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Welcome to 2025! We are excited to welcome you to the first issue of 2025, our “Year of Optimisation”. We are on a mission to optimise our programming and processes to improve the quality and scale of support we are providing African women researchers from across the continent.
We have a lot of exciting activities planned for this year, including welcoming our 4th cohort of 40 Fellows (perhaps more than 40 given the number of very strong applications we've received) from across the continent. We eagerly anticipate meeting them in person this May!
With our alumni, the Connects Network, we look forward to not only advancing knowledge production but also building a vibrant community of practice among the Network. This community will play a crucial role in informing and influencing policy conversations across various fields.
This year, we are continuing to move beyond our comfort zone and lean into discomfort to ensure that we are responding to the needs of the women we serve, including building our own internal policy and advocacy capabilities.
We look forward to engaging with more and more of those in our broader network as we continue to grow and respond to the needs of the women we serve and the continent we love!
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Please continue to show your support by donating or contacting us if you are from a funding organisation or a potential partner institution inspired by our mission to see more African women researchers implement impactful local solutions to regional and global development problems.
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| Announcement of Dr. Fiona Moejes’ win and nomination |
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We are excited to share that our CEO, Dr. Fiona Moejes, has won and been nominated for two prestigious awards.
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| Prometheus X Award |
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Prometheus X has honoured Dr. Moejes with an award for her support of innovative work in AI and STEM through Mawazo. Upon receiving the award, Dr. Moejes shared the following: “I'm really excited about the Prometheus Award as it recognises the importance of the views, input, and lived experiences of African women in making STEM and AI more realistic for the real world - especially on our continent. In giving me this award, I represent African women conducting STEM/AI research across the continent (and the world). We are being recognised as a collective. African women have something to say and contribute to STEM/AI on a global stage. And we are actively helping to create relevant solutions!”
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| Forty Under 40 - Africa |
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She has also been nominated for the Forty Under 40 Africa. In gratitude, Dr. Moejes shared: “It is an honour to be recognised as a woman at the forefront of creating higher education pipelines that respond to the actual needs of Africa and Africans! This nomination opens up opportunities for the backflow of learnings and insights from the real world into academia and research institutions, strengthening them and making them more relevant for Africa's development. It is comforting to see more and more people are embracing the need for organisations like Mawazo to strengthen the knowledge ecosystem on the continent and are starting to see how that can impact the bigger picture.”
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At Mawazo, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Moejes for these accolades. We firmly believe that her leadership inspires early-career women especially those in research to break the glass ceiling as they work towards developing solutions for Africa’s developmental challenges.
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| Mawazo Fellowship Programme call for application update! |
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The Mawazo Institute launched its call for applications for the 2025/2026 Fellowship Programme from October 3rd to November 24th, 2024, including a two-week extension due to high demand. Applications were received from 26 African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Niger, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. This marks an increase of 10 new countries from the previous total of 16. Notably, North African researchers have made their debut in this cohort. The application review process is currently underway with both external reviewers (a massive THANK YOU to you all) and Mawazo staff, expected to conclude by mid-February 2025. The onboarding of the fourth cohort is scheduled for late May 2025. Stay tuned for more updates - we cannot wait to introduce these incredible women to you soon!
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| Mawazo Ideas Podcast Alert! |
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| Season 7 |
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At the end of 2024, we launched the seventh season of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast, releasing six episodes in November and December. The season’s theme was “Navigating the Future: The Next Generation of African Researchers.” In this newsletter edition, we highlight two exciting episodes that were released just before our December break. Tune in to hear insightful conversations with remarkable speakers who are transforming the research ecosystem, namely Professor Wandia Njoya, Associate Professor at Daystar University, and Dr. Moses Ngware from the African Population and Health Research Centre, APHRC.
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| Episode 4 |
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| Is the African Academy Broken? |
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In this episode, Prof. Wandia Njoya discusses building alternative systems that promote intellectual freedom and critical thinking and delved into the unique history of Kenya’s university system and broader challenges across Africa.
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| Episode 5 |
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| Research in the Age of Gen Z |
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In this episode, Dr. Moses Ngware emphasizes the importance of leveraging youth for informal knowledge generation. He argues for making research more accessible and less elitist to foster young talent development and many more.
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| Mawazo Ideas Digest Is Out! |
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If you missed the launch of our second edition of our revamped Mawazo Ideas Digest, we are excited to present this inspiring issue that explores the theme of leading with care and radical optimism. In our feature article from the Leadership Desk, we examine how empathy-driven leadership is essential for developing sustainable strategies and solutions for individuals and communities. We also include a policy brief by 2021 Policy Fellow Sahra Ahmed Koshin, which focuses on enhancing Somali women’s access to higher education. Our 2023 Mawazo Fellows also share their inspiring stories from the field, showcasing their experiences as African women scholars. We invite you to celebrate the voices and perspectives that drive change and promote understanding within our communities by reading this edition of the Mawazo Voices Digest and engage with the conservations therein.
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| Research Publication Update! |
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We are so excited that two of our Fellows have had their research published in reputable journals:
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2021 Mawazo Fellow Maysoon Osman from Sudan, has published a paper titled “Integrating Satellite remote sensing data and small-scale farmers’ perceptions to determine land use/land cover changes and their driving factors in Gedaref state, Sudan”. The study is part of Maysoon’s work at the University of Nairobi, with ICIPE, to better understand climate variability, land use, and land cover in semi-arid areas, with the aim to create predictive solutions for small scale farmers.
Read more here.
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2023 Mawazo Fellow Dorcus Ndunge Benard, from Kenya, has published a research paper titled “Modelling of Cowpea Response to Varying Irrigation and SAP Levels Under Greenhouse Conditions Using AquaCrop.” The study highlights the importance of irrigation water management in enhancing crop resilience against climate change. It explores the use of super absorbent polymer (SAP) technology to conserve irrigation water in arid and semi-arid lands.
Read more here.
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Mawazo Institute Communications Officer Naliaka Odera authored an article titled “Kenyan Research Needs More State Funding and Investment,” published in the Standard Media. The piece emphasizes the necessity for increased government funding in Kenyan research, as most financial support currently comes from international grants. This reliance on external funding leaves local researchers susceptible to subpar collaborations and creates a disconnect between policy and research. Read more about the article here.
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| The Evi4Dev Conference in partnership with AfiDep and AUDA-NEPAD |
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Save the Date: Evi4Dev Conference – Nairobi, May 2025
Theme: Optimising Data, Evidence, and Innovations for Wealth Creation and Inclusive Governance in Africa
Join us at the Evi4Dev Conference, where government officials, researchers, civil society members, private sector representatives, and media will discuss the role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in evidence-informed policymaking (EIP) across Africa. This conference aims to support the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Mawazo is proud to partner in this initiative and looks forward to impactful discussions that promote socio-economic transformation in Africa.
Learn more: www.evi4devconference.org
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Call for Abstracts
The Evi4Dev Conference invites submissions for abstracts for oral and poster sessions, as well as side sessions organised by stakeholders. The conference seeks diverse perspectives on leveraging data, evidence, and innovations to advance the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Deadline: February 21, 2025
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| The Evi4Dev Conference in partnership with AfiDep and AUDA-NEPAD |
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We are super excited to celebrate our Software Engineer Lead Ray and their incredible journey with Mawazo over the past three years! Their dedication, innovation, and hard work have significantly contributed to our team’s success. Here’s to many more years of achievements together!
It's been 3 years since I joined Mawazo full-time and my, has it been a ride. I am always up for a good challenge as I thrive in learning new things, finding creative and efficient ways to solve problems and as a multi-faceted person, I love to see what can come from integrating all my skills and pouring them into each other; a space I believe Mawazo has provided for me.
Has it been all roses? NO! And that for me is a great thing. I have seen the organisation grow and witnessed its evolution. I have made really good friends within the organisation from whom I learn beyond just the scope of the work we do.
I have come to appreciate the work-life balance a 4-day work week offers as my mental and physical health have benefited from the support of the organisation. I am constantly learning, growing and I get to mentor others and watch them grow their own wings and soar in the most amazing ways. All things considered, it has been an amazing space to explore my abilities, contribute my skills, learn in not just work-terms but also in spaces that pique my other interests in life.
Cheers to 3 years and may the future winds favour our sail! I look forward to witnessing the ways in which Mawazo continues to grow as time goes by, and that we hopefully grow in ways that continuously challenge us and keep our dreams aligned!
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“This picture was taken during the graduation ceremony of the 2021 cohort. It marked our first in-person meeting, and the experience was surreal, highlighting the significant impact that the MLEx platform had made. This project was extensive and completed in a remarkably short timeframe. Additionally, it was my first opportunity to develop a comprehensive course tailored for a non-technical audience.” Ray Wanjiru, Mawazo Software Engineering and Technology Lead.
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| Support Africa's Next Generation of Change-makers |
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You can help us shape the future of women researchers on the continent by making a donation. No amount is too small – or too big. Make a donation today via debit/credit card, Paypal, or MPESA.
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| Spread the word |
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Share this Newsletter with someone in your network. Whether it’s a colleague, friend, family member, or someone else, invite them to stay engaged with our work by signing up for the quarterly Mawazo newsletter below.
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