Denis Opudo
In Gaborone Botswana’s capital, the government of the day is out to ensure that there is maximum utilization of all the available technologies for the good of its people this was according to Vice President Mr. Mokgweetsi Masisi. On the 9th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS) that was held on 11th December 2017, the deputy president said that the conference came at the most needed time for the country, it came just a year after the country had launched its Vision 2036 which is out to see that all the citizens prosper.
The conference will give the country an opportunity to show its progress as part of the global community, which embraces scientific improvements and technological changes as the backbone of economic performance in the urge to secure prosperity, happiness and wealth. The government was on the forefront to see that science held the potential for progress in various nations. Technology Innovation and science were seen as key factors that were required to be implored to fuel the country’s economy to greater heights.
For the economic improvement to be realized, Botswana in the Net Domestic Product (NDP) had shown achievable initiatives and strategy to increase investment in quality research activities and to direct the research activities towards meeting the needs of the economy and industry. Seventy percent of all technological innovations were directly or indirectly linked to materials, since the 1970s, the percentage had been increasing and was expected to continue increasing steadily up till 2030. It was not surprising that AMRS had been established so that Africans in Africa and beyond would also come on board in the field of science and technology, particularly in material science research.
Delegates were encouraged to discuss ways in which Africa could stimulate innovation through policies and support research development to advance its materials development. The conference was meant to reflect as a continent and acknowledge the strides that had been made in the science and technological research and development ecosystem according to Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr. Alfred Madigele.
The formation of AMRS came from the August 2000 US/Africa Material workshop that was held in South Africa. The workshop was co-organized and sponsored by US National Science Foundation and the South African National Research Foundation. Such organizations, the minister said sought to explore opportunities for collaboration between US and Africa with an overarching objective of developing materials research capacity in Africa. In December 2002, the AMRS was officially launched in Dakar, Senegal international conferences were held in various countries in Africa and today, we have the opportunity of being counted among such countries.
