Microsoft Research, TWAS and AAS reward computer scientists showing potential to accelerate economic development in Africa

Three African scientists have been awarded the inaugural TWAS-AAS-Microsoft Award for Young Scientists, by TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). The award, funded by Microsoft Research, recognises the outstanding work of African scientists that has – or promises to have – a positive impact in the developing world.

The awards ceremony will take place on 7th December during the opening session of the TWAS-ROSSA (Regional Office for Sub Saharan Africa) Young Scientists Conference. Each winner will receive a cash prize of €7,000.

"To achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Africa must create knowledge and skills-based wealth," said Dr Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft's Chairman for Africa. "The prosperity of the continent is dependent on African small and medium enterprises relying on results from research and development. They can then develop locally relevant solutions and value-added opportunities that will lead to the sustainable development of Africa. Microsoft applauds the three winners on their achievement."

This year's winners are:

• Youcef Bentoutou from Algeria, whose focus is image processing and computer vision, and developing applications in medical imaging and remote sensing
• Omar Fakih Hamad from Tanzania, who is constructing multimedia data communication systems and multicast technology for education and community development
• Tshilidzi Marwala from South Africa, who is studying the application of computational intelligence to engineering, finance,and medicine

"TWAS and AAS recognize that ICTs are essential enabling technologies for both increasing scientific capacity and achieving the MDGs," said Mohamed H.A. Hassan, Executive Director of TWAS and President of AAS. "We anticipate that the work of the three winners will make significant contributions to science and development in Africa in the years ahead."

Andrew Herbert, Managing Director of Microsoft Research Cambridge, added, "It is encouraging to see the high calibre of candidates in our first-ever competition. Computer science has a key role to play in tackling some of the developing world's greatest challenges, from education to infrastructure, and it's vital that we support and encourage the scientists and researchers who are working to address these issues."

For additional information about the TWAS-AAS-Microsoft Award for Young Scientists, see www.twas.org