By Lahcen El Youssfi
Meknes - The Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP) aims to grow excellent mid-career African academics in the areas of collective leadership, team and research development and science-society engagement, with the intention of enabling them to solve the complex issues facing both Africa and the global community.
The program creates a lasting network of science leaders on the continent, spanning not only across countries, but also across disciplinary boundaries. It develops an awareness and curriculum for leadership development in academia that can be applied in other institutions in Africa and beyond and will create a focal point for connection with science leadership training programs in other parts of the world.
The ASLP was launched in 2015 in collaboration with the Global Young Academy and various African Young Academies and with funding from the Bosch Foundation including with the Leopold Leadership Program at Stanford University and the specialist facilitation company Know Innovation.
This year, Twenty-two outstanding scientists from all major regions within Africa are participating in the second round of the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP). The scientists represent basic and applied sciences, and span a wide variety of disciplines including the social sciences and humanities. The program started on April 11, with a week-long workshop on ‘Leading a new paradigm for African Science’.
The fellows will dive deeply into topics such as collective leadership and science communication. Leaders in academia and research, science communication, and leadership theory and practice will join the fellows for interactive sessions.
The workshop will be followed by a year of application and mentorship, with a follow-up workshop planned for April 2017. The 2016 ASLP fellows will meet with the inaugural cohort of fellows on 16 April, when the 2015 fellows start their second workshop.
“The ASLP has gained prominence regionally and even globally since it was launched in 2015. It provides in a key need for young scientists in Africa, and serves as an example for other regions in the world,” said Eva Alisic, co-chair of the Global Young Academy.
There is such a big need to develop the skills of a next generation of scientists to lead more interdisciplinary and globally connected teams to resolve the complex challenges the world faces. ASLP is fast becoming an example of the type of program through which this development can be fast tracked,” added Professor Bernard Slippers, project leader from the University of Pretoria and past co-chair of the Global Young Academy.
According to prof. Hasna Chennaoui from Hassan II University in Casablanca, participating in this program is a unique opportunity to boost the African Leadership and Excellency in Science. It allows the follows to discover talented scientist from different disciplines and different countries and open the door for future collaborations. The ingenious ideas coming out from this program will be materialized into actions.
The following fellows have been selected into the second round of the program:
Dr Adewale Adewuyi Redeemers University, Nigeria
Dr Aliza le Roux University of the Free State, South Africa Assoc
Prof Andre Ganswindt University of Pretoria, South Africa
Dr Anna Coussen University of Cape Town, South Africa
Dr Chioma Onyige University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Dr Daniel Orwenjo The Technical University of Kenya, Kenya
Dr Deusdedith Ishengoma Tanga Research Center, Tanzania
Dr Eleanor Ochodo Stellenbosch University, Kenya
Dr Fawzi Mahomoodally University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Dr Ghada Bassioni Ain Shams University, Egypt
Dr Gilbert Abiiro University for Development Studies, Ghana
Prof Hassna Chennaoui Hassan II University, Morocco
Dr Ikwoluwapo Ajayi University College Hospital, Nigeria
Dr Joana Afonso University Agostinho Neto, Angola
Prof Lahcen El Youssfi, EST Khénifra Moulay Ismail University, Morocco
Dr Maha Aly Ain Shams University, Egypt
Dr Makondelele Makatu University of Venda, South Africa
Dr Mohamed Elzayat Cairo University, Egypt
Dr Nosiphiwe Ngqwala Rhodes University, South Africa
Assoc Prof Sameh Soror Ain Helwan, Egypt
Prof Sunday Atawodi Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
Dr Yonas Shikur Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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