Plenary Speaker

Talk: Mathematics and Development: African Challenges and Prospect 

Abstract: In the developed nations, mathematics assumes an indispensable status in national development serving as a facilitator to other fields to attain an impressive height in food, energy production and conservation, waste management, health, robotic technology, nuclear as well as space technology. African nations, must pay a particular attention and great importance to mathematics, to get anywhere near the heights so far attained by the developed nations. Unfortunately, despite, the Lagos Plan of Action launched in 1980, with a general awareness of the role of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the socio-economic development of African nations, and the 10-year Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA 2024), established in 2014, as a part of the long-term, people-centered, 2063 African Union Agenda, based on STI as multifunctional tools and facilitators to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Africa is still lagging behind, in implementing the Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) , and in tackling the serious problems which plague mathematics education in general 

Bio: Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi was elected in 2017 as President of African Mathematical Union and ensured such high responsibility until 6Th August 2022. She was the first woman mathematician to hold such prestigious position. She has been nominated as AMU Honorary President in recognition of what all she succeeded to achieve, and nominated as Executive President of the AMU Commission on Pan African Mathematics Olympiads. She has been the AMU Vice – President (for North Africa) during the period 2013-2017, the AMU Secretary General (2004-2009) and the Executive President of the AMU Commission on Pan African Mathematics Olympiads (1995-2009). Also Since 2013, at present she is the Regional Coordinator (for North Africa) of the African Mathematical Millennium Science Initiative (AMMSI).

Prof El Yacoubi was involved in many reports on the mathematics development in Africa, for example in “Mathematics Opportunities and Challenges in Africa” elaborated upon the request of the John Templeton Foundation in (2009), also in the International Mathematical Union Report on Mathematics development in Africa (MENAO, ICM 2014), in the AMU poster for ICM 2014 and invited speaker for ICME 2016.

In her capacity as AMU Secretary General, she encouraged the various Mathematical African Networks created since 1990 and committed herself to federate all these African Networks under the AMU umbrella by supporting and attending their activities.

As for her scientific profile: she was a talented student in mathematics very earlier and was directed for the mathematics studies since the secondary school where she succeeded to get the most important diploma “Baccalaureate”. She was granted by the Moroccan government with a scholarship allowing her to attend the Architecture school in Bordeaux. After one year she comes back in Morocco to join her husband and she decided to renounce to Architecture for Pure Mathematics studies where she succeeded to get her Master (1974), First Doctorate (1978) as first women to get such diploma in Morocco, and her State Doctorate (Ph.D) in 1995 in Pure mathematics (Non associative Topological Algebras) later, as she has to take care of her six children (among them quadruplets born in 1978). During all that time, she committed herself to continue to contribute in mathematics teaching and research (secondary school from 1974-1978), High school of teacher training (1978-1986), Faculty of Sciences in Rabat (1986 -2016).

Prof. El Yacoubi was involved in many national Projects (Co- Author of Mathematics text books in Arabic for secondary School, Member of the National Commission for Mathematics “Agrégation” and also member of “Mathematics Agrégation Jury” etc.).

She contributed in supervising many Dissertations and in participating in Dissertations Jury through Africa as member, reporter or Jury President.

Since 2008, she was interested by Mathematics education, so she attended as participant, keynote speaker or invited speaker various conferences through the world. She also contributed as member of the UNISA Project on Mathematics Teachers Professional Development.

She contributed to ICME since 2012 as panel member in South Korea, in 2016 as invited speaker in Hamburg, in 2020 virtually as presenter in the TSG on Professional development of mathematics teachers.

She also contributed in ICM’s since 1998 in Berlin, and has contributed in reports on African Mathematical scene in 2014, In 2018, in Brazil she contributed in the IMU General Assembly on her capacity of AMU President, and in a panel.

She has been appointed as member of the selection committee for grant for IMU 2022, Congress to be held in Russia, and nominated as Chair after the past away of the Chair of that committee.

 In her capacity of AMU President in the AMU, she attended the General Assembly at Helsinki and followed virtually the event.

She has agreed, in her capacity of AMU President, that AMU be in the advising committee of the International year of basic Sciences for Sustainable development (IYBSSD) and she is always involved in the International decade for sciences for sustainable development 2024-2034.

For Pan African Mathematics Olympiads, in her capacity of the Executive President, she is trying to let PAMO’s could succeeded to let more African countries participate to IMO, and other competitions through the world, as well as training camps for the students and the team leaders.

The challenges for the AMUPAMOC remain to provide prominent students for the  business and Industry world.