The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), receives grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to support the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) – the premier African-owned and managed pan-African science fund

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), will strengthen doctoral training and postdoctoral research in applied science, engineering and technology in Africa (DOCTAS), through the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) programme, with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY).

Launched in 2015, Rsif is the flagship programme of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), an initiative established in 2013 by African governments and partners. Rsif provides doctoral scholarships and competitive grants for research and innovation. At least 40 percent of the scholarships and grants have been awarded to women. In 2018, icipe was competitively selected and appointed as the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) of Rsif.

Through DOCTAS, CCNY will provide a total of USD 950,000 to Rsif over the next two years. Part of the support will be chanelled through the Rsif Junior Investigator Research Award. It will enable up to five Rsif PhD graduates who hold positions in institutions in Africa to establish research, managerial and other complementary skills, as well as regional and international networks that will allow them to become independent researchers. An additional 20 grants will be given to ongoing Rsif PhD scholars, thus boosting resources for research and outcomes. The DOCTAS initiative will also strengthen the ability of researchers to engage with policymakers, to link research to policy and practice.

“The Corporation’s Higher Education and Research in Africa program is  pleased to support icipe and Rsif to implement the DOCTAS initiative, which will further our long-term commitment to collaborate with, and support  universities and research organisations in Africa.” – Claudia Frittelli, Program Director, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

“We welcome the support from CCNY, which will be anchored in Rsif’s pan-African vision for scientific research and innovation capacity building. In just five years, Rsif has become one of the largest academic and research networks for nurturing the continent’s talent and leadership in applied sciences, engineering and technology.” – Dr Segenet Kelemu, Director General & CEO of icipe.

Rsif directly contributes to national developmental agendas; the African Union (AU) Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy (STISA) 2024; the Continental Strategy for Education in Africa (CESA); and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. The importance of Rsif is signified by rising investments in the Programme by African governments including: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. Further contributions have been provided by the World Bank, the Government of South Korea, and the ACP Innovation Fund of the European Union, through the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).

Rsif has a unique approach that combines intra-Africa doctoral exchange and international training. This is achieved through a network of African Host Universities (AHUs) – competitively and rigorously selected universities; and international partner institutions (IPIs) – globally recognised universities, research institutes, public and private companies. This hybrid model ensures that the Rsif Phd scholars are initiated into research on challenges facing the continent, and that they also advance their scientific skills, broaden international networks, and strengthen industry linkages, among other outcomes.

Having started off with 15 PhD scholarships in 2018, by 2023 about 300 young African scholars (about 37 percent of them being women), from 24 African countries had been awarded Rsif PhD scholarships. The Rsif scholars have published a total of 142 peer-reviewed journal articles. Ten of the 15 cohort 1 scholars have completed their studies and they now hold various positions in universities in Africa, and eight of them have been awarded junior investigator research grants by Rsif.

Rsif also promotes research excellence, capacity for innovation, as well as enabling environments for entrepreneurship and research commercialisation in Africa. The Programme  provides grants and support to faculty in AHUs to implement projects that are aligned to national and regional development priorities. A total of 32 research and innovation grants have been awarded; and through a special agreement, 12 research and innovation grants have been provided to faculty and researchers in Mozambique.

Notes for Editors

The PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) is the flagship programme of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), an initiative by African governments to address systemic gaps in skills and knowledge necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). PASET was launched in 2013 by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Since then, the governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Rwanda, have invested in PASET. Other key partners and contributors are the World Bank and the Government of South Korea. In 2018, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), was competitively selected as the Rsif Regional Coordination Unit (RCU).

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (www.icipe.org), headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is the only research institution in Africa working primarily on insects and other arthropods. icipe’s mission is to ensure better food security, health and livelihoods in Africa, by producing world-class knowledge and then developing solutions that are environmentally friendly, accessible, affordable and easy-to-use by communities. These objectives are delivered through four thematic areas – human health, animal health, plant health and environmental health, resulting in a unique framework to tackle the interlinked problems of poverty, poor health, low agricultural productivity, and environmental degradation in a comprehensive manner.

