Pan-African Scholars Help Senegalese Fishermen with Mobile App

Can technology help fisherman both manage their catch and contribute to environmental sustainability? A team of international mathematicians based at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Senegal certainly thinks so.

These scholars are part of a pan-African network of institutions sponsored by the Humboldt Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) currently designing a mobile app for Senegalese fishermen. Using data input by the fishermen themselves—including how many fish they caught, how long they were at sea, and where they were fishing—the researchers believe they can calculate geo-specific models of sustainability that would enable the fish and the fishermen to sustain themselves well into the future. This video reveals the manifold benefits of science diplomacy as a platform for not only cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration, but also as a facilitator to harness the collective talents of the “continent’s brightest students” so that “Africans themselves can help develop Africa.”