Agricultural innovations

for sustainable development

Life Stories
of

AfRican

Women and
Young
Professionals

in
Science

3rd Africa-wide
Women and Young Professionals
in Science Competitions

Agricultural innovations for sustainable development

Life Stories
of AfRican Women and
Young Professionals
in Science
3rd Africa-wide Women and Young Professionals
in Science Competitions

Publishers
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
P.O. Box 380
6700 AJ Wageningen
The Netherlands
www.cta.int
International Foundation for Science (IFS)
Karlavgen 108, 5th floor
SE-115 26 Stockholm
Sweden
www.ifs.se
2014 CTA and IFS
ISBN 978-92-9081-572-3

Written by
Rutger Engelhard (Contactivity BV)
Judith A. Francis (CTA)
Nighisty Ghezae (IFS)
Production: Contactivity BV, Leiden, The Netherlands
English-language editors: Valerie Jones, Mark Speer
French translation: Patrice Deladrier
French editor: Jacques Bodichon
Design and layout: Contactivity BV, Leiden, The Netherlands
Printing: Drukkerij Holland, Alphen a/d Rijn, The Netherlands
Photos without credit: courtesy CTA, IFS and scientists described in this publication
Texts in this publication can be freely reproduced, provided the text remains unchanged and the source
is fully acknowledged.

Contents
Foreword
Michael Hailu, Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural
Cooperation (CTA), and Graham Haylor, Director of the International
Foundation for Science (IFS)

Introduction
Nighisty Ghezae, IFS and Judith A. Francis, CTA

Bright future for women scientists in Africa

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, CEPHYR Ltd, Mauritius

You can do it too

Luke Mumba, ASTII/NEPAD, South Africa

10

Women in science
A scientist who doubles as an advocate for development
Nafiisa Sobratee, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

12

A female agricultural engineer on womens empowerment

Florence Lubwama Kiyimba, National Agricultural Research Organisation, Uganda

14

An inspiration for aspiring biotechnologists

Ijeoma Akaogu, National Biotechnology Development Agency, Nigeria

16

Animal biologist succeeds when farmers benefit

Clmentine Dabir-Binso, Institut de lEnvironnement et de Recherches
Agricoles, Burkina Faso

18

A scientist who promotes agricultural entrepreneurship

Fredah Karambu Rimberia, Jomo Kenyatta University, Kenya

20

Young professionals in science

Young scientist breeds new wheat varieties
Jemanesh Kifetew Haile, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia

22

A successful science career means never giving up

Stella Kabiri, Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute,
Uganda

24

A scientist breaks new ground: Heat-tolerant local chickens

Julius Kofi Hagan, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

26

A dedicated researcher and community activist

Komi Edem Koledzi, University of Lom, Togo

28

Ring-fence budgets for agricultural research

Donald Kugonza, Makerere University, Uganda

30

Future prospects for science and innovation in Africa

Judith A. Francis, CTA, The Netherlands

32

Foreword
Africa needs more agricultural scientists,
and in particular more women scientists.
Since 2009, CTA, the Forum for
Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), IFS
and other partners have jointly organised
Africa-wide science competitions targeting
women and young professionals in science
to showcase their research and celebrate
their successes. The 3rd Africa-wide
Science Competitions held in 2012/13
brought to light 10 extraordinary African
scientists seven women and three men,
seven of whom were under 40years old.
They are inspiring individuals with a clear
vision of how they will contribute to
agricultural development and economic
transformation in Africa.
The winners have travelled far and worked
hard to achieve their early-career goals
some have come from small farms,
through primary and secondary schools, to
universities and now have begun to reap
the rewards of their efforts. For the women
scientists, in particular, the journey has at
times been arduous, breaking stereotypes
of womens capacity to engage in science
and balancing their career aspirations with
their family commitments. Many of the
scientists started their journey with
aspirations to become a doctor, lawyer or
mathematician. But for various reasons,
they changed course to pursue careers as
agricultural scientists. They all enjoy their
research and teaching assignments and
they are thrilled every time they see
farmers using the results of their research.
They value their collaboration with