The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund’s call for applications for Cohort 5 will be open until May 26, 2023. The program will run for 3-4 years, including 6-12 months in a ‘sandwich’ training at an international partner university, research institute or private company.

Eligible candidates should be citizens of Rwanda or Nigeria; hold a relevant Master’s degree; meet the admission requirements of the Rsif African host university they are applying to; their research goals aligned with Rsif priority thematic areas and contributing to Africa’s development.

Rsif is the first Pan-African science fund that provides doctoral scholarships for African scientists in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology. Rsif aims to train quality PhD students and post-doctoral researchers at selected African universities (African Host Universities) to address the human resource gap of highly qualified specialists in the fields of applied sciences, engineering, and technology and to contribute to improving research and innovation capacities in those fields in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rsif focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society.

The doctoral scholarships are funded by African Governments and key partners (World Bank, Government of Korea) through the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET). More investors are encouraged to join. Rsif is implemented by icipe as the Rsif Regional Coordination Unit.

Visit: https://apply.rsif-paset.org/for more information.

For additional information on Rsif and PASET, please visit www.rsif-paset.org| Kindly sign up for our newsletter for Rsif news.

Contact: Rsif Regional Coordination Unit Email: rsif@icipe.org Phone: 254 (20) 8632000

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET) has announced that the World Bank and its partners will conduct an Implementation Support Mission (ISM) from 28^th – 31^st  March 2023, to evaluate the progress of the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) implementation.

The Rsif program, which is the flagship initiative of PASET, supports PhD and post-doctoral training, research and innovation at selected universities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to enhance the institutional capacity for quality research and innovation for economic growth and the eradication of poverty. The program focuses on five Priority Thematic Areas, that is, ICT (including artificial intelligence, robotics, bid data.), food security and agribusiness, minerals, mining and materials engineering, energy (including renewables), and climate change.

With the help of African governments, the World Bank, and the Government of Korea, Rsif has supported over 291 PhD students, of which over 37% (104) are women. It has also provided 44 research and innovation grants through 15 African ‘Host’ Universities (AHUs). Rsif’s accomplishments underscore its commitment to bridging the science, engineering and technology gap in the African continent.

The Regional Coordination Unit of Rsif is managed by the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, icipe, which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. PASET’s Rsif program benefits from icipe’s over 50 years experiences in research, innovation and capacity building in the agricultural sciences.

The World Bank, icipe and its partners will meet face to face at icipe’s Duduville campus and virtually from 29-31 March to discuss implementation progress of the initiative. They will also visit the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University during the Implementation Support Mission to meet with students, staff and the private sector to review research and innovation grant projects financed through Rsif and pay courtesy calls to the Vice-Chancellors of both universities.

“The visit by the World Bank and its partners presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to interact with one another and discuss the progress and challenges of implementing the Rsif program,” said Dr. Moses Osiru, the Rsif’s Regional Coordination Unit Manager at icipe. “We invite the media to attend this event and engage with the stakeholders on the progress of the Rsif program.”

The visit is a significant step towards achieving PASET’s goal of promoting socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa through the strengthening of applied sciences, engineering, and technology.

For additional information on Rsif and PASET, please visit www.rsif-paset.org|Kindly sign up for our newsletter for Rsif news.

Contact: Rsif Regional Coordination Unit Email: rsif@icipe.org Phone: 254 (20) 8632000

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) based in Nairobi, Kenya; Agropolis fondation (AF) based in Montpellier, France; Gearbox Pan African Network (GB), based in Nairobi, Kenya and Université d’Abomey-Calavi (UAC) based in Cotonou, Benin have formed a consortium to implement a project called Accelerating Inclusive Green Growth through Agri-based Digital Innovation in West Africa (AGriDI). The AGriDI project is sponsored by the 11^th European Development Fund (EDF) of the European Union through the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) under the ACP Innovation Fund, a component of the OACPS Research and Innovation Programme.

