Under the very high patronage of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, H.E. Paul Biya, BRAIN and the Cameroon Government organised the First High-Level African Science Summit on Brain Economy, Brain Health & Brain Capital in Yaoundé.
During the 2024 edition of the “Brain Week in Cameroon and Africa”, Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN) and the Cameroon Government organised the First High-Level African Science Summit on Brain Economy, Brain Health & Brain Capital under the very distinguished patronage of H.E. Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon and Head of State.
On the World Brain Day, July 22nd 2024, a technical scientific meeting was held in Yaoundé, which brought together brain health experts and stakeholders from five continents of the world to outline a novel road map to leverage on brain capital to address the urgent transitions in the bio economy, green/climate change and energy sectors, healthcare and the digital spheres. Key presenters at this technical scientific meeting were from the following organizations: The Brain Capital Alliance (USA), the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, the Neuro-Policy Program of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy (USA), the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cape Town (South Africa), the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (Nigeria), The World Federation of Neurology (Austria & Canada), The International Brain Research Organisation (France), The International League Against Epilepsy (UK), Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (Switzerland), Wellcome Trust (UK), The Malaysian Academy of Sciences (Malaysia), The National Task force on Brain Health (India), The Institute for Cognitive Neurology / Foundation INECO (Argentina), the Cameroon Academy of Science (Cameroon), The Society of Cameroonian Neurologists and Brain Research Africa Initiative. The key outcome of this technical meeting was the finalization of the Yaoundé Declaration on Brain Economy, Brain Health, and Brain Capital.
Four weeks following this technical scientific meeting, on August 22nd, 2024, the Yaoundé Conference Centre became the epicenter of a ground-breaking event as the city hosted the inaugural African High-Level Science Summit on Brain Economy, Brain Health, and Brain Capital, presided over by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, personal representative of the President of the Republic and Head of State, H.E. Paul Biya, accompanied by 15 members of Government.
This historical event, in the prelude to the 79th United Nations General Assembly, brought together a distinguished audience, including government officials, policymakers, scientists, and diplomats from across the continent and beyond. The objective was clear: to validate the Yaoundé declaration, which aims to position Africa as a key voice in the global discussions on brain health, brain capital, and brain economy.
The proceedings commenced with a warm welcome from the City Mayor of Yaoundé, who highlighted the significance of hosting such a pivotal event in Yaoundé, the “City of seven hills” known as a symbol of Cameroon’s bilingualism and multiculturalism, assets for driving regional and global development.
Following the Mayor’s address, Professor Alfred K. Njamnshi, Founder and Executive Director of Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), delivered a keynote address. Prof. Njamnshi, a renowned figure in the field of Brain Research and Brain Health, outlined the core tenets of the Yaoundé Declaration, emphasising the critical importance of brain health in shaping Africa’s socioeconomic and developmental future.
The Summit was also graced by three awards. Recognition awards from BRAIN Board of Directors and the Cameroon Government were given to the 2 champions who have led the initiative of The Yaoundé Declaration (Prof. Harris A. Eyre & Prof. Alfred K. Njamnshi), and the 2024 Monekosso-Muna BRAIN Award was attributed to Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, Minister of State-Minister of Higher Education of Cameroon, for several highly significant actions over the years, that have promoted neuroscience and brain health development not only in Cameroon but in Africa and now on the global stage, through this high-level science summit.
The Summit’s highlight was the opening speech by the Prime Minister, Head of Government of Cameroon, who, on behalf of The President of The Republic of Cameroon, commended the collaborative efforts leading to this summit. He lauded the initiative as an innovation and a significant stride towards positioning Africa at the forefront of global brain health. “Through this summit, we are not only highlighting the importance of brain health but also positioning Africa through Cameroon, as a leader in this brain health transition global movement”, he said. This validated Yaoundé Declaration on Brain Economy, Brain Health and Brain Capital will serve as a vital document representing Africa’s stance at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
This summit is not only the first of its kind in Africa, but it is also an innovative step that highlights the urgent need for governments to develop policies that foster cognitive health which in turn drives economic growth and societal wellbeing. Through the Prime Minister’s voice, the Government of Cameroon reiterated its commitment to promoting brain health: “Cameroon is fully committed to advancing brain health and developing the necessary infrastructure to promote this crucial domain. We are ready and open to investments that will bolster our capacity to promote brain health from the state of art research facilities to specialized healthcare infrastructures and services that will subserve the bioeconomy”.
As the summit concluded, it was glaring to all that Africa is ready to lead in the global dialogue on brain economy, brain health, and brain capital. The Yaoundé Declaration is set to be a cornerstone of this leadership as it heads to the global stage in New York in September.
The Yaoundé Declaration on Brain Economy, Brain Health and Brain Capital calls for the following actions:
- International frameworks for the transition into a brain-positive economy (see “4 ways to make our economy brain healthy”2) and for country governments and stakeholders to develop and implement national Brain Economy plans. Lessons must be learned from clean energy transition and digital-artificial intelligence transition plans;
- International data creation, curation, tools and frameworks to support and sustain the promotion of brain health and for country governments and stakeholders to develop and implement national/subnational Brain Health plans;
- Establishment of the Global Brain Council of leaders across the brain health space that will identify and curate brain health innovations ripe for investment;
- Creation and sustainable funding of a Global Brain Capital Centre/Institute of Excellence in Africa to build brain capital through research, innovation, capacity building and evidence-informed policy content development on education, science, culture, communication, built environment, economics, and information to foster mutual understanding and respect for our planet; and country governments and stakeholders to develop and implement Brain Capital plans;
- High-income countries (HICs) to work together with LMICs in the spirit of “Unity in Diversity” within the above and other frameworks to reduce global, regional, and local disparities while preserving our rich human and planetary diversity;
- The United Nations General Assembly to consider formalizing this Declaration to raise awareness for these issues across member states and the private and non-government sectors;
- Major policy fora to advance this agenda in the coming years such as the United Nations Summit of the Future, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP), World Economic Forum (WEF), the High-Level Meeting of the UNGA on the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases, G7, and G20;
- Congratulate and thank His Excellency Paul Biya, President of The Republic of Cameroon - Head of State, and his Government for the full support and facilitation of the First African High-Level Science Summit in Yaoundé, August 20-20, 2024, as a prelude to the 79th United Nations General Assembly (September 2024).
Moving forward, we have the following active plans for the Yaoundé Declaration in the coming months:
- Next week at Rice University Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy event "The American Brain Economy: Dialogues on Economic and National Security" https://lnkd.in/gjCxgpBC
- The upcoming Springer Nature Group Group African Dementia Conference in Nairobi with Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative and Aga Khan University https://lnkd.in/gEpiuquR
- The European Brain Council's webinar "Towards an EU Coordination Plan for Brain Health: Insights from the Community". Sept 5. https://lnkd.in/gwU-8S4h
- The upcoming Science Summit UNGA79 Brain Days with European Brain Council https://neurocentury.com/ and https://lnkd.in/gdzgKgr3 BrainLat UAI Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)
- The upcoming European Health Forum Gastein event with European Academy of Neurology "Promoting brain health for everyone: taking a holistic approach to neurological and mental health" https://lnkd.in/gQfC5M-m
