How A Young African Leader Won Over Bill Gates: Meet David Sengeh And His Vision For Radical Inclusion

Software entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates said he was "blown away" by the intellect of Senegal's first-ever chief innovation officer David Moinina Sengeh when he first met him.

What Happened: The billionaire made the comment while discussing the new book by Sengeh titled "Radical Inclusion: Seven Steps To Help You Create A More Just Workplace, Home, And World."

Gates said he first met Sengeh in 2011 and appreciated the Senegalese Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education's ambition and sense of humor.

He said Sengeh's book is a "must-read" for anyone who wants to create a "truly inclusive world."

Sengeh thanked Gates for the endorsement of his book and said it offers a "step-by-step guide to creating a more inclusive and just society."

Why It Matters: Sengeh was previously a research scientist at IBM Research Africa and has received his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab. His research focused on the design of comfortable prosthetic sockets and wearable interfaces.

Sengeh, 36 years old, gave a Ted Talk about his computer-assisted technique to make personalized prosthetic limbs way back in 2014.

He said that he faces some pushback on the use of innovative technologies because of the lack of basic necessities in poorer countries.

"We don’t have water, and you tell us, technology. There is no power. And you want us to think about science," said Sengeh, reported NPR.

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Image via WEF on Flickr.