The AGriDI project aims at strengthening innovation systems and fostering adoption of Agri-based digital technologies in West Africa (ECOWAS countries). Digital technologies offer potential to make it easier and more efficient for farmers and small business owners, especially women and youth, to produce and market their goods and services, leading to greater profits. AGriDI will increase identification, adaptation, and use of Agri-based digital technologies by farmers and SMEs (especially women and youth). This will in turn enhance agricultural production and marketing through strengthened linkages between research communities, industry, policy actors, and improved policy environment.

The consortium is pleased to announce that nine third-party proposals (see below list) have so far been selected for funding after a thorough technical review and a due diligence check. The third-party projects will start from March 1, 2022, for a duration of two years.

icipe, AF, GB and UAC congratulate and wish the consortia responsible for implementing the selected projects success in delivering the expected outcomes and impact of the AGriDI project and look forward to working with them towards this goal. We also register our strong appreciation to the 122 applicants who responded to the AGriDI project call with proposals. See list of nine projects selected for funding by AGriDI

Download press release in English
For media and interview inquiries contact: E-mail: agridigrants@icipe.org
For more information: visit www.rsif-paset.org | Kindly sign up to our newsletter for RSIF news.

Notes for Editors

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (www.icipe.org), headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is the only research institution in Africa working primarily on insects and other arthropods. icipe’s mission is to ensure better food security, health and livelihoods in Africa, by producing world-class knowledge and then developing solutions that are environmentally friendly, accessible, affordable and easy-to-use by communities. These objectives are delivered through four thematic areas – human health, animal health, plant health and environmental health, resulting in a unique framework to tackle the interlinked problems of poverty, poor health, low agricultural productivity and environmental degradation in a comprehensive manner.

In July 2018, icipe was competitively selected and appointed by the World Bank and PASET as the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) of RSIF. Its mandate includes overall coordination, planning, management and monitoring and evaluation of RSIF activities. Specifically, icipe is coordinating capacity strengthening of selected African universities and partnering institutions in PhD training, research, and innovation in PASET priority sectors. In addition, icipe facilitates the creation of partnerships with governments, universities, and national and international research organizations, for example, through sandwich training and collaboration with centres of research excellence. Furthermore, icipe introduces African governments and other potential strategic partners to PASET, with the aim of growing RSIF and ensuring continued continent-wide reach and support.

The Partnership for skills in Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (PASET) was launched in 2013 by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda with facilitation by the World Bank. It aims to address systemic gaps in skills and knowledge in sub-Saharan Africa’s priority ASET fields, and to build the capacity of African education and training institutions to train high-quality technicians, engineers and scientists to meet the demands of the economy. Since 2013, more than 20 African countries, as well as representatives of Brazil, China, India, Singapore and Korea have participated in PASET’s various activities. PASET is currently led by the education and higher education ministries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania, along with Korea and the World Bank. The PASET governance bodies, comprising the PASET Governing Council (GC) and the PASET Executive Board (EB) provide strategic direction for implementation of the RSIF project by the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU). The GC is responsible for the overall strategic direction and vision of the RSIF, while the EB interacts with the RCU more regularly, monitoring the regular progress of activities and providing overall guidance. The PASET Consultative Advisory Group provides guidance to the GC and EB on regional priorities, goals and technical aspects of the RSIF.

The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) is the flagship program of PASET, an initiative by African governments to address systemic gaps in skills and knowledge necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  RSIF aims to support PhD training, research and innovation in African universities that are selected as centres of excellence in fields identified by PASET as priority economic sectors for growth and development: ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agribusiness; minerals, mining and materials engineering; energy including renewables; and climate change.  A competitive grants scheme, RSIF has two components: (i) the general fund, which supports PhD training, research and innovation projects annually and (ii) the permanent fund, with proceeds going to the general fund. Students from SSA countries, primarily faculty of SSA universities lacking PhD degrees, are eligible for RSIF scholarships.  RSIF builds capacity in the region to sustainably support those PhD scientists beyond their training as they go into academia, industry, or become entrepreneurs. The RSIF operates through three windows: Window 1 offers scholarships for PhD students and capacity building for RSIF African Host universities; Window 2 offers research grants and Window 3 offers innovation grants. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society.

