Of Scientific Research in  Africa:Waiting for BILL GATES?

Feb 3, 2019 | Togonu-Bickersteth

Africans in Diaspora sent home about 40 billion Dollars last year. What do Africans do with all this money? How much of this money goes into research in Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Technology, Medicine and Agriculture? Africans love to lament cases of discrimination and racism against Africans but Africans might not begin to get the desired respect until they begin to do more significant things in Mathematics, Science, Engineering ,Technology , Medicine ,and Agriculture and these are areas Domiciled and Diaspora African can come in. Africans are well known for their physical prowess As in Athletics , Soccer and the performing arts but they should also do more to show case the use of the African Brain. The brain is said to be the most complex system in the universe and this Is why some categories of persons would be concerned if Africans do not seem to be making the most of it or not having the necessary support to make the most of it bearing in mind that the African Brain is just as good as any other Brain on the planet.

According to the Africa Asia Wealth Report of 2018 there are 147,000 Africans with more than one Million Dollars living in Africa along with 7,100 Multi Millionaires, having at least 10 million Dollars in Africa, 320 centi millionaires each with assets of 100 million or more and 24 billionaires each with assets of one billion or more.

Africans should not wait for Bill Gates to make Africa liveable . True, Bill Gates made money out of Africa through selling them Microsoft products so we should expect he gives something back but what are Domiciled Africans and African in the Diaspora giving back to Africa?

Take Malaria , for instance, it is more of an African Problem but Bill Gates has spent more than a hundred and fifty Million Dollars on finding a vaccine for Malaria, take Agriculture he is supporting research to produce a” super Cow” that would produce as much milk as a European cow but which can withstand the African temperature. Still on Agriculture Gates has supported research that led to artificial photosynthesis which might have far reaching effects as far as agricultural yield is concerned and this is more to Africa's benefit. .Toilets are more of an African Problem in fact open defecation has been described as the greatest nightmare in Africa. Nigeria for instance is the country with the World's second largest number of people practicing Open Defecation and Bill Gates is working on the next Generation of Toilets. So far he has spent 200 million dollars to develop a new kind of toilet-called the 'waterless toilet of the future' and is out to spend 200 million Dollars more to bring it to people around the world. Lastly Bill Gates spent 76 million to settle Nigeria's Debt to help to eradicate Polio in Nigeria. IN 2017, Nigerians in Diaspora sent 22 billion dollars home. Apart from Property development, and Care of relations, anecdotal evidence suggests Nigerians, and Africans in general, would tend to spend money on Business,Birthdays, Burials and Betrothals rather than Libraries, Laboratories and workshops. it would seem most of them have adopted a mantra of 'every one for himself, God, Government, Google and Gates for us all'.

Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth writes from London,England