Posts by Davis Weddi

For the first time in the Global Research Council’s history, a dedicated space was carved out for the Global South, and the conversation it produced is already shaping what comes next. The inaugural GRC South Day, held on the sidelines of the GRC Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, from 18 to 22 May, brought together…

For generations, communities around Malawi’s lakes have depended on wild fish catches for both food and income. But shrinking fish stocks, rising demand, and population growth are putting increasing pressure on capture fisheries, threatening a vital source of nutrition for many households. Now, a project supported by the National Commission for Science and Technology, Malawi,…

Field trials testing a locally developed organo-mineral fertiliser are showing early promise in Malawi, with the country’s science funding body taking a hands-on approach to tracking progress. Members of the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) board of commissioners recently visited two of the five active trial sites at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture…

The Fund for Science, Technology, and Innovation (FONSTI) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting applied research and regional scientific collaboration by launching a new climate-smart rice farming project to strengthen food security in West Africa. FONSTI joined researchers, university leaders, and agricultural stakeholders on 23 April at Nangui Abrogoua University (UNA) in Abidjan for the…

When 15 research projects ended in Ouagadougou last October, they marked a turning point in how Burkina Faso structures, finances, and applies scientific research and a demonstration of what happens when African-led funding mechanisms are given the resources to work. The closing workshop, was held at the Institute of Social Sciences, was organised by the…

In Namibia, a mechanical engineer is using artificial intelligence to help clinicians detect breast cancer faster and more accurately in a country where radiologists are scarce, and diagnoses often come too late. Ester Angula is a senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. She built her career around thermo-fluids,…

Rose Omari was one of two girls in a class of forty. Decades later, the imbalance remains When she first chose to study science, she did not yet have the language for gender disparity, but she could see it clearly. In a secondary school classroom of about forty students, only two were girls. She was…

Côte d’Ivoire has taken a significant step towards strengthening its scientific ecosystem, following a three-day capacity-building programme aimed at elevating research standards to the global stage. Held from March 23–25 in San Pedro, the training, led by the Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation (FONSTI) in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of San Pedro, brought…

Decisions about what gets funded, who receives grants, and which questions are considered worth asking shape the very nature of knowledge. And for too long, those decisions have reflected and reinforced deep inequalities, particularly for women, who make up only 30 per cent of researchers across Africa and remain underrepresented in leadership roles. But a…