ABOUT

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit pan-African organization whose vision is transformed lives in African through science. It has three mandates, namely, 1) recognising excellence through the AAS’ highly prestigious fellowship and award schemes, 2) providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) strategies and policies, and 3) implementing key Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) programmes addressing Africa’s developmental challenges.

The AAS is in its 37^th year of promoting excellence in science in Africa which is an integral part of achieving its vision to promote the convergence of sciences - ‘the convergence of expertise necessary to address a set of research problems, and the formation of the web of partnerships involved in supporting such scientific investigations and enabling the resulting advances to be translated into new forms of innovation and new products. By recognising the excellence of scientists from all scientific disciplines, implementing STI programmes, to supporting evidence-based decision-making of African governments and key stakeholders, the AAS stands out as a leader in driving multidisciplinary and multisectoral efforts to achieve sustainable development goals in Africa.

The AAS’ 14^th General Assembly meeting is being organized from 4-6 December 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa, as a pre-event to the to the World Science Forum taking place from 6-9 December 2022. The General Assembly shall be grouped into two sub-events, namely, 1) the AAS Science Conference and 2) the Connecting Minds Africa (CoMA) meetings.

1. The AAS Science Conference

The AAS Science Conference is a gathering of the AAS community and partners from across the globe providing an opportunity to network and showcase research through scientific presentations, to welcome and induct new Fellows and Affiliates, and to celebrate key scientific achievements such as the awarding of the prestigious AAS-Olusegun Obasanjo Prize on Science, Technology, Innovation and Discovery. Scientific presentations shall be made around the broader theme of science for Social Justice, and shall include

• The role of the African Academy of Sciences in Transforming Lives through Science: Promoting the participation of Youth and Women in Development
• Science for social and economic development in Africa
• The role of higher education in sustainable development in Africa
• Research Infrastructure Development: The African Science Synchrotron Initiative
• The Green Transition: Africa’s contribution to global climate mitigation
• Digital Transformation: The role of digital transformation in enhancing social justice in Africa

2. The 2^nd Connecting Minds Africa meeting

The Connecting Minds Africa Conference (CoMA) is a scientific meeting for early-to-mid-career researchers funded through the AAS to share their experience and network. CoMA is about changing the voice and the dialogue on Africa’s development from challenges to opportunities and to a truly African voice. It is about science leading Africa’s leapfrog agenda whilst conscious of the unique cultural and social dynamics of our people, our places, and our institutions. We are defining connecting as “joining or linking together to provide access and enable honest and authentic communication,” with the continent’s best minds in science.

A series of scientific sessions shall be held between 3-9 Dec 2022 providing an opportunity to Fellows from ARISE^[1], AESA-RISE^[2], CR4D^[3], and APTI^[4] programmes to showcase and disseminate their research findings to a wide scientific community that includes Fellows of the AAS, researchers in other programmes, as well as the WSF conference participants. CoMA 2022 shall provide an opportunity for the young scholars to share their research as they connect, inspire, motivate, and build mutually supportive networks that will enable them to contribute to the development of science in response to Africa’s needs and priorities. At the end of the conference, we hope to have a vibrant community of young scholars committed to brokering connections that enhance their career progression, while also accelerating their contribution to Africa’s strategy for research and development.

The meeting shall be delivered through a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and research spotlight talks on topical issues. By the end of the meeting, we hope to have a vibrant community of researchers exploring various opportunities for collaboration and partnerships aimed at transforming lives in Africa through science.

Meeting Materials

2nd Connecting Minds Africa Agenda

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