African students win nine medals in global maths competition

Students from Algeria, Morocco and South Africa were awarded nine medals – seven silver and two bronze – along with two honourable mentions at the 32nd International Mathematics Competition for University Students (IMC).

The event, which brought together hundreds of students from universities worldwide, was organised by University College London and hosted by the American University in Bulgaria, and ended early in August.

It provides a platform for students to demonstrate their problem-solving skills and mathematical ingenuity while connecting them with their peers from around the world as well as exploring potential career paths in mathematics.

The top five student teams in the competition were:

• Saint Petersburg State University in Russia;

• Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität in Bonn, Germany;

• Jagiellonian University in Poland;

• Tel Aviv University in Israel; and

• The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in Russia.

While most experts welcomed the news and the promotion of mathematics among African students, others warn that African governments should do more to retain talented students who must deal with limited resources and opportunities in their home countries.

The competition is aimed at mathematics students completing their first, second, third or fourth year of university education, with a maximum age of 23 at the time of the competition.

Contestants must solve problems from algebra, analysis (real and complex), geometry and combinatorics. The working language is English.

Algeria

Algerian students received five awards – two silver medals, two bronze medals, and an honourable mention – out of 343 students from 73 international universities, according to a statement from the country’s ministry of higher education and scientific research.

The students are:

• Mohamed Amir Benmelouka from the National Higher School of Mathematics;

• Youcef Kenane from the University of Science and Technology; and

• Houari Boumediene, Ahmed Adnane Meddah, and Choubila Guerfi from the National Higher School of Artificial Intelligence.

The IMC2025 Preliminary Results also show that Yasser Merabet received an honourable mention.

South Africa

Dr Liam Baker, an expert in mathematical Olympiads and a lecturer in mathematics at Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa, told University World News: “I am excited about the South African students’ performance at the IMC, with Kerry Porrill from SU achieving a silver medal.” Benjamin Kleyn, also from SU, received an honourable mention.

Morocco

Moroccan students Abdelkayoum Kaddouri, Aymen El Ouadrhiri, Mohammed Amine Moutahid, and Mohammed Benomar El Mdeghri all won silver.

At the university team level, the Moroccan, Algerian and South African teams were ranked 31-32, 43 and 49 out of 73, respectively, according to the unofficial team score.

Significance of international competitions

Baker, the lead author of a 2022 study entitled, ‘Mathematical competitions in Africa: Their prevalence and relevance to students and teachers’, said it was important for African students to take part in these international competitions “so that they can measure up against students from other countries and be motivated to improve their skills to the benefit of our continent”.

Likewise, Dr Karam Aloui from Tunis El Manar University told University World News he was “extremely proud of the achievement of the three African teams at the IMC”.

“Being the executive secretary of the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) commission, I knew many of the contestants and have evaluated them at the IMC and PAMO. These results did not surprise me as I have an idea of the level of training in Algeria, Morocco, and South Africa. These countries prepare through regular training camps and contests,” Aloui said.

A race of minds between Africa and the West

Sadallah Boubaker-Khaled, professor of mathematics at École Normale Supérieure in Algiers, also welcomed the news, but added that it must be asked who would ultimately benefit the most from such achievers.

Mathematically talented students are often tempted to leave for developed countries. If their own continent cannot offer them similar opportunities, these talented African students might well emigrate to countries with more robust STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) ecosystems, Boubaker-Khaled said.

“This academic brain drain impacts the African continent’s development, as these individuals are crucial for driving technological advancement and economic growth,” he added.