The University at Buffalo has major partnerships with universities in Zimbabwe. That country's minister of science and technology development visited UB's Center of Excellence Tuesday. WBFO's Mike Desmond was there to speak with the leader.
Heneri Dzinotyiweyi is a mathematics professor by trade who has moved into his country's cabinet at a time when communications are changing things.
Professors in Zimbabwe can contact colleagues in other countries instantly while rural farmers can use their cell phones to keep track of prices in cities or what new crop Europeans want and how much they will pay.
The minister says there is a lot of awareness of science in that African country and what it can do for those farmers while the government is also moving into leading-edge technologies like nanoscience and collaboration with UB.
Dzinotyiweyi says issues like climate change are scientific issues everyone watches.
"[There are] challenges for water, crops that are more drought-resistant. Preservation. Something that is healthy but is worthwhile, all those elements have scientific input into them," said Dzinotyiweyi.
Dzinotyiweyi is also meeting with Zimbabwe students and researchers at UB to look at knowledge transfers to needs back home.
