Mentorship key to building Africa’s research capacity

This article was supported by the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative.

[NAIROBI] Mentoring the next generation of scientists helps improve the depth of knowledge, but is difficult and requires patience, says Stephen Syampungani, a chair of an African research initiative dedicated to anti-apartheid icon Oliver Tambo.

The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) works to support research for socio-economic development across the continent,

It aims to revolutionize education, promote science, and bolster knowledge. The initiative, implemented by South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), pays homage to Oliver Tambo’s legacy and his belief in the transformative power of education and research for Africa’s development.

There are ten chairs who lead multidisciplinary research teams, contribute to knowledge production aligned with Africa’s development goals and train the next generation of researchers.

“Mentoring young researchers calls for a lot of patience for several reasons. For instance, differences in expectations among the young mind… make it difficult for them to appreciate the mentorship program.”

Stephen Syampungani, ORTARCHI chair and environment and development researcher from Zambia

Syampungani, an environment and development researcher from Zambia, underscored the difficulties in mentoring young researchers, emphasizing differences in expectations and capacity variations among mentees.

He said balancing project performance indicators with the aspirations of young minds adds an additional layer of complexity for mentors.

“Mentoring young researchers calls for a lot of patience for several reasons. For instance, differences in expectations among the young mind … make it difficult for them to appreciate the mentorship program,” Syampungani tells SciDev.Net, offering a glimpse into the complexities of the mentoring dynamic.

Syampungani tells SciDev.Net that mentorship, through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers’ work, helps improve the depth of knowledge and quality of life of the next generation of highly skilled people.

He also encouraged aspiring researchers to be patient, emphasizing that research requires a willingness to learn and perseverance.

He adds that the ORTARChI initiative is strategic and has enhanced research collaborations and innovation capacities among universities both within and outside the continent.

Syampungani emphasized the strategic importance of the ORTARCHI initiative, collaborating with organizations such as the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), Strengthening Higher Agricultural Education in Africa (SHAEA) initiative, and the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA).

These collaborations, Syampungani says, contribute to ORTARChI’s mission, focusing on institutional capacity strengthening, high-end skill development, recruitment and retention of excellent researchers, and incentivizing research for socio-economic and transformative development.

Each chair of ORTARChi focuses on a critical development challenge identified by the host institution. The chairs are expected to produce high-quality research, train postgraduate students, and build partnerships with African and international institutions.

The interventions are geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; development of high-end skills; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socioeconomic and transformative development.

This article was supported by the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative. The initiative honours the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background. In total ten researchers have been selected as O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs at leading universities across the continent. The Chairs are focused on research themes which are identified by each host institution in conjunction with national granting councils, and which are aligned with regional priorities.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.