The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Next Einstein Forum that was set to happen in Nairobi, Kenya next week has been postponed.
Kevin Eze, the Forum’s Manager for Public Engagement said in an email yesterday that the meeting of global leaders in science and innovation has been cancelled due to the fast spreading coronavirus (COVID -19) outbreak that has affected 76 countries.
The cancellation of the meeting came after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning that the risk of getting infected with the respiratory illness that tends to be fatal among older people and those with pre- existing medical conditions such as chronic respiratory disease and diabetes is very high anywhere across the globe.
At this conference that was to happen from March 10 to 13th, two Ugandan researchers were to be awarded Africa’s best scientists whereby Dr. Agnes Kiragga who heads the Statistics Unit of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) was to be awarded for her innovation of using data and machine learning to predict HIV infection patterns among high risk groups such as women and girls.
Dr. Samson Rwahwire a lecturer at Busitema University was to be awarded for using nanotechnology to solve Africa’s food security and environmental challenges through the development of sustainable food packaging materials and employing plastic waste as road materials using nanomaterials as precursors in modified bitumen.
The meeting of scientists from across the globe that happens once in every two years was embarked on as a way of encouraging innovation in areas of Africa’s greatest need like health and environment, revamping use of technology already in place and copying best practices from world leaders in the industry considering the fact that Africa still lags in terms of science and innovation foresight and policy.
The previous NEF meeting that happened in 2018 attracted 1500 participants from 80 countries.
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