While challenges such as agricultural waste may be more acute in Africa, these issues transcend borders and require a global perspective. “We can see the local problems. We can adapt science and technology to help our people,” says Oluwagbenga Johnson. But equipment and facility limitations constrain his research capacity, so he has looked abroad for collaboration support.

“I see what they present, and I see what I’m presenting,” he says of his experiences at conferences in Europe. “It’s not that we can’t reach that height that they have. But unfortunately, we don’t have those capacities in terms of equipment.” He believes that multilateral collaboration would make better use of Africa’s mineral wealth, provide a better job market within engineering, and secure the continent’s future.