Globally, does science overlook the problems that face sub-Saharan Africa?

Many times it does, but I don’t expect governments like the U.S. to put a lot of money into problems that are affecting folks in Africa. I expect the governments in Africa to put a lot of money into the problems affecting their people.

When I was in the U.S., you know everybody was talking about cancer research, so I got into working on cisplatin, an anti-cancer drug. The same tools for the work with cisplatin can be used to work with drugs related to neglected tropical diseases. Now I’ve moved back to Africa, I’m thinking of problems that face people here, problems related to antibiotic resistance or tuberculosis, for example. It’d be good if African governments realized this and funded science more. I don’t think they see it as essential unless there’s a crisis — like Ebola.

Are your students also interested in more abstract research questions?

Yes. When it comes to cosmology, the human mind has always wondered about where we came from, and what’s in the stars up there. And so it’s by compulsion, it’s just natural, to think about how these things came to be.

You see these as shared human concerns?

Exactly, and it’s exhilarating to find solutions. But studying these questions — whether in high-energy physics or in string theory — is also really important in the development of a culture of scientific thinking. We might ask: “Why is the sky blue?” And just to say, “Oh, because it’s been blue for millions of years!” No. It’s good to think critically about things. The skills you learn from critical thinking can also be applied to questions not even directly connected to science — when you’re starting a business or recognizing what is fake news.

How are you and your institute developing this culture of scientific thinking?

You know, there was a time when I was in Nigeria, and we looked for somebody from sub-Saharan Africa to teach quantum field theory [the theoretical description of interacting quantum particles]. I only found one person, and he wasn’t able to come. Imagine, in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, you can only rely on one person to teach quantum field theory. That’s just totally nuts!

I needed to come back to help to develop this kind of research, to help to build science capacity in Africa. And with EAIFR I’m trying to do exactly this. With our students, in their first year we revamp their undergraduate degree to bring them up to a very high level. We teach them similar things that are taught in the U.S. I like that I’m able to impact the next generation of scientists, to train them to think deeply.

At EAIFR our graduate students and also lecturers from across Africa interface with people from the rest of the world. At workshops we’ve had people from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Sudan, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia. And then from the global north we’ve had people from the U.S., Belgium, France and the U.K. In our high-energy physics group, the plan is to link up with the Square Kilometer Array telescope in South Africa and Australia.

Why is Rwanda a good location for a hub like this?

I have to commend the government of Rwanda; they have this good promotion of the country. Many people want to come to Rwanda, even those that have never been to Africa before. It’s very easy for people to come and work with us here. Since 2018 Rwanda has offered a visa on arrival [to nationals of all countries]. You can just pack your bags and come.

The other thing about Rwanda is it’s very safe. When I was in Nigeria in 2014 I wanted to have a workshop. Everything was planned, then there was a bomb blast. Two weeks later, there was another bomb blast, so we had to move the workshop to South Africa.

And what about vice versa? Is it easy for African researchers to travel to the U.S. or Europe for workshops and conferences?

That one is dicey, because they have to prove that they are not going to go there and stay there. I know some people that were rejected. One of the things we hope to do with this institute is to provide a place for these meetings. So if you try to go to the U.S. or Europe and they don’t give you a visa, OK, don’t worry, we’ll bring the scientists here.

You can collaborate on the internet, but as much as science is objective, collaborating with someone is really not objective. You need to meet the person face to face and then build on that personal relationship. If I just write to a random scientist in the U.S. and say I’d really like to work with you, maybe 10% will respond.

What are the particular challenges of doing fundamental research in sub-Saharan Africa?

It’s not as easy to get journals. There’s also a huge teaching burden. Fortunately not at EAIFR, but in Africa in general, which leaves very little time for research. It would help if we had faster internet, and if we had more computing power. But also I think Africans need to think of research that we can do even with the computers that we have.