(Featured photo from GAEU Consulting)

The entire higher education, science and technology community has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. The RSIF Regional Coordination Unit’s response has been enabled by a closer engagement with students and the faculty members and informed by a mix of surveys, consultations, and adoption of best practices to support clients during the COVID-19 period. The response has been across our  operational areas, including PhD student support, research and innovation projects; and university capacity building.

A. Student Support

When COVID-19 was declared an international pandemic in March 2020, 12 of 15 RSIF Cohort I scholars were doing their international sandwich programme in Korea and USA, while 67 RSIF cohort II scholars had just accepted their scholarships and were due to travel to the 11 RSIF African Host Universities to start their doctoral studies. All 11 AHUs were subsequently closed, and students were forced to engage from distance. Like other actors in the higher education sector, RSIF has had to respond to the rapidly evolving context of university closures, travel restrictions and lockdowns. Fortunately, university staff were able to continue to engage with PhD students and they have focused the time to work with supervisors and other staff on theory, literature and writing. Cohort 2 students have taken advantage of this time to work with supervisors to register and develop their research proposals. For cohort two students, students have struggled with access to laboratories and equipment for which access has been limited.

icipe, RSIF’s RCU has provided the following support to RSIF Students:

1. Support for registration: all 67 students were supported to register from distance by working with AHU contact persons, faculty and administrators.
2. On-line orientation and support: The student orientation training for the 67 RSIF Cohort II students were successfully implemented online with all students attending. The other trainings for students were all reviewed and revised for online delivery.
3. Continuous online learning support: The scholars were provided with online training and coaching for their academic writing, empowering them to continue writing their proposals while they waited to travel to their AHUs. Students worked towards identifying research topics, supervisors, and developing research proposals from distance with online support. icipe remained open during the pandemic to ensure continuous support to students and other programs. An online briefing session was held with all scholars and information shared about the COVID-19 situation to confirm that their scholarships would continue.
4. Training on use of e-resources: All students from cohort 1 and Cohort 2 were trained on access to e-resources and how to access and evaluate scholarly information resources; information resource search strategies; available open access resources including research4life; innovative solutions used in scholarly research writing; and to gain practical skills on Mendeley as a reference management and citation tool.
5. Psycho-social support and self-study from home: Recognising the challenges posed by the Pandemic to students and their families, a series of webinars were organised with some focusing on how to deal with mental health for academics and sharing coping strategies.
6. Evaluation of student needs: To support the planning and design of online support to students, a number of surveys were undertaken to guide implementation. These were used to prepare online support and training workshops.

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, it has become far more challenging to balance academics with being a full-time mother. Finding the time and space to read, think deeply, and write is difficult, to say the least. Recently, I had to give an online presentation of my research and found it very hard to concentrate and do well with my daughter demanding my full attention in the background… I change hats between mom and researcher throughout the day, giving her my full attention during playtime, and taking advantage of her nap time and early bedtime for four hours of uninterrupted research time.” (RSIF Cohort I scholar)

Other relevant publications:
– Studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Experiences of Three African Women PhD Students.
– A year of great promise, anxiety, lost opportunities, University World News

B. RSIF Research and Innovation Grants

The PASET EB approved the award of 14 Research and Innovations Grant projects in May 29,2020 in the midst of the global pandemic and increasing measures by governments to contain the spread of the virus. Despite the temporary closure of the 11 AHUs, the RCU was able to engage team members of the successful projects to provide online support to facilitate the grant award process. Virtual workshops were held in June 29 and 30, 2020 to provide project teams with support to revise their project documents to meet the requirements of RSIF and the overall objectives of the grants. The workshops were each attended by over 20 university staff including officers from technology transfer officers for the participating universities. Further, the RCU provided teams with one-on -one technical support virtually to help them complete their grant project documents i.e (proposals, budgets, workplans and result matrices) and coordinated the signing of Project Grant Agreements to finalize the formal contracting process.

