FOCUS ON SCIENCE
By Kitts Mabonga
KAMPALA
The Ugandan government has expressed concern on the increasing numbers of Ugandan math graduates migrating to work abroad yet they are the national resource to develop the Country
“We need to look for the solution so that we have them return home’’ said Dr. Monica Musenero, the Minister, Science, Technology and Innovation
Musenero made the remarks while presiding over the joint African-Nordic conference of Mathematics hosted by Makerere University last week.
The joint African-Nordic conference of Mathematics was under the them “Celebrating 20yrs with ISP,ENump,Sida and 10years with CIMO,HEI-KU and commencing of the NORHED 11 funded Math for sustainable development project of Makerere University”
The high level conference brought together international Mathematics experts from 15 countries including Austria, Denmark, Hungary, USA, Norway, and Sweden.
Others were South Africa, Ethiopia, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and host Uganda respectively.
The conference was held to discuss new emerging trends in the field of Mathematics as an academic vehicle that can be used to promote research and development as well as identify challenges and seek solutions for the way forward.
Musenero pointed out that all efforts should be made in trying to convince the hundreds of Ugandan math graduates who have clandestinely left the country to work abroad because the government considers them as a very important human resource envelope that can be mobilized and deployed to work in the many government sciences spaces.
“As government we are concerned about the brain drain of our young bright math graduates who have left to work abroad; however we need to put in place new measures that encourage them not only to return but as well as be absorbed into the many new sciences based workspaces’ noted the Iron lady scientist.
I personally learnt how to count at primary level when my parents sent me to buy sugar at the shop and could return balance which helped to connect me between people and math.
However I managed to pass the statistics area of that subject which has effectively helped me link sciences and livelihoods of and development’ noted the minister.
‘I want to see Mathematicians translate Math for people to make sense and impact on development because STI is a key driver of economic growth of society and as well as prime source of competition in the global marketplace with at least 50%of global economic development being attributable to innovation and research.
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She explained that science is knowledge which has been collected and stored. However, people do not see its impact on the economy. The gap calls on us all to get solutions to the people where they live.
She lauds the vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe with the entire varsity fraternity for choosing to work with the East Africa community member states in promoting research and innovation using mathematics as the lead engine saying her ministry would closely work with them for better sustainable results which bring about development.
Prof. Bengt-Ove Turreson, the Director-International Science Program (ISP) said that ISP at Uppsala University-Sweden works to strengthen the scientific knowledge, research capacity and postgraduate education in the basic sciences that include mathematics, physics and chemistry in countries where such capacity is non-existing or weak.
As we celebrate 20 years of existence of the Eastern Africa Universities Mathematics Program (EAUMP), Prof. Bengt-Ove Turreson recalled that in the early stages things were quite difficult, but became better in 2002 when EAUMP was established.
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He noted that the network started with three (3) countries namely Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, later extended to Rwanda and Zambia.
“It has played an important role in building human capacity. In recent years, ISP started supporting PhD programs in the region. They started with supporting four (4) research groups’’ said
What we are doing in terms of global research is very unique. There is no other country that does this kind of work. All the countries are proud of the work we have been doing he added
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He started working in 1961. We provide long-term funding, coordination and mentoring to research groups and regional scientific networks at universities and research institutes in low and lower-middle income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“Our main funding comes from the Swedish Government through the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida),” said the Director.
Speaking about Sida, ISP, NORAD support, CIMO and the achievements and future of EAUMP/NORHED, Prof. John Magero Mango the EAUMP Internetwork Coordinator said that with support under the NORDIC program, they have trained 11 PhDs in mathematics of which 5 are from Makerere University and 6 from University of Dar es Salaam. In addition, he stated that over 100 Masters have been supported with over 100 publications.
Prof Idris Rai, Deputy Executive Secretary- Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) who represented the Executive Secretary- Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona disclosed that mathematics has proven to be indispensable to human development and economic growth since the time of the industrial revolution.
‘The third revolution brought about by the advance in communication and information technology finds its origin from applied mathematics and physics to a larger extent
However we are now in the fourth industrial revolution which has been brought largely by data and artificial intelligence, which too find their roots from different parts of mathematics such as probability and statistics’
He further noted that the initiatives that involve AI or data science are driven by mathematics therefore, for the region to catch up with technological advances, it should prioritize mathematics, education and research,” said Rai
Dr. Godwin Kakuba, the Head of the Department of Mathematics at Makerere University said hosting the conference provided a platform to celebrate the collaborations that had enabled the department to grow to such strength
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“As the head of the department, I am very proud of these achievements and very optimistic about the future with profound joy.
When we look back to so many years ago, about 20 years, the number of PhDs was low, but now, having a PhD has become normal. The department of mathematics is therefore ready to take that direction towards transforming Makerere University into a research-led institution,” he remarked.
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