Fund awards highest number of PhD scholarships yet

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) through the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), a flagship project of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), has awarded 103 PhD scholarships to students from across Africa, one of the biggest investments in higher degree studies by an African science fund.

The recipients, drawn from 22 countries, are the third cohort to benefit from the applied sciences fund, and will pursue doctorate degrees in select African universities in various areas of applied sciences, engineering and technology the main focus of the initiative.

Of the 103, 48 are faculty members who have been working in institutions of higher learning, and the rest are attached to research institutions. The group of 103 includes 41 women, a significant number equivalent to 40% of the total number of places on offer.

“Since 2018, a total of 185 PhD scholarships distributed across different countries in Africa have been awarded, with 70 allocated to female scholars,” said the statement announcing the recipients.

Priority is given to contributing to member countries, the faculty of universities who lack PhD training and the new pipeline of young scientists and engineers who will enter academia or industry, or set up their own enterprises, with a target of 50% of the successful PhDs being women.

The first cohort in 2018 consisted of 15 students comprising two female and 13 male scholarship recipients, while the second cohort sponsored included 64 students — 27 females and 38 males.

This makes the third cohort the largest so far, indicating growth and increased support for the scholarship scheme.

Target of 10,000 PhDs

The pan-African science fund that provides doctoral scholarships for African scientists is aimed at catalysing the training of 10,000 PhDs in applied sciences engineering and technology (ASET) fields.

RSIF is funded by African governments, the World Bank, the government of South Korea and the European Union through the ACP Innovation Fund. So far, seven African governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda and Senegal have each previously contributed US$2 million.

Mozambique, which joined in May 2021, contributed US$6 million to the three windows under which the fund operates, including scholarships, research and innovation.

The scholarships will cover the costs of research, a stipend for up to four years, an internship at an advanced research institution anywhere in the world, and tuition fees.

“Despite the interruption in awarding of the scholarship caused by COVID-19, RSIF continues to work with the host universities and international partners to support the creation of simple platforms that enable remote learning, supervision and mentorship for the students,” said the initiative.

Beneficiaries will undertake their studies in host universities of Nairobi and Kenyatta in Kenya, Sokoine University of Agriculture and Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania, and at the University of Port Harcourt and Bayero University in Nigeria.

Other participating institutions include the University of Rwanda, the University of Ghana, Senegal’s Gaston Berger University and Côte d’Ivoire’s Félix Houphouët-Boigny University.

“The students will be expected to follow relevant guidelines for management of COVID-19 as they wait for the resumption of field activities,” the fund’s statement added.