The RCU has designed a technical assistance plan to provide support virtually to project teams to ensure regular engagement with project teams. The RCU will also continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on implementation of their activities.

C. University Capacity Building

Capacity building activities are aimed at preparing PhD scholars to undertake quality PhD research for successful completion of the doctoral program, and to enhance post-PhD employability and a successful future career in academia, research, and innovation. The activities also support faculty to enhance their training delivery. To help universities respond to COVID-19 icipe has provided:

1. Linked all 11 AHUs to two training workshop on ‘The use of Online Educational Resources in Higher Education’ and on ‘Online Educational Resources as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis’ co-organized by EPFL (Switzerland) and UM6P (Morocco): In partnership with the University Mohammed VI (UM6P), RSIF AHUs have received training on the two topics above and accessed numerous resources and training courses in the form of line materials. Two webinars were organized focused on higher education and COVID and on the use of online resources including explaining processes to train/support professors interested in integrating MOOCs or OER into their existing courses and to train on key concepts linked to integrating OER, including pedagogical ‘grain’ (block), pedagogical scenario (lesson plan) and learning objectives.
2. Training on ‘Helping Faculty Deliver their Courses Online during the COVID-19 Crisis’: An online teaching webinar organized by RSIF on 17th June: “An RSIF Solution Session: Continue Teaching Your Course Online during the Covid-19 Crisis” with Dale Johnson, Director of Digital Innovation at Arizona State University . The objective of the webinar was to provide African University faculty and lecturers with some basic knowledge to make the rapid change from classroom to online teaching during the time of Covid-19 to ensure the continuation of learning. Approximately 80 university faculty from East, West and Southern Africa attended, including participants from nine AHUs.
3. Access to online resources and publications: RSIF is providing access to 15,000 online resources including linking to new resources that have become freely available during the time of COVID-19. A training was organized for staff and scholars on how to use e-resources.
4. Videoconferencing facilities for AHUs: RSIF is in the process of purchasing a set of video conferencing facilities for each of the 11 African Host Universities.
5. Strengthening university innovation and delivery: RSIF identified staff of the 11 AHUs to participate in a training with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on COVID-19 and 3D printer assembly as well as printing of face masks, face shields and respirator parts in April 2020. The training involved a total of eight sessions and was attended by staff of all the eleven universities. Universities were able to learn practically how to print various PPEs and supplied these to hospitals and to the public.

D. Next steps and way forward

As we look ahead, we continue to work with students and supervisors to develop timetables that mitigate delays in research and graduation timeframes, optimizing online interaction and work. While there are some positive consequences in terms of quick adoption of online tools during the pandemic, RSIF recognizes the challenges its scholars face during the COVID-19 pandemic. The RCU is providing extra support (e.g., close communication, a mental health webinar) to help them complete their outstanding research and data analysis and return home.  The 82 RSIF scholars are being trained to be part of the rising tide of African science. With their innate talent and innovativeness and the knowledge, skills, and networks gained during their doctoral studies, they will contribute to advancing science, reducing gender gaps in STEM research, and, ultimately, socio-economic transformation in Africa.

Opening date: 25^th September 2020
Closing date for applications: 23^rd November 2020

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) – Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) requests applications from Universities & Africa Centers of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa to join the program as RSIF African Host Universities.

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), is an initiative by African governments to address fundamental gaps in skills and knowledge necessary for long-term, sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). PASET was launched in 2013 by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda, while the governments of Kenya and Ivory Coast have since joined the partnership. PASET established a Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) to contribute towards the training of a critical mass of PhD and post-doctoral candidates, and support research and innovation in the following priority thematic areas: ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agribusiness; minerals, mining and materials engineering; energy including renewables; and climate change. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society. It is currently funded by contributions from African governments, the World Bank and the Government of Korea; and implemented by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya, as the RSIF Regional Coordination Unit (RCU-icipe).

The RSIF is implemented through competitively-selected universities in SSA (‘RSIF African Host Universities’) that offer a PhD program in one of the priority thematic areas. Currently, there are 11 African Host Universities in the RSIF program.

African Host Universities train PhD students on full RSIF Scholarships and can apply for RSIF Research and Innovation Grants. African Host Universities also gain access to RSIF capacity building opportunities including student and faculty training, graduate program management, research management, ICT, and innovation hub development, and library strengthening. African Host Universities can also benefit from international collaboration with world-class institutions and universities outside the region to improve curricula, teaching and research methods, develop joint R&D and innovation projects, and arrange exchange visits. Through the RSIF, African Host Universities gain world-wide recognition as premier institutions for PhD programs in an ASET priority thematic area.

• The RSIF Regional Coordination Unit is seeking a further 4 Universities/PhD programs to join the RSIF program.
• Applications are welcome from existing RSIF African Host Universities and invited World Bank-funded Africa Centers of Excellence.
• Applications must focus on a PhD program at the university/center in one of the following eligible thematic areas: (1) ICTs including big data and artificial intelligence, (2) Food Security and agribusiness, (3) Energy including renewables, and (4) Climate change.
• Invited Africa Centers of Excellence are eligible to make one application in their relevant area.
• Existing African Host Universities are eligible to make one application in each of the eligible thematic areas except the area for which they were previously selected.
• Announcement of final selection: February-March 2021

Further information and how to apply:
Information for Applicants (English)
Information for Applicants (French) [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Women’s participation in research remains low in Africa, with women making up only 30% of the science community. This is similar within the tertiary education sector in many countries. Some subjects, such as engineering and physics, have exceptionally low women’s representation. This is not only a problem in Africa: for instance, women account for about 20% of earned doctorates in these fields in the United States.

On June 12, icipe, The Regional Coordination Unit for the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund  (RSIF) convened an online Seminar with three major objectives to: (1) share results of the recently concluded RSIF gender study, (2) present initial recommendations for enhancing the participation of women in RSIF PhD programs and research for enabling RSIF to achieve its gender target of 50% women’s representation across its programs, and (3) obtain valuable feedback and buy-in from participants. The workshop participants were icipe management, lead contact persons from the RSIF African Host Universities (AHUs), gender experts, representatives of organizations working to advance women in science in sub-Saharan Africa, and African women scientists in our networks.

RSIF is the flagship programme of the African Government-led Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology which aims to (1) Create a stock of highly skilled scientists, professionals and innovators in applied sciences, engineering and technology (ASET) areas; (2) Identify and nurture young talented Africans to further their studies in ASET fields where expertise is needed most; (3) Address imbalances in the number of women and disadvantaged groups in ASET fields in Africa; and (4) Build African university capacity to provide relevant ASET training and to ensure continued investment in scaling up ASET education and workforce.
Just over 20% of the 1751 applicants for RSIF PhD scholarship Cohort 2 in 2019 were women. The RSIF program sets ambitious targets for women’s representation among its PhD scholars (50%) based on a commitment to gender equality and excellence in ASET fields to support Africa’s socio-economic transformation. Achievement of the RSIF gender target requires a carefully crafted and implementable gender strategy, along with deliberate and continuous engagement on the part of the RSIF team, RSIF AHUs, and partner institutions. The goal of the gender strategy is not to advantage women relative to men, but rather to level the playing field and ensure equal opportunity for women and men.

To inform the RSIF Gender Strategy, the RSIF gender study involved both qualitative and quantitative elements, including focus groups and in-depth interviews at the AHUs, and data from an online survey of 262 PhD alumni of 40 African universities. Results of data analyses, along with extensive literature review, provided an evidence base to inform development of the gender strategy to enhance women’s participation in PhD Programs and Research in ASET fields in African universities.

The Seminar discussed with participants 11 interventions to enhance RSIF women doctoral scholars’ enrollment, experience, performance, and completion. Priority interventions are those related to infusing family-friendly aspects into the program, providing women with mentoring and supervisory support that is tailored to their specific needs and circumstances, and ensuring women scholars have awareness of gender-related policies and practices at their institutions.

Enhancing gender inclusiveness in the sciences will require significant investment and deliberate efforts at various levels by various actors, including by universities, governments, and other institutions. However, the important payoffs from this investment justify the costs: removing existing barriers to women’s entry and advancement in ASET fields will increase substantially the number of intelligent, talented people making important scientific contributions towards solving Africa’s complex development problems. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has made increasingly evident the enormous importance of science and the need to harness Africa’s existing potential for innovative home-grown solutions in addressing the pandemic. When a greater diversity of perspectives is engaged in scientific and technical endeavors, conventional assumptions are challenged, scientific findings are more complete and robust, and ASET innovations address the demands and circumstances of a diversity of stakeholders, including men and women. The draft RSIF Gender Strategy will be shared with key stakeholders for input before its finalisation later this year.

The Regional Scholarship and Innovation fund (RSIF) is organizing a six-day orientation and training workshop between 2-9 June 2020 for the recently selected 69 second cohort RSIF doctoral scholars. The 69 students join the 15 PhD scholars selected in 2018 who are now undertaking sandwich training in Korea, United States and Africa.
The orientation workshop aims to prepare new RSIF scholarship holders as they begin their PhD on key aspects of the RSIF program, including expectations for their research and as academics. The training will provide students with an introduction to key core skills useful to the new doctoral student, including science communication and PhD proposal writing, information literacy, research methods and data analysis. The training will be delivered virtually by the RSIF Regional Coordination Unit (RCU), International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya.

During the opening session on 2 June, the orientation training was opened by Prof. Aminata Sall Diallo, Executive Director of the PASET Executive Board. Welcome remarks were provided by Dr Moses Osiru, RSIF Manager, RSIF Regional Coordination Unit (RSIF-RCU), icipe, on behalf of Dr. Segenet Kelemu, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of icipe. Other remarks were delivered by Mr Sodedji Frejus Ariel Kpedetin, RSIF PhD Scholar (Cohort 1) at the University Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire and currently undertaking internships at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST); Ms Ruth Charo, Senior Education Specialist and RSIF Task Team Leader, World Bank; Prof. Goolam Mohamedbhai GOSK, Chair – PASET Consultative Advisory Group; Former Secretary-General, Association of African Universities and Mr. Mike Hughes, Member of the PASET Executive Board, Advisor to the Minister of Education, Government of Rwanda.

In her opening remarks, Prof Diallo noted that “the five PASET priority areas of food security and agribusiness, climate change, mines, minerals and materials science, energy and ICT were carefully selected to contribute to the development agenda of sub-Saharan Africa countries. RSIF scholars will also support national governments to respond to challenges such as COVID-19”. She also thanked icipe for the leadership role they are playing to implementing the RSIF initiative on behalf of Africa.

Over the 7 days of the training, the scholars will benefit from specific trainings delivered by experts from icipe, the World Bank and the coordinators at the RSIF African host universities. Dr. Sajitha Bashir (Adviser for Science, Technology and Innovation, Office of Senior Director for Education Global Practice, World Bank) and Ms. Safaa El Tayeb El-Kogali (the Education Global Practice Manager for East and Southern Africa at the World Bank) based in Washington, DC will be among the speakers.

Topics that will be covered during the orientation training include how scholars can redress grievances; Sexual Harassment; Strategies for a successful PhD, including research planning and working with supervisors; PhD proposal writing; responsible conduct of research, including research ethics;  information literacy; research methods and statistics, data analysis and management; research communication and social media and the role of social media in higher education.

The 69 students in RSIF Cohort II will study at RSIF African host universities across the continent including Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania; University of Ghana; University of Nairobi, Kenya ; Université Gaston Berger, Senegal;  Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania; University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire; University of Rwanda; Bayero University, Nigeria and Kenyatta University, Kenya.

The Second Cohort students all initiated their studies between March 2020 – April 2020, and were slightly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Icipe has taken steps, in partnership with the universities to ensure the PhD studies continue. For more information on PASET, please visit www.rsif-paset.org