President Bola Tinubu will declare open the 15th General Assembly and Scientific Conference of the African Academy of Sciences, AAS, scheduled to hold in Abuja from the 9th to 12th December 2024.

The biannual conference, which will also have the President of African Development Bank, AfDB, Prof. Akinwunmi Adesina, as keynote speaker, will be attended by over 1000 scientific experts with paper presentation by Kenyan legal icon, Prof Patrick Lumumba and Prof Oyewale Tomori, current President of the West African Network of Science Academies.

President of the Academy, Prof Lise Korsten, of the University of Pretoria, South Africa, said the conference will provide opportunity to unveil recent scientific discoveries, innovations and research outcomes carried out by scientists in the continent.

Represented by the Secretary General of the African Academy of Sciences, Prof Friday Okonofua, she said the conference would also provide opportunity for young scientists to leverage their potentials.

According to Korsten, the theme of the conference which is “Empowering and Advancing Africa’s Scientific Enterprise,” will among other issues discuss energy, health, climate change and science diplomacy.

The 2024 Abuja conference, which is being held for the first time in West Africa, will offer the opportunity for new fellows to be admitted into the Academy, while the recipient of the Olusegun Obasanjo price and other awards will be announced.

“The AAS GA-2024 will unite some 1,000 outstanding thinkers and distinguished stakeholders from around the world, including policy stakeholders, regional science bodies, development partners, and key leaders in the continent.

“The conference will cover sub themes including: Health, climate change, science diplomacy, science Infrastructure, agriculture, social science and policy, the basic sciences, engineering, digital and creative economy, and future funding mechanisms,” she said.

Korsten expressed belief that the outcome of the conference will hold great promise for re-positioning Africa to a new way of thinking about science and leveraging its potential to promote Africa’s development and its future.
 

Original article written by Godfrey AKON and published in The Abuja Inquirer.