To promote more systematic and sustainable cooperation between the mathematical communities of China and Africa, the China–Africa Mathematics Center (CAMC) has been established as a core hub connecting mathematical collaboration across the two regions. CAMC focuses on joint research, scholar exchange, and talent development, and operates under the framework of the International Center for Mathematical Research and Applications (ICMRA), a global cooperation platform. Together with similar centers oriented toward regions such as Latin America and South and Central Asia, it aims to build a worldwide network for mathematical collaboration.

At present, the planning and development of ICMRA are progressing steadily. Its Visiting Scholar Program was officially launched in 2026. Each year, the program provides targeted funding for scholars from partner regions to conduct research visits in China. Hosted by leading institutions such as the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (BIMSA), it serves as an early implementation step in this emerging international academic network.

In June 2026, Beijing entered early summer. After 24 years, Professor Oluwole Daniel Makinde returned to this city. In 2002, he first visited Beijing as a delegate to the International Congress of Mathematicians. That experience allowed him to witness firsthand the vitality of China’s academic community and the city’s deep cultural heritage. Today, as a leading figure in African mathematics, he returns to Beijing as an ICMRA Visiting Scholar at the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (BIMSA), carrying high expectations for China–Africa academic collaboration.

From Engineering Aspirations to Mathematical Research: Building Understanding Through Structure

During his primary school years, Makinde was an outstanding student across all subjects. After entering secondary school, he continued to excel in science disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and biology. At that time, he dreamed of becoming an engineer, hoping to create machines and circuits built upon knowledge that could transform the world.

However, mathematics revealed a distinct structural appeal to him. “I found that I could understand mathematical concepts taught in class without much additional effort,” Makinde recalls. “Mathematics has a clear and self-consistent logical system. Once the core concepts are truly understood, one can naturally proceed according to its rules without relying heavily on rote memorization.”

When applying for university, his first choice was engineering. However, his path soon shifted. After enrollment, faculty members in the mathematics department noticed his strong performance in foundational courses and recommended that he transfer to mathematics. “They said the mathematics department had fewer students, and given my strong performance in all subjects, I would have greater development potential in mathematics.” He initially refused but eventually agreed after persistent encouragement from professors.

Looking back, he considers this decision one of the most important turning points in his life. “I have no regrets at all. Mathematics has never been a dull subject for me.” He describes his learning approach as deliberately “simple but rigorous”: never pretending to understand. “If I could not grasp a concept, I would study it late into the night. If I still could not understand it, I would go to my teachers and ask repeatedly until I fully understood why things work that way.” This persistence laid a solid intellectual foundation for his later work.

In 1987, he graduated with First Class Honours in Mathematics from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in Nigeria, receiving the award for the most outstanding graduate of the faculty. He then obtained a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the same institution. In 1996, supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship, he earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (with specialization in fluid dynamics) from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. His doctoral study was supervised by the late Professor Philip Gerald Drazin, a distinguished British mathematician internationally known for foundational contributions to fluid mechanics, hydrodynamic stability theory, and nonlinear mathematical modeling, which have had a lasting impact on modern applied mathematics. After completing his PhD, Makinde made the firm decision to return to Africa.

Philip Gerald Drazin

“Many people believe mathematics requires exceptional talent, but I believe patience, precision, and a willingness to question are more important than talent,” Makinde says. “You should not be satisfied with memorizing procedures; you must understand the underlying logic. Only then can true innovation emerge within a rule-based system.”

Mathematical Modeling for Real-World Problems

Makinde’s research has long focused on the intersection of applied mathematics and engineering problems, particularly in fluid mechanics, multiphase heat and mass transfer, and dynamical systems modeling. “Africa faces many urgent challenges, and mathematics is one of our most powerful tools,” he emphasizes.

Freshwater scarcity remains a severe issue across the African continent, directly affecting drinking water safety. In his research on solar-driven desalination systems, he and his team developed mathematical models based on the fundamental conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy to describe evaporation and condensation processes. Numerical simulations were then used to analyze how system performance depends on structural parameters. This work provides a theoretical framework for the design of related engineering systems.

In heat transfer studies, he investigates how the addition of nanoparticles to fluids affects thermal conductivity. Through numerical simulation and parameter analysis, he examines how particle shape and distribution influence heat transfer efficiency, offering model-based guidance for engineering material design.

He has also contributed to epidemiology and dynamical systems research, providing mathematical insights into disease transmission and control. From Ebola to COVID-19, mathematical models have helped governments predict outbreak trends, evaluate intervention strategies, and identify cost-effective responses. “Government decision-making must be grounded in scientific evidence,” he explains. “Mathematical models allow us to anticipate developments, compare different strategies, and identify the most efficient solutions in terms of cost and impact.”

