innovators capable of propelling Africa’s future and also to support doctoral and postdoctoral students in mathematics and science.

Research conducted

Mr Zomahoun added that under the agreement both parties were focused on building a global eco-research system of knowledge and sharing research findings.

He pointed out that “we want to build a global eco-research system of knowledge and research sharing.”

Stating some groundbreaking research done by students of AMIS, he said a young female student from Nigeria used mathematical modeling to improve safety in the mining sector by building a device that could tell a person at any time what was happening in a mining pit.

He said a Ghanaian student also developed a mobile application that could help expectant mothers locate health centres close to them to seek medical care, adding that “we are working in that direction and engaging governments to understand the significant role of mathematics and the sciences in transforming Africa.”

In her remarks, Ms Karliczek expressed her government’s commitment to work with the organisation to sustain the regulations in the MoU for the attainment of their goals.