Quantum Science and Technology Workshop Aims to Build Capacity in Africa

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In celebration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, UKZN’s proposed Centre for Quantum Computing and Technology (CQCtec), in collaboration with the South African Quantum Technology Initiative (SAQuTI), hosted the Quantum Science and Technology Across Africa Workshop.

The week-long engagement, which was part of UKZN’s broader commitment to position Africa at the forefront of the Second Quantum Revolution, brought together 50 delegates from across Africa and Germany.

Aimed at establishing an independent and dedicated research network for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Africa, the workshop formed part of a broader initiative to level the playing field in the emerging quantum economy and advance internationally competitive technological solutions through sustainable development on the African continent.

A highlight of the week was Seeing the Invisible with Quantum Ghosts, which is part of a series of monthly seminars where ‘science combines with jazz’ to explore scientific concepts and their societal impact.

A collaborative venture between CQCtec and UKZN’s Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, the series sparked interdisciplinary discussions exploring the synergies between science and the arts. Featured participants included inventor and School of Physics at the University of the Witwatersrand Professor Andrew Forbes, renowned storyteller, Dr Gcina Mhlophe, and Durban-based jazz pianist and composer, Zibusiso Makhathini. 

Forbes explained that quantum physics allows researchers to weave patterns into the very fabric of light, turning it into a powerful tool for carrying information. By packing millions of distinct patterns into just one square millimetre of light, each pattern can be treated like a unique letter in an alphabet - enabling the encoding of vast amounts of information directly into light itself.

Shifting focus to quantum imaging, Forbes contrasted it with conventional imaging, which relies on position-based correlations - collecting light pixel by pixel to build up an image. In contrast, ghost imaging takes advantage of the strange properties of quantum physics, particularly the correlation between entangled photons. Though it may seem random, these correlations can be used to form clear images.

Forbes described how ghost imaging works by sending a series of known light patterns towards an object and measuring the total amount of light that bounces back - not from each pixel, but as a whole. By summing up the results from many such patterns, it’s possible to mathematically reconstruct the image of the object.

This approach challenges the traditional limits of optical systems, stating that “if you change the theory of assumptions, you can change the outcome,” Forbes said. Rather than capturing light pixel by pixel, ghost imaging uses patterns of light and their correlations, allowing scientists to form images even when the detector never directly sees the object. In essence, the image is built from the sum of all these interactions, making it possible to ‘see’ in entirely new ways.

With quantum imaging having been around for over three decades, Forbes shared how SAQuTI aims to “translate science into real technology that can make a difference”.

He added, “Human capital development is our strength and training people is our future, enabling us to develop skills that are important for society. These skillsets and technology can allow us to do things such as land planes in foggy conditions, develop cameras that can identify harmful gases, detect if truck drivers are likely to fall asleep, and convict criminals by taking photographs in dark environments using photons at strange wavelengths.” 

Mhlophe performed the thrilling tale of Khethiwe, Queen of Mbira, a little girl whose magical talent of playing the thumb piano - a skill formerly only reserved for boys - was able to heal her ailing king.

Makhathini captivated the audience with powerful notes infused with electronic sounds that replicated the experience of ghost imaging.

In his vote of thanks, Professor Thomas Konrad from the School of Chemistry and Physics at UKZN said the seminar was part of a holistic experience that combines audio and visual senses. 

Konrad said: “You are here at a special place at a special time as we conduct a workshop that has brought together participants from all around the continent to form a network that engages in QST with the aim of everyone benefitting from this new technology, and the African continent being part of it and a major player.”

Words: Hlengiwe Khwela

Photograph: Andile Ndlovu