Rosemary Sang

Pioneered women's empowerment in STEM across Africa through education and advocacy

Rosemary Sang (born 1948) is a Ugandan educator and activist who has been a transformative force in promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across Africa. As one of the first African women to earn a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge in 1974, she blazed a trail for women in higher education and scientific research. Her groundbreaking work includes founding the African Women in Science and Technology (AWST) network in 1993, which has since expanded to 12 countries and empowered over 10,000 women professionals.

Sang's vision extended beyond academia into policy-making. She served as a member of Uganda's National Council for Science and Technology from 1990-2005, advocating for equitable resource allocation for women researchers. Her 2001 report The Gender Gap in African Universities became a seminal document influencing UNESCO's education policies. In 2008, she pioneered the 'Women in Technology' initiative at Makerere University, establishing Africa's first gender-inclusive tech incubator.

Her advocacy led to landmark changes: by 2015, female enrollment in STEM programs at Ugandan universities increased from 28% to 45%. Sang's international collaborations include partnerships with MIT's D-Lab and the African Union's Gender and Development Division. Her 2017 TED Talk Why Women Must Lead in Tech has been viewed over 1.2 million times. Currently, she chairs the Pan-African STEM Education Fund, which provides scholarships to 500 girls annually through its STEMFuture program.