Established in 2003 in Cape Town, South Africa, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a Pan-African network of centers of excellence offering postgraduate training, research, and public engagement for the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Africa. Building on the success of its first Centre in South Africa, AIMS launched the Next Einstein Initiative (NEI) in 2008 to scale up and roll out the AIMS model across the continent. Five additional centers were established in Senegal (2011), Ghana (2012), Cameroon (2013), Tanzania (2014), and Rwanda (2016). Its global secretariat is situated in Kigali, Rwanda and it has global offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada.
AIMS vision is to lead the transformation of Africa through innovative scientific training, technical advances and breakthrough discoveries which benefit the whole of society and its mission is to enable Africa’s brightest students to flourish as independent thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators capable of propelling Africa’s future scientific, educational and economic self-sufficiency.
Collectively, AIMS centers provide an intensive and broad education to over 275 African students each year and prepare them for leadership careers in academia, government and industry. The AIMS educational program relies on top international lecturers who teach in a 24-hour learning environment.