colleagues and enjoy participating in

international agricultural research
networks, as well as the prestige gained in
winning awards and gaining recognition for
their research.
The 10 winners of the Africa-wide Science
Competitions have benefitted from having
role models who were a source of
inspiration and strength in their science
journeys. Now, they themselves are role
models in their own right. In this booklet,
we profile their life stories and those of
two other leading African scientists to
provide a source of inspiration for aspiring
young scientists in Africa and beyond who
might be considering a career in
agriculture. As one of the winners
featured in this booklet said, If you want
to transform your community and ensure
people have enough to eat, agricultural
science is the career of choice. We
strongly concur with that view of the
power of science and innovation in
transforming the lives of rural
communities. The combined Africa-wide
Science Competitions targeting women
and young professionals is a small but
strategic effort to shine a light on those
promising African individuals who are
using science and innovation to improve
the lives of smallholder farmers.
We hope you will enjoy reading the stories
of these 12 remarkable African
agricultural scientists who are making a
difference on the continent and
internationally.

Michael Hailu, Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
Graham Haylor, Director of the International Foundation for Science (IFS)

Introduction
Africa needs a critical mass of experts in
Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
It will only transform its agriculture and
food systems and boost socio-economic
development once it gives more people,
women and youth in particular, access to
higher level education and starts to
harness their potential.
Making agricultural research a high
priority will also attract more skilled
professionals to the field, and especially
motivate women and young people. It is
important to encourage those who receive
training in agricultural science and related
disciplines to then pursue careers in the
field. There are different strategies for
achieving this goal, including advocacy,
targeted policies, capacity building,
mentoring and promoting role models.

agricultural and rural sectors, reduce

hunger, improve prosperity and
sustain the natural resource base.
The competitions emphasise the
importance of investing in scientific
research and the education of African
women and young professionals for
sustainable economic development.
Success in these areas requires firm
commitment from policy and decision
makers and adequate financial support.

In 2009, CTA, FARA and partners organised

the 1st Africa-wide Science Competitions
targeting women and young professionals in
the agricultural sciences. IFS joined the
partnership in 2011. The competitions have
sought to evaluate, recognise and reward
the contributions of women and young
professionals who are involved in:

The 3rd Africa-wide Science Competition in

2012/13 promoted excellence in science
and innovation in agriculture, with a focus
on its socio-economic impact. The
competitions identified and recognised
outstanding women and young researchers
who are engaged in communicating
knowledge, technologies and new
approaches to farmers and other key
agricultural stakeholders, as well as
advocating policy change to optimise the
benefits from scientific and technological
developments. The competitions resulted
in the selection of ten extraordinary African
scientists: seven women and three men,
five of whom were under the age of 40.

Pioneering and innovative research,

technology development and
engineering;
Communicating their research results
and technological developments to
improve agricultural performance,
enhance livelihoods and build
resilience in African communities; and
Advocating for policy change and
influencing policy processes through
their research, education and outreach
programmes to transform the

This booklet takes a look at these

remarkable women and young researchers
who are motivated to be part of the
solution, and not the problem. Indeed, as
researchers they are helping to transform
agriculture by developing science-based
solutions to some of the complex issues
facing African farmers. Their journeys to
becoming agricultural scientists are
strikingly similar: most of them come from
smallholder farms, and their flair for
science was spotted and nurtured by their

6 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

Lineair / Jorgen Schytte

secondary school teachers. Most of them

wanted to become doctors or lawyers, but
for various reasons had to pursue studies
in agricultural science. Female students
in particular lacked role models who could
help them persevere in a male-dominated
student environment. All worked hard, had
some luck along the way and often had to
balance their family duties with their
studies and scientific careers. None of
these women regret having become
agricultural scientists. On the contrary,
without exception they enjoy their work
and the opportunity to nurture their talent
and to contribute to the development of
Africas agricultural sector.
Africa faces the enormous challenge of
increasing food production without further
depleting the soil, water, and other natural
resources. This challenge will require a
great deal of ingenuity and focused
scientific effort. It will rely on the capacity
of the scientific and engineering
community to develop new and improved
crop and livestock varieties to combat

pests and diseases, and technologies to

improve production and processing
efficiency and reduce post-harvest losses.
And it will require farmers and scientists to
make better use of limited resources and
to communicate about the importance of
science and technology in agriculture.
It will also require intense scientific
cooperation, communication and efficient
extension. Indeed, this effort must be
driven by a strong and empowered cadre
of African scientists, researchers,
engineers and institutions who can
develop and adapt the scientific and
technological innovations best suited to
the African context and which can
enhance long-term productivity.
CTA, FARA, IFS and partners, AGRA,
ANAFE, NEPAD Agency and RUFORUM are
honoured to be in a position to contribute
to the aforementioned fields and
encourage and support women and young
researchers to pursue rewarding careers
in science and technology in Africa.

Nighisty Ghezae, the International Foundation of Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden

Judith A. Francis, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA),
Wageningen, the Netherlands

Bright future for women

scientists in Africa
Africans must be activists
not pacifists in generating
ideas, spurring research
and mobilizing scientific
knowledge for socially-relevant
development purposes.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Centre for

Phytotherapy Research Ltd. (CEPHYR),
Mauritius

In 1979, after sitting her A-levels,

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim consulted the
careers guidance office in Mauritius and
was advised against studying chemistry at
university. I was told there would be no
career opportunities after my studies, and
was reminded of my gender. Thirty-five
years later, Ameenah is a leading expert in
the field of phytochemistry and the
isolation of natural compounds from plants
and the Chief Executive Officer of the
Centre for Phytotherapy Research Limited
(CEYPHYR Ltd.), Mauritius. She previously
held the positions of pro-vice-chancellor
and was the first woman professor at the
University of Mauritius with a Chair of
Organic Chemistry. She is also the first
woman to have served as Dean of the
Faculty of Science and Deputy Vice
Chancellor. She sits on the boards of
countless science institutes and was

awarded the LOralUNESCO Women in

Science prize in 2007, the Bank One Ltd
Emma Award and the Economic and Social
Council Award in 2008. She was selected
as the leading role model for the
Africa-wide Women in Science competition
in 2009 and received a DSc from the
Pierre Marie Curie University (Sorbonne
Universit), France in 2013. There can be
no better role model for young female
researchers in Africa.
Ameenah feels privileged to have pursued
chemistry despite the odds and to have
chosen areas organic chemistry and
medicinal plants which were deemed
irrelevant at the time. This was largely
due to her parents support and meant
lots of sacrifices on their part, as
education was neither free in the 1970s,
nor was it a priority for girls. Having

8 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

In 2009, Ameenah founded CEYPHYR

Ltd., a contract research organisation,
which belongs to a holding of companies
doing clinical trials for the pharmaceutical
and cosmetic industries. This move from
academia to business allowed her to build
on her earlier pioneering research career
and engage in the commercialisation of
research outputs. Mauritius, located in
the Indian Ocean, is one of the
biodiversity hotspots in the world. This
setting is important as it shows that even
small island developing countries like
Mauritius have comparative advantages;
their own Green Gold. It also shows that
research and development work is

possible in Africa and enables us to

engage in product development as
opposed to being a net exporter of raw
materials.
Being at the top of her scientific career
and an advisor to many international
scientific committees, Ameenah is
shaping the new agenda for research,
innovation and entrepreneurship. In
October 2014, she unfolded her ideas on
how such a new agenda can be realised
at the CTA International Forum Unleashing
science, technology and innovation for food
and nutrition security, in Arnhem,
TheNetherlands. She identified the
following elements, which should be part
of such a new agenda: (i) capitalise on the
momentum gained in global environmental
and conservation movements (recognise
all actions are local); (ii) emphasise the
maintenance and sustainable use of
natural capital (recognise the important
role of local communities); (iii) mobilise
cutting-edge knowledge (recognise the
value of indigenous knowledge and cultural
traditions); and (iv) forge partnerships
anchored in the common good for the
benefit of all (become the voice of
change).

CEPHYR Ltd

chosen to read chemistry, she went to

England to pursue her BSc at the
University of Surrey in 1983 and her PhD
in organic chemistry at the University of
Exeter in 1987. After my PhD, I was all
set to do a postdoc in the US but chose
to return to Mauritius where I applied my
research training in organic chemistry to
a completely new area, phytochemistry.
This shift was vital to my career because
I could be productive academically at
home, in one of the worlds unique
hotspots of biodiversity.

You can do it too

My story brings to the fore the
wise old saying among Africans
that it takes a village to raise
a child. It took the efforts and
support of many people for me
to be where I am now. To them
all I say a big thank you.
Luke Mumba, the New Partnership for
Africas Development (NEPAD),
Johannesburg, South Africa

Luke Mumba likes to tell secondary

school students who are considering a
career in agricultural science: Go and
distinguish yourself. No agriculture
graduate will ever be unemployed. In fact
you dont have to look for a job, you can
create your own and be self-employed. Be
an ambassador for agriculture.
Luke is Programme Coordinator of the
African Science, Technology & Innovation
Indicators (ASTII) initiative and oversees
the New Partnership for Africas
Developments (NEPAD) efforts to improve
the quality of STI policies across the
continent. Perhaps best known in Africa
and beyond for his advocacy of
biotechnology and biosafety, Luke
strongly believes that biotechnology, if
prudently applied, could help address
Africas many development challenges.
He argues that it will be difficult to provide
food security without the contribution of

agricultural biotechnology. Africa needs

crops that grow rapidly, use less water
and fertilizer, and can resist pests and
diseases. But alongside the application
of biotechnology, Africa needs to build its
capacity to assess and monitor the use
of the technology to ensure its safety for
humans, animals and the environment.
I have promoted this view in Zambia
and other African countries. In 2001,
I established the Biotechnology Outreach
Society of Zambia, through which we
influenced the introduction of a Biosafety
Act in Zambia in 2010. It may be less
well known that Luke has also trained
more than 1,000 professionals in
agriculture-related fields at the University
of Zambia, many of whom are now
championing agricultural development
programmes in Zambia and beyond. Most
of them are hard-working, conscientious
leaders in their fields, and I am very proud
of their achievements.

10 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

At secondary school, Lukes mathematics

teacher soon spotted his flair for sciences
and encouraged him to choose science
courses. At the time he was admitted to
university, higher education was still free
in Zambia. With a government scholarship
that covered accommodation, meals and
a monthly stipend, for Luke university was
like staying in a hotel. He completed his
BSc in 1985 and on account of his
outstanding performance he was offered
the position of Staff Development Fellow
by the University of Zambia and was able
to pursue further training abroad, at the
University of Wales in Swansea, UK,
where he obtained an MSc in molecular
genetics in 1987. Four years later, the
Beit Trust granted him a fellowship to
study for a PhD in plant genetics at the
University of Cambridge, which he
completed in record time in 1994.
Lukes academic career began when the
University of Zambia offered him the post
of Lecturer II in 1987. As he quickly rose
through the ranks, he discovered and
nurtured two of his many other talents
networking and science administration.
After a period as Assistant Dean, he
became Head of Department and later, in
1999, Dean of the School of Natural

Sciences and member of the University

Senate and Council. Shortly after his
promotion to Associate Professor in
2006, Luke took a prolonged leave of
absence from the university to join
NEPAD, first as the Regional Network
Director of the Southern Africa Network
for Biosciences (SANBio) and later in
2012, as ASTIIs Programme Coordinator.
It is unlikely that Luke is close to ending
his remarkable career.
Africa urgently needs many more university
trained agricultural professionals,
scientists and science administrators as
well as agri-business entrepreneurs. To
achieve this, Luke recommends that
todays university administrators start
affirmative enrolment action to attract
more students to study science and
agriculture-related subjects. They could
do this by creating dedicated quotas for
science students taking agriculture
courses, providing incentives such as
scholarships, awards and internships, and
inviting specialists in various science and
engineering domains linked to the
advancement of agriculture to serve as
role models and to talk about their
careers. I have made a career in science
and agriculture and you can do it too.

HH / Corbis

Luke grew up in a township 15 km south

of Lusaka, Zambias capital, and was the
first member of his family to go to
university. His mother owned a kantemba,
a roadside market stall where she sold
home-grown fruits and vegetables. She
made sure that he and his siblings never
went hungry and gave each of them a
chance to go to school. She even
borrowed money from family and friends
to top up her savings so she could pay for
his school fees and other requirements,
such as books and uniforms.

11

A scientist who doubles as

an advocate for development
Agricultural science lets you live
out all your passions. A degree
in agricultural science enables
you to develop and promote
new and green agricultural
technologies and practices that
will help feed the world.
Nafiisa Sobratee, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa

Winning first prize in the 3rd Africa-wide

Women in Science competition gave
Nafiisa Sobratee the platform to showcase
her passion an African PhD graduate in
agricultural science who is working to solve
pressing needs in the developing world.
Nafiisa was interested in life sciences from
an early age, but the realisation that she
could build a career in agricultural science
grew during her field visits to farming
communities near the Drakensberg
Mountains in South Africa. There, while
assessing farmers knowledge of
conservation agriculture she realised that
much more could be done to feed Africa.
Born in Mauritius, Nafiisa obtained her
bachelor degree in agricultural and
environmental sciences from the University
of Mauritius. After graduating she obtained
a scholarship from the Tertiary Education

Commission of Mauritