Africa Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Youth Boot Camp a resounding success
At least 250 youths took part in the inaugural Africa Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Youth Boot Camp, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 22- 23 February 2020. Being the pioneers of such a great initiative, the young people were highly motivated and eager to learn, taking part in interactive discussions which were held, explaining the concepts and technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), highlighting how the youths are key to this era of accelerated technological progress.
To bridge the theory-practice gap, the youths were further exposed to different approaches of addressing community and global challenges using advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics. The bootcamp participants also went through entrepreneurship drills, and learnt about project management and resource mobilisation, to be able to monetise their products and services.
The Boot Camp empowered youths with the knowledge and skills on how to contribute towards meaningful scientific, technological and innovative solutions that will change the face of Africa, ultimately bringing the continent a step closer towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Besides being a fundamental human right, gender equality is a critical requirement for the achievement of sustainable development and as such 52% of the participants were women. In the same spirit of leaving no one behind, the participants also included people with disabilities.