Kigali launches research center for African science diplomacy

The Rwandan capital is expanding its international scientific influence with the opening of a new research and training centre.

This is a joint project between the international non-profit organization SciTech DiploHub, the city councils of Barcelona and Kigali, and leading scientific universities and academies from more than 50 African countries.

This project represents the largest ever investment in scientific collaboration with Africa by a European-based organization.

SciTech DiploHub, the Center for Science and Technology Diplomacy, is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Barcelona (Spain) and offices in Brussels (Belgium), Geneva (Switzerland), Washington, DC (USA) and Mexico City (Mexico). We have teamed up with the Barcelona City Council and other global organizations to today announce the launch of the Center for Science Diplomacy for Africa. Based in Kigali, Rwanda, this initiative is part of SciTech DiploHub’s strategy to strengthen its presence in global science diplomacy and follows the successful example of the establishment in 2022 of the Iberoamerican Science Diplomacy Center, based in Mexico City, that works to strengthen science diplomacy. capabilities of Latin American countries.

The launch of the center comes in the context of SciTech DiploHub’s participation as a partner in the annual conference of the International Network for Government Scientific Advice, which was held in Kigali for hundreds of delegates from more than 65 countries.

The choice for Kigali was deliberate: the city is Africa’s most important technology center and has maintained a close collaboration with SciTech DiploHub since 2019 on various initiatives in the field of female entrepreneurship, tech startups and smart cities.

The Center for Science Diplomacy for Africa will coordinate initiatives among scientists, diplomats, policymakers, technology entrepreneurs and multinational companies, and promote joint research and technological development in Africa. In the first three years of its operations, the Center is expected to train more than 2,500 African specialists in science and technology diplomacy and support the development of new science policy strategies for approximately twenty national and local governments in the region.

The main lines of work will focus on research on specific challenges facing Africa, such as climate change, public health, urban resilience, social and economic inequality, and technological entrepreneurship in sustainable development, and will explore their links with the continent’s current geopolitical situation . Complications.

Alexis Roig, CEO of SciTech DiploHub, emphasized that “As an international organization working in the field of science diplomacy, the launch of this center is a strategic step to strengthen international cooperation between leading research institutions, universities and companies in the growing African science and scholarship. technological ecosystem. It will play a key role in strengthening Africa’s scientific leadership in the Global South and will facilitate cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration with partner countries in the Global North.

According to Rwandan Minister of Education, Gaspard Twagiratrio, “We are at a crucial moment to address the long-term challenges that affect us all. Issues that were considered marginal a few years ago are today critical to our social, environmental and economic well-being. We recognize how rapidly scientific progress is generating great public interest, but we must also build the capacity to absorb, generate and critically evaluate new knowledge and technologies. Overcoming current crises and future challenges requires global coordination on scientific advice, and Rwanda and Africa can benefit enormously from this collaboration.

“The aim is for this pan-African initiative to play a crucial role in training our continent’s professionals at the science-policy interface,” said Jackie Kadu, Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC). speech. And in revitalizing the African scientific diaspora around the world. It is with great pride that we can work on this ambitious mission together with SciTech DiploHub.

In the words of the Commissioner for International Relations of the City Council of Barcelona, ​​​​Pau Solanilla: “Barcelona’s international action is also through cooperation and the promotion of global justice as understood in the 21st century: we harness the scientific capacities and talents of the countries in which we work to create new opportunities and a more just and sustainable future.” Our alliance with Kigali and Africa is one of our key international priorities as a global city.

The project is led by SciTech DiploHub together with the city councils of Barcelona and Kigali, the government of Rwanda, the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), which represents more than 30 academies on the continent, and the Association of African Universities, which represents more than 400 universities from 50 African countries. The initiative will also involve more than thirty Spanish universities, research centers and organizations, part of the SciTech DiploHub network.

The initiative will receive an unprecedented investment of €3 million until 2028, thanks to the contribution of the founding institutions and the funds provided by the European Commission through the co-financing scheme promoted by the African Union – the EU Innovation Agenda. In addition, the new center is part of the context of the African plan drawn up by the Spanish government.

The presentation of the new Science Diplomacy Center for Africa will take place in Europe on July 4^jin the context of the World Summit on Science Diplomacy, which Barcelona will host for the first time this year, and which will bring together science ministers, foreign ministers, Nobel laureates and other world leaders in science, technology and public opinion. policies from around the world.