What You Need to Know
Mozambique is hosting the IV Conference of Young Researchers of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), expecting over 1,200 participants. The event aims to promote African scientific production and empower youth, featuring workshops and presentations from international experts, fostering scientific exchange among young researchers.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique is hosting the IV Conference of Young Researchers of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), with more than a thousand participants expected, to promote African science, value local knowledge, and empower youth, an official source announced today.
“We want to foster science by recognising that local research is also science… [we want] to bring critical mass, research thinking, scientific thinking to young people,” said Cristina Molares D’Abreu, President of the Association for the Young CPLP Researchers (EJICPLP) on Africa Meeting, at a press conference in Maputo.
D’Abreu explained that the focus of the conference is on promoting African scientific production, in an event that also seeks to counter the peripheral view of research in Portuguese-speaking African countries.
According to D’Abreu, the IV edition of the conference, which will take place from Tuesday to Friday at the Mozambique-China Cultural Centre in the capital, has seen an increase in participants compared with the previous three editions, two of which were held in Lisbon and one in Luanda, the Angolan capital.
“In Maputo we have 1,200 young people wanting to join us in this experience,” she said, adding that the initiative promotes direct contact between young researchers and international specialists, serving as a platform for scientific exchange among CPLP youth.
The event, under the theme “Cultural Diversity, Digital Innovation and Ancestral Knowledge: Building Sustainable Futures in Africa”, begins on Tuesday with a pre-programme of workshops at Eduardo Mondlane University, the country’s largest, and at the Guimarães Rosa Institute, covering topics such as academic writing, cinema, and artificial intelligence.
“We want to give these young people opportunities they have never had, for example, with speakers and expertise coming from all Portuguese-speaking countries and the diaspora. These senior researchers and scientists will have, for the first time, the opportunity to engage with them in person,” added Cristina Molares D’Abreu.
The programme will feature over 40 speakers from CPLP countries and the diaspora, as well as presentations of scientific papers by around 60 selected young researchers.
“We want local science to go out from here to the international community and bring value as Africans. We aim to move away from the view of Africa as poor or disadvantaged and transform the thinking of these young people so that they grow and recognise the value of this continent,” she concluded.
The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) was established in 1996 to foster collaboration among Portuguese-speaking nations. This conference represents a significant step in promoting scientific research within these countries, particularly in Africa, where local knowledge and innovation are often undervalued. By bringing together young researchers, the CPLP aims to enhance scientific dialogue and collaboration across borders, encouraging a new generation of scientists to contribute to global knowledge.
