By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, May 24, GNA – The 2026 edition of the Africa Science Week has been launched in Tamale to encourage the youth to embrace science, technology, and innovation to address Africa’s pressing development challenges.
These challenges include climate change, food insecurity, waste management, and healthcare accessibility.
The event, held on the theme: “Harnessing Science and Innovation for Africa’s Sustainable Future,” was organised by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Network in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
It brought together students from selected second cycle and tertiary institutions in Tamale, educators, health professionals, and stakeholders in the educational sector to discuss how science and innovation could drive sustainable development across the continent.
It formed part of the 2026 continent-wide Africa Science Week celebration being implemented by the AIMS Network across seven African countries including South Africa, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.
The celebration, which would run from May 14 to May 30, is being led by AIMS Alumni and features science expos, coding workshops, robotics demonstrations, Women in STEM forums and academic exchanges aimed at promoting scientific engagement among young people and communities.
Dr Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo, Director of the AIMS Industry Initiative and Future of Science Forum, speaking during the event, said Africa Science Week sought to bring scientific conversations closer to communities where science could make the greatest impact.
He said the initiative demonstrated the commitment of AIMS Alumni across the continent to foster dialogue among scientists, students, educators, and industry players to advance Africa’s scientific development.
Professor Sam Yala, President of the AIMS Network said the programme reflected the responsibility of AIMS Alumni to give back to their communities and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders across Africa.
The event in Tamale also provided a platform for students to receive mentorship, explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and use innovation to solve societal challenges.
Professor Hamdiya Alhassan, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics of the University for Development Studies, during a panel discussion, identified climate change as one of the major development challenges confronting families and farming communities, especially in northern Ghana.
She said erratic rainfall patterns were negatively affecting agricultural production and threatening food security and emphasised the need for science-driven solutions to help communities adapt effectively.
Professor Alhassan said one way to mitigate the impact of unreliable rainfall was through the development of early maturing crop varieties capable of reaching harvest stage within a short period.
She underscored the importance of technology and artificial intelligence in weather forecasting to help farmers determine appropriate planting periods and reduce crop losses.
Professor Alhassan also called for conversion of organic waste into useful resources through scientific innovation.
She said the country generated huge quantities of organic waste, much of which ended up at landfill sites, shortening their lifespan and creating environmental concerns.
She explained that organic waste such as spoiled fruits and food residues could be converted into organic fertiliser through scientific methods to create employment opportunities for the youth while improving food production.
Professor Haadi Abdul-Rahman, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Statistics of the Tamale Technical University, emphasised the importance of data and statistics in national development and scientific advancement and said numbers and data remained critical in measuring progress and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, especially in the health sector.
Dr Ah-Lam Abdul-Kadir Napari, a Gynaecologist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, said access to quality healthcare should not be determined by where a person was born or lived.
She explained that science sought to make healthcare more accessible and improve life expectancy for people in both urban and rural communities.
Dr Napari highlighted the importance of vaccination, preventive healthcare, and public health education in protecting people against diseases and infections and encouraged students to consider coming out with scientific innovations to improve good sanitation and hygiene practices.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Linda Asante Agyei