Dr. Binyam Sisay of UNESCO-IICBA participated in the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering 2018 that was held in Kigali, Rwanda on 26-28 March 2018 under the patronage of H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. NEF Global gatherings are exciting biennial global events where the world of science and technology meet in Africa to unveil breakthroughs in science. The NEF gathering in Kigali was attended by about 1600 participants and it served as a platform to connect science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world.

Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa was in attendance in the gathering and she was one of the panelists in the high-level panel on Africa’s low carbon circular economy. In the session, Ms. Ndong-Jatta highlighted that ‘solar energy through local innovation may help bring power to the 600 million people in Africa currently without power and is just one example of how circular economy can be supported and maintained.’

On the occasion, Dr. Binyam Sisay of UNESCO-IICBA is selected as a NEF ambassador for Ethiopia for 2017-2019. Every two years, NEF competitively selects one science and technology champion from each African country to promote science education on the continent and drive the NEF’s local public engagement activities. At the center of NEF efforts are Africa’s young people, who are the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance.