AFRICA

African Academy of Sciences announces 25 new affiliates

The third cohort of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) Affiliates Programme has been announced, comprising 25 scientists from 13 African countries.

The AAS Affiliates Programme recognises, mentors and nurtures early career professionals, promoting their professional development with the object of trying to help retain them in Africa and facilitating their contribution to the development of the continent.

According to a statement released on 1 February, the five-year programme will enable the affiliates to attend conferences, symposia and workshops and other activities that will improve their skills in proposal development, grant writing and pitching innovations to help them win more grants, improve their publication records and ensure that their research impacts their communities.

The selected scientists come from Ethiopia, Senegal and Sierra Leone (not yet covered by the previous two cohorts), Benin, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa and Uganda and they represent the following disciplines: mathematical science, cultural sciences, humanities and social sciences, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, biosciences and geological, environmental, earth and space sciences.

The programme was started in 2015 by AAS, which is a pan-African organisation headquartered in Kenya, which aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation. - Compiled by Sam Otieno.