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SCIENCE SUMMIT 2024: 17 - 27 September, New York

  • This Programme exclusively outlines the Science Summit events in New York from September 17th to 27th.
  • Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
  • For those attending in person, please choose the in-person attendance option on the registration form so we can issue your pass.
  • For virtual attendees, once registered, you can join sessions by clicking at the circular checkbox icon next to each session on the event platform. Please ensure you select the sessions you wish to attend, as failure to do so will prevent access to the live stream.
  • You can customize your experience by creating your own schedule based on the sessions you are interested in.



Wednesday, September 25
 

7:00am EDT

Fields of Innovation: 4IR opportunities for agriculture in Africa
Wednesday September 25, 2024 7:00am - 9:15am EDT
TBA

This session will explore how Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) tools could reshape agriculture across the continent, focusing on empowering smallholder farmers. The opportunities of digital agriculture are vast: from in-field agronomic practices enhanced by artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to more sophisticated supply chains and smarter policymaking. We aim to highlight scalable, innovative solutions that bridge the gap between traditional farming methods and new technologies to increase yields, incomes, and sustainability. The discussion will range from advanced agronomic practices enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), entrepreneurial aspects, to improvements in supply chain management through digital solutions and policy support. Invited experts will cover the full value chain from seed to plate. By advancing sustainable food production, we directly work towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger, while also supporting SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

The scientific and technological areas of focus include:
Data Intensive Farm Management (DIFM): Advanced in-field practices using AI and IoT, including farmer-driven trials and precision farming techniques that tailor the application of nutrients and water to the needs of individual parts of the field.
Internet of Things example: soil water sensors: This is a discussion on the deployment and scaling up of technologies like inexpensive Chameleon soil water sensors that help farmers make informed decisions regarding irrigation, a critical aspect in regions facing water scarcity.

Supply chain enhancements: Case studies from Malawi, Ethiopia, and Kenya demonstrate how digital technologies can streamline supply chains, reduce losses, improve market access, and increase profitability for all stakeholders involved.
Technopreneurship: The role of entrepreneurs in integrating digital technologies into the agricultural value chains, thereby fostering an ecosystem that supports innovation and technology adoption.
Policy and governance: Strategies for encouraging the adoption of 4IR technologies at the governmental level, creating policies that facilitate the modernization of agriculture, protect farmer interests, and promote sustainability.
Invitation to stakeholders

This session invites a broad spectrum of stakeholders to share ideas and identify collaboration opportunities on future initiatives that harness the power of technology in agriculture.
Speakers
avatar for Convenor Michael van der Laan

Convenor Michael van der Laan

Agricultural Research Council
Michael van der Laan is a Specialist Researcher in the Agricultural Research Council’s Water Science division. He completed his PhD on modelling non-point source nutrient pollution from agriculture, and then joined the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI) for two and... Read More →
avatar for Prof David Bullock

Prof David Bullock

University of Illinois
David S. Bullock is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois.  He studies the economics of agricultural technology and information and has published research on precision agriculture technology since 1998.  He is the Principal... Read More →
avatar for Dr Richard Stirzaker

Dr Richard Stirzaker

CSIRO
Dr Richard Stirzaker works with CSIRO Agriculture and Food and developed the Virtual Irrigation Academy with the support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.The Virtual Irrigation Academy team have developed a suite of soil water and solute monitoring... Read More →
avatar for Mrs Marion Delport

Mrs Marion Delport

Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP)
avatar for Mr Ramakgwale (Klaas) Mampholo

Mr Ramakgwale (Klaas) Mampholo

Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
avatar for Prof Osden Jokonya

Prof Osden Jokonya

University of the Western Cape
Professional Background: Professor Osden Jokonya is an academic and NRF C2-rated researcher at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. With a career spanning over two decades in both academia and the IT industry, Jokonya has established himself as a researcher in... Read More →
Wednesday September 25, 2024 7:00am - 9:15am EDT
TBA

9:00am EDT

Research and innovation for the SDGs: Insights from Africa
Wednesday September 25, 2024 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
TBA
The Summit of the Futurewhich will be held in New York in September 2024, convenes the world to find ways to accelerate efforts to meet existing international commitments and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

The Pact for the Future, an action-oriented outcome document from the summit, expects five focus areas: science, technology, innovation, and digital cooperation. The world is called to commit to strengthening digital cooperation and harnessing the potential of science, technology, and innovation for the benefit of all humanity.

Using insights from two pan-African programmes implemented by the African Academy of Sciences - namely, the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence[1] (ARISE) and the African Postdoctoral Training Initiative [2](APTI) - our session will underscore the role of scientific cooperation in ramping up the pace towards the creation, development, and diffusion of innovations and technologies to drive economic growth and sustainable development in Africa and globally.

As the world rethinks its international cooperation strategy, discussions from our session will help address outstanding issues in development cooperation, including issues around equitable partnership and fair benefit sharing. The session shall highlight challenges and opportunities for reciprocity and equitable scientific collaboration to foster mutual respect and meaningful engagement for a more significant impact. Moreover, the session will also make a case for more commitments and investments in Africa’s research and innovation agenda to sustain the gains made and accelerate the march towards achieving the SDGs without leaving anyone behind.

[1] https://arise.aasciences.app/
[2] https://aasciences.africa/Programmes/APTI
Speakers
avatar for Amine Idriss Adoum

Amine Idriss Adoum

Director of Infrastructure and Energy, Industrialisation, Trade and Regional Integration, AUDA-NEPAD
Amine Idriss Adoum is a Senior Director at the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), where he leads the strategic management of the directorate for Infrastructure, Industrialization, Trade and Regional Integration. With over 20 years of experience in the public and... Read More →
avatar for Henriette van Eijl

Henriette van Eijl

European Commision, DG Research and Innovation
Dr. Henriette van Eijl leads the unit ‘Health and Societal Transitions’ in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. The Unit ensures that R&I policies and programmes, especially Horizon Europe, support the EU policy objectives in health and... Read More →
DT

Dr. Tade Aina

Senior Program Director, African Higher Education and Research program, Carnegie Corporation of New York
avatar for Mr. Shaofeng Hu

Mr. Shaofeng Hu

Director, Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, UNESCO
Mr Hu has been the Director of UNESCO's Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences since April 2023, overseeing the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development and promoting Open Sciences. Previously with UNEP for 23 years, he supported Asia Pacific in climate... Read More →
MC

Ms. Carla Montesi

Director, Green Deal & Digital Agenda, European Commission
avatar for Dr. Obed Ogega

Dr. Obed Ogega

Head of Programmes, The African Academy of Sciences
Obed is a climate scientist and programme management specialist with a focus on research and innovation for sustainable development. His expertise ranges from project and programme design and management to resource mobilisation; strategy development; partnership building; and team... Read More →
DB

Dr. Boniface Ushie

The African Academy of Sciences
avatar for Prof. Lise Korsten

Prof. Lise Korsten

President, AAS, University of Pretoria
Professor Korsten is the President of the AAS and Co-Director at the Department of Science and Innovation, Centre of Excellence in Food Security. She chairs the Global Task Force of Food Security for the International Society for Plant Pathology and has addressed the South African... Read More →
PS

Prof. Stephen Agong

Treasurer, AAS
Prof. Stephen Gaya Agong is a Professor of Horticulture and Director of the Blue Economy Research Institute. He serves as the founding Vice-Chancellor of Jaramogi Odinga University of Science and Technology. Currently Chairman of the Governing Council at Mount Kenya University, Prof... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Emna Harigua

Dr. Emna Harigua

Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunisia
Emna Harigua is a Bioinformatician with a multidisciplinary profile. She is an Analytical Chemistry engineer with a master’s degree in information Processing and a PhD in Structural Bioinformatics (Institut Pasteur Paris). She is currently an assistant professor at Institut Pasteur... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Musa Kana

Dr. Musa Kana

Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria
Dr. Kana completed the first phase of his APTI fellowship at the National Institute of Environmental Science (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, under the mentorship of Stephanie London, MD, PhD.He is a Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology at Kaduna State... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Edem Mahu

Dr. Edem Mahu

ARISE Fellow, University of Ghana
Dr. Edem Mahu is a Senior Lecturer in marine biogeochemistry at the University of Ghana. She received the 2022 American Geophysical Union Africa Award for Research Excellence in Ocean Science an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences, and an AU-EU ARISE fellow.She leads several... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Michael Bodunrin

Dr. Michael Bodunrin

AESA-RISE Postdoc Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Dr Michael Oluwatosin Bodunrin is a senior lecturer at the School of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He obtained his Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2018. Before... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng

Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng

The African Academy of Sciences
Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng is the Executive Director at the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) since 01 November 2022. She provides leadership and strategic direction of AAS’s tripartite of recognition of excellence, think tank advisory function and developing world class scientists for... Read More →
Wednesday September 25, 2024 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
TBA
 
Friday, September 27
 

8:00am EDT

Too many preventable breast-cancer deaths in LMICs: innovative approaches to improve early diagnosis to reduce mortality
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am EDT
TBA
Globally, a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a sister die every minute from breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of female cancer death in most of the world. Eighty per cent of this cancer burden is in low- and- middle-income countries (LMICs) where only 5% of the global funding is available. The WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative has three key pillars to solve the challenges in breast cancer care, including health promotion, early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive breast cancer management. We bring solutions aligned with these pillars and with our initial focus on early detection using ultrasound (US) and artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence enabled the US to facilitate the implementation of task shifting, thus democratizing access for women at the points of need.


Essential factors to improve care and build health systems include improving women’s agency, equity, and decision power and eliminating barriers to accessing services and interventions. In high-income regions, mammography (MG) is the standard for early detection of breast cancer, yet it has significant limitations in LMICs, first and foremost being lack of access. MG is expensive and requires significant infrastructure (e.g. segregated space, large amounts of electricity, specialized air conditioning, radiation safety measures, regular maintenance and repair, and extensive training). These factors are significant contributors to the fact that most cancers in Sub-Saharan Africa present at late stages (85% in are stages III and IV), mostly too late for cure.

We propose transforming the current breast cancer care model to an accurate, accessible, lower-cost, point-of-need model. We bring hope and solutions for early detection of breast cancer, step one in the continuum of breast cancer.
Speakers
avatar for Linda Goler Blount, MPH

Linda Goler Blount, MPH

Black Women’s Health Imperative
Linda Goler Blount, MPH, is an epidemiologist and President of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the first national non-profit organization focused on Black women’s health and wellness.Ms. Blount has overseen more than $30 million invested in research to prevent chronic disease... Read More →
avatar for Marleen Temmerman (Convenor)

Marleen Temmerman (Convenor)

Professor, The Aga Khan University, Kenya
Prof Marleen Temmerman is Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University East-Africa and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Kenya. She has enormous experience in academia and political... Read More →
avatar for Dr. James Benedict

Dr. James Benedict

Left Tackle Capital and the BeDoWin Institute
James Benedict brings 25+ years of experience in venture capital and private equity. He is a family office investor, human capital partner, and entrepreneur. James is a Co-Founder of both Left Tackle Capital and the BeDoWin Institute, accelerators for high potential venture capital... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Miriam Mutebi

Dr. Miriam Mutebi

Aga Khan University Hospital
Dr. Mutebi is a consultant breast surgical oncologist and assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also a clinical epidemiologist and health systems researcher with a research focus on understanding barriers to... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Mary Nyangasi

Dr. Mary Nyangasi

Technical Officer, Cancer and Lead, WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, World Health Organization
I am a medical doctor and global health physician with a 17-year career experience in cancer clinical care and policy making, program management and leadership.I joined WHO in January 2024 as the Lead, Global Breast Cancer Initiative. I also support the National Cancer Control Planning... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Susan Harvey

Dr. Susan Harvey

Curing Women’s Cancer (CWC)
Susan C. Harvey M.D. practiced breast imaging for 30 years, the last 15 years at Johns HopkinsSchool of Medicine where she led the Division of Breast Imaging from 2013 to 2019. She developed clinical excellence in care and built teaching and research programs. Her research focused... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Saraswati Sukumar

Dr. Saraswati Sukumar

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Saraswati Sukumar is a Barbara B. Rubenstein Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Professor of Pathology. Her lab is focused on using methylated gene markers to detect breast cancer. Her current clinical study in Africa is focused on the development... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am EDT
TBA

2:00pm EDT

Transforming antenatal care through AI-enabled ultrasound
Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
TBA
The session will explore the transformative potential of AI-enabled Ultrasound in improving pregnancy care, particularly in underserved regions. Obstetric ultrasound is a critical tool for establishing gestational age, monitoring of fetal wellbeing and for assessing risks during pregnancy and birth to stratify care appropriately and optimise outcomes. However, ultrasound is often inaccessible in resource-limited settings due to the high cost of equipment and the need for skilled operators. AI-enabled ultrasound offers a promising alternative, allowing more novice users to perform accurate ultrasound examinations, thus democratising access to this essential aspect of prenatal care. 

After introducing the current challenges in obstetric care in low-resource environments, we will provide an overview of how AI can enhance basic obstetric ultrasound. The session will then transition to the ethical considerations and potential biases in AI applications. Delegates will benefit from a discussion on the latest technologies, products, and the challenges and opportunities of implementing these innovations in real-world settings. A panel discussion with funders and experts will highlight the collaborative efforts required for validation, large-scale implementation, and overcoming logistical hurdles. The session will conclude with a call to action, emphasising the need to move from localised evaluation to national-level adoption, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Speakers
avatar for Prof. Aris Papageorghiou

Prof. Aris Papageorghiou

Professor of Fetal Medicine and the Clinical Research Director, University of Oxford
Aris Papageorghiou is a Professor of Fetal Medicine at both the University of Oxford and St George’s Hospital in London. He also serves as the Research Director at the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute and chairs the WHO Maternal Perinatal Health Guidelines Technical... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Nidhi Leekha

Dr. Nidhi Leekha

Consultant Radiologist, Aga Khan University
Dr. Nidhi Leekha is an Assistant Professor and Section Head of Ultrasound at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, where she leads the ultrasound department and is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring radiology residents. With a passion for ultrasound education and innovation... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Jonathan Sutton

Dr. Jonathan Sutton

Philips Ultrasound, Cambridge USA
Jonathan Sutton is a Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader at Philips Ultrasound inCambridge USA and the Innovation Lead for Philips' AI-Enabled Obstetric Application Suiteinitiative with the Gates Foundation. His work in the early innovation arm of Philips has helped bringproducts... Read More →
avatar for Ari Moskowitz

Ari Moskowitz

Gates Foundation
Ari Moskowitz is the Deputy Director, Devices and AI at gates Foundation. He leads a team that focuses on the introduction of maternal and newborn health innovations, with the aim of reducing mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries through pregnancy risk stratification... Read More →
avatar for Prof. Karim Lekadir

Prof. Karim Lekadir

Univesity of Barcelona
Karim Lekadir is an ICREA Research Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Barcelona. He obtained his PhD from Imperial College London and was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University. He investigates new data science techniques... Read More →
avatar for Marleen Temmerman (Convenor)

Marleen Temmerman (Convenor)

Professor, The Aga Khan University, Kenya
Prof Marleen Temmerman is Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University East-Africa and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Kenya. She has enormous experience in academia and political... Read More →
Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
TBA
 
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