KIGALI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- African economies should learn from China's rapid rise in the areas of education, science and technology in order to harness the continent's efforts in achieving scientific advances and technological progress, a South African scientist said Monday.

"China has invested heavily in education, science and technology and the results are amazing. China is emerging as a new global science and technology powerhouse," said Neil Turok, founder of African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), remarks at the opening of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) global gathering 2018 in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.

"Africa should draw inspiration from the development milestones of China in order to be one of the major contributors to world science," said Turok, who is also the director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada.

He also called on African economies to focus, prioritize and promote science and technology ideas to solve social-economic challenges.

Rwanda hosts the global science meeting from March 26 to 28. It has brought together about 1,600 participants including global scientists, researchers, students, policy makers and government officials among others to highlight the contributions of Africa's scientists and innovators to the global scientific community.

The NEF meeting will have at least 50 percent of the participants under 42 years, while women will be at least 40 percent, according to organizers.

Launched in 2013, NEF is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung, a Germany charitable institution, which serves as a platform to connect science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world.