How Africa's scientists will power the next generation of development

Good governance and education are strong candidates - as a Minister in Ethiopia's government since 2005 I am immensely proud of our education revolution, which increased numbers of primary school pupils by over 500 percent between 1994/95 and 2008/09.  But for me, the single most versatile solution to Africa's development challenges, from poverty and hunger to disease and resource scarcity, is science.

As Minister of Water and Energy I am convinced that science and the innovations it inspires are critical to managing precious resources, mitigating climate change impacts, and putting Africa in the vanguard of the global transition to renewables.  Most of Africa has around 325 days of strong sunlight a year: that gives us huge solar power potential.   Just last month Africa's first large-scale wind project was announced - a giant network of onshore wind farms in Cape Verde.