Perimeter Institute’s global outreach partner, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences-Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI), and Communitech, an umbrella organization for Waterloo Region’s high tech sector, are teaming up as part of an initiative announced February 4, 2013, in Cape Town, South Africa.
During a visit to the AIMS-South Africa centre, Canadian High Commissioner to South Africa, His Excellency Gaston Barban, introduced the AIMS Industry Initiative, which will provide paid internships in industry to AIMS graduates. Communitech is one of seven organizations that have already indicated a strong interest in providing the program’s first internships.
“AIMS is expanding its offerings to some of Africa’s top mathematics and science graduates with the Industry Initiative by providing talented and motivated young people from across the continent with the opportunities to contribute to African development through industry,” said Thierry Zomahoun, Executive Director of AIMS-NEI. “We look forward to driving the development of the continent through the creation of new centres, new partnerships, and increased numbers of graduates.”
In 2010, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged $20 million to support the establishment of five AIMS centres across Africa by 2015. During the announcement, High Commissioner Barban commented on Canada’s leadership role in support of AIMS-NEI, which seeks to build Africa’s economic, educational, and technological self-sufficiency by providing world-class training to the continent’s brightest minds.
“I am delighted to see Canada’s support for higher learning, research, technology development, and science through its investment in AIMS-NEI,” said Barban. “Having established centres in Senegal and Ghana, AIMS-NEI is on its way to becoming a truly pan-African network of centres of excellence. I am pleased to see the private sector, including Canadian companies invested in Africa, supporting the AIMS work placement program. This is a win-win initiative for both the companies and the graduates.”
FURTHER EXPLORATION
- Listen to remarks from Thierry Zomahoun and His Excellency Gaston Barban about the launch of the AIMS Industry Initiative, via an AIMS-South Africa YouTube slideshow
- Read the 2010 article about the Government of Canada's $20 million investment in AIMS
ABOUT AIMS-NEI
The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) was founded in South Africa in 2003 as a pan-African centre for post-graduate training and research. The AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative was launched in 2008 to build a critical mass of scientific and technical talent across Africa, capable of driving progress across the continent. Operating as a partnership between African and international universities, AIMS centres provide an innovative and relevant curriculum within an exceptional 24-hour learning environment. AIMS-NEI has opened centres in Senegal and Ghana, with each centre recruiting and graduating over 50 students each year, all of whom benefit from full scholarships. To date, the centres have collectively graduated 442 students – 31 percent of them women – from 35 African countries.
