Rwandan President Paul Kagame is the current head of the African Union. He opened the conference by linking scientific progress to Africa’s development at large. Kagame said, “Today, more than ever before math and science proficiency is a prerequisite for high-income status, and the gains in health and well-being that go along with it.” “For too long, Africa has allowed itself to be left behind,” the president added. He noted that as the continent aims to compete on the same level as other area of the world, it cannot leave out women and girls. Kagame urged Africans not to accept the international custom of men outnumbering women in scientific positions and research. Eliane Ubalijoro is a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She noted the large number of women at the conference. Africa falls behind the rest of the world in scientific production. But research on the continent is growing quickly. And a United Nations report showed that some African nations have increased their research and development spending “to the level of a middle-income economy.”