For Makinde, these applications demonstrate the power of mathematics in bridging theory and practice.

“Applied mathematics integrates mathematics, physics, engineering, biology, and many other disciplines,” he says. “Through it, we can solve real-world problems and improve people’s lives.”

Dedicated to Education and Building Africa’s Scientific Capacity

Beyond his research achievements, Makinde takes greatest pride in supervising more than 120 master’s and doctoral students, many of whom are now working across African countries and international research institutions.

“To train excellent students, one must first become a good mentor,” he states. He avoids hierarchical distance and instead builds equal, friendly relationships with his students. “I tell my students I am available 24 hours a day. They can call me anytime, even in the middle of the night.” He believes the greatest obstacle for students is fear: fear of asking questions, fear of being wrong, fear of criticism. “I always tell them: you are here to learn. No question is stupid. Making mistakes is not dangerous; what is dangerous is being afraid of them.”

In supervision, he remains deeply engaged in the research process. He often completes students’ assigned research tasks a week in advance but does not reveal the solutions, instead allowing students to explore independently. When they take wrong paths, he intervenes to guide them; when they face bottlenecks, he works with them step by step at the blackboard. “I constantly ask them ‘why’, pushing them to think and to question. Only then can they truly learn to conduct independent research.”

He also advises young scholars to carefully evaluate potential supervisors. “Check their research output and activity on platforms such as Web of Science and Google Scholar. If a supervisor has not published since 2020, by 2026 they are likely no longer active in research and may not provide effective guidance.”

Under his mentorship, some students have even surpassed him in specific research areas. “Teaching and learning reinforce each other. I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me,” he reflects. “Watching them grow into excellent scientists is deeply rewarding.”

China–Africa Mathematics Center: Supporting the Development of African Mathematical Sciences

As Vice President for Southern Africa of the African Mathematical Union and co-founder of the African Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Makinde has devoted significant effort to advancing mathematical sciences across the African continent. He firmly believes that Africa’s future development depends heavily on scientific research capacity, innovation, and world-class talent. “Research drives innovation,” he says, “and innovation empowers industry, agriculture, healthcare, environmental protection, and ultimately economic development and social well-being.”

Guided by this vision, he strongly supports meaningful international scientific cooperation. He has openly pointed out shortcomings in some collaboration models, where partners are selected without genuine research capacity, leading to wasted funding and little academic impact in Africa.

“The China–Africa Mathematics Center should take a different path,” Makinde suggests. “It must collaborate with outstanding mathematicians who are truly rooted in Africa, who remain active in frontier research, maintain consistent academic output, and work long-term in African universities. These scholars are the real drivers of African mathematics and role models for young researchers.”

During his visit to BIMSA, he engaged in in-depth collaboration with BIMSA postdoctoral researcher Mehari Fentahun Endalew. They plan to co-author six academic papers, two of which have already been completed. These works focus on engineering mathematical modeling, developing nonlinear models for nanoliquid film flow over inclined surfaces with thermal radiation and temperature-dependent viscosity, and applying numerical and statistical methods to analyze flow, heat transfer, and entropy generation characteristics.

The first paper focuses on mathematical modeling and engineering optimization, innovatively combining entropy generation modeling with response surface analysis. The second paper focuses on magnetothermal convection modeling, emphasizing the effects of magnetic fields on nanoliquid film flow, heat transfer, and entropy generation.

A Lifelong Commitment to Practice and Purpose

Professor Makinde is now widely recognized as one of Africa’s leading mathematical scientists. He is a Professor at the Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and serves as a visiting professor at multiple universities across and beyond the African continent. He has edited and co-edited 13 advanced research monographs and published more than 700 high-impact journal articles. His research spans fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, nanofluids, biomathematics, infectious disease dynamics, and industrial applied mathematics.

He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award (the African highest scientific award),  the South African National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) T.W. Kambule Senior Researcher Award, the Nigerian National Honour Award titled the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), the African Mathematical Union and Pan African Congress of Mathematicians Distinguished Research and Mentorship Awards, the Research Excellence Award at the University of Limpopo, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Research Excellence Award, Obada Prize for Distinguished International Researcher Award, and the Chancellor Award for Outstanding Research Excellence at Stellenbosch University. He is also an elected Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the International Academy of Physical Sciences, Fellow of the Nigerian Mathematical Society, and Fellow of the Papua New Guinea Mathematical Society.

Despite these honors, his original motivation remains unchanged. He continues to mentor young researchers daily, build international academic bridges, and pursue frontier research in applied mathematics. His mission remains constant: to use mathematics as a force for progress, to create opportunities for development, and to illuminate paths of hope.