Solar thermal magazine Rwandan President Says Renewable Energy Will Save the World's Future
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has told a major science conference that the world needs renewable energy for sustainable economic growth.
He said efforts in research on green energy will bridge the gap between environment and economic growth.
“Scientific discoveries are already closing the gap between renewable energy and fossil fuels, in terms of cost,” Kagame said to an audience of top scientists in Italy.
Kagame was speaking on October 6th at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics’ (ICTP), in Trieste, Italy during a four day event to mark 50 years of international scientific cooperation breakthroughs and establishing scientific excellence in developing worlds.
Over 250 participants, including scientists, stakeholders and industry experts attended the event.
Meanwhile, the ICTP announced it has finalized logistical preparations to set up a regional center in East Africa with its office inRwanda.
Prof. Fernando Queve, the Director of ICTP, confirmed that East Africa’s Regional centre of excellence is underway, in Rwanda.
Kagame promised Rwanda’s commitment to ensure the center runs successfully. “We look forward to working together to make this venture a success,” he said. “You can count on Rwanda’s strong support.”
Rwanda intends to use the center to advance innovation, creativity and employment for the youth. “Connecting young Rwandans to the scientific mindset makes them effective workers and better citizens,” Kagame said.
“The values that animate scientific inquiry are the same as those that animate our struggle in Rwanda,” he added. “We share the values of reason, truth, a hunger for practical results.”
The center is also expected to serve as a science hub for Africa to promote capacity in basic science, climate change, telecommunications and high performance computing.
The ICTP centre will also educate, train and facilitate research at postgraduate level in physics and mathematics.
Rwanda says it will use the center to speed up social and economic development. For Mario Giro, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, “There is no future without science.”
The ICTP was founded in 1964 by the late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, a Pakistani theoretical physicist who served as a science advisor to the Government of Pakistan from 1960 to 1974.
Tags: ICTP, Italy, renewable energy, rwanda
