A new trust fund in memory of outstanding Kenyan scientist Thomas Risley Odhiambo is being set up by the African Academy of Sciences to bankroll young scientists across the continent who are tackling local problems.
According to the Science and Development Network, Odhiambo believed that scientists could be instrumental in changing the fate of his continent. One of his key achievements was his role in establishing both the academy and the other force behind the trust fund, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology.
Providing grants and scholarships to young African scientists who wish to undertake research into tropical problems will be at the top of the fund’s priorities. It will continue his initiatives to promote innovative research in human, animal, plant and environmental health in Africa.
The organisers of the trust, which also draws support from the Trieste-based Third World Academy of Science, plan to promote the use of science and technology in the development of marketable technologies. They will also establish a science policy resource centre and yearly memorial lectures in Odhiambo’s memory.
Anyang Nyong’o, Kenyan Minister for Planning and a long-time colleague of Odhiambo, said the moves to honour his memory are intended to emphasise what scientists in the developing world can achieve.
“Odhiambo’s life was a living testimony to the fact that, with the brightest ideas that the human brain can produce and a spirited personal determination, we can achieve what we dream and what we desire,” he said.
“At a time when there is so much pessimism about the political and social prospects for Africa, it is necessary to keep in mind the legacy that an African scientist like [Odhiambo] left to the world.”
Odhiambo, 72 when he died in Nairobi, was president of the academy from 1985 to 1995. He worked to identify outstanding scientific talent in Africa, to harness this talent for national development and to advance partnerships between scientific and political leaders.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki described Odhiambo’s research into insects as an immense contribution.
“The country has lost an outstanding patriot whose research findings went a long way towards improving the well-being of mankind,” he said.
Shem Wandiga, former president of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences, said the entomologist had been a “giant of a scientist” in Africa.
“We might have underestimated his accomplishments in this part of the world but internationally he was recognised and respected,” he said. “Our efforts now should be to further his dream for a science-led African development.”
In 1987, Odhiambo received the Africa Prize for Leadership jointly with former Senegalese president Abdou Diouf. The prize was awarded by then United States president Ronald Reagan. — SciDev.Net