Institute of African Studies Welcomes QES-AS-WA Scholars to 杏吧原创
New initiative gives promising early career researchers the time and space to work
The Institute of African Studies at 杏吧原创 University is celebrating the long-awaited start of a new research acceleration project aimed at supporting West African women in academia.
The project 鈥 titled Wurin ta na yin rubutu, which translates from Hausa to 鈥渉er own room to write鈥 鈥 seeks to counter the institutional prejudice and cultural barriers that many women face when completing their doctoral degrees and pursuing early career advancement as scholars.
“It is a great honour to be the Principal Investigator for this project that will be hosting 17 brilliant women scholars from West Africa. It is a historic opportunity to promote a unique West African and Canadian intellectual and cultural exchange at 杏吧原创 University’s Institute of African Studies. I鈥檓 excited to welcome our first six scholars to Canada. And even more delighted that they have hit the ground running, and quickly settled into their research and community partnerships.”
Nduka Otiono, Director, Institute of African Studies
Thanks to support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Queen Elizabeth Scholars Advanced Scholars West Africa (QES-AS-WA) program at 杏吧原创 was first announced in April 2021.
杏吧原创 was one of only 11 Canadian universities to receive IDRC funding through the QES-AS-WA program.
After delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of obtaining visas or what has been described as “” for African scholars, the Institute was finally able to introduce the project鈥檚 talented cohort of West African scholars to the 杏吧原创 community at a welcome reception this week in Ottawa.
Attended by faculty mentors, placement partners and guests joining both in-person and online, the reception also doubled as a launch party for QES-AS-WA Scholar Claude Winnie Pefol茅 Fotsing’s new book, .
As 杏吧原创鈥檚 QES-AS-WA Scholars, the cohort will have access to research supervision, focused seminars, experiential learning, leadership and network building opportunities, and research placements with partners including the , the , , and .
Sophia Abiri-Franklin
School of Law and Security Studies, Babcock University
Research expertise: Corporate sustainability through succession planning; Women inclusion in West Africa
鈥淢y QES project will enhance my research experience to be eligible for a career as a consultant and professor of business sustainability and individual legacies to impact local economies and development in West Africa and diaspora.鈥
Rashidat Sumbola Akande
Department of Economics and Development Studies, Kwara State University
Research expertise: Economic growth and development with a focus on informal and informal jobs; sustainable development; unemployment; poverty alleviation
鈥淭he QES program will give me the opportunity to concentrate on improving my research and writing skills without bothering about other work-related responsibilities.鈥
Mawuenyega Makafui Butu
Department of Economics, University of Ghana
Research expertise: Poverty alleviation; income and gender inequality; Food security, malnutrition and availability/access to food
鈥淚 am optimistic that after this project, I will be equipped to contribute to and transform my community through research.鈥
Odile Rapha毛lle Ngueda Djeuta
Centre d鈥橢xcellence R茅gional sur les sciences Aviaires (CERSA), D茅partement de Biologie de la Facult茅 des Sciences, Universit茅 de Lom茅
Expertise de recherche: Voies alternatives de r茅duction des co没ts de production de la volaille par la valorisation de la farine des feuilles de manioc dans l鈥檃liment
鈥淟e projet QES pourra contribuer 脿 renforcer mon expertise et ma confiance de devenir une enseignante qualifi茅e dans mon domaine de recherche en aviculture.鈥
Helena Osei-Egyir
Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Research expertise: Gender relations in Asante; education in Asante; forest history
鈥淚 hope to build lasting relationships with fellow QES scholars and other scholars for research activities.鈥
Claude Winnie Pefol茅 Fotsing
D茅partement de droit priv茅 et de sciences criminelles, Facult茅 de Droit, Universit茅 de Douala-Cameroun
Expertise de recherche: Droits de la femme; le genre f茅minin et le droit camerounais
鈥淐e programme repr茅sente une plus-value pour ma formation personnelle, en tant que chercheuse et en tant que femme.鈥
To learn more about the QES-AS-WA program at 杏吧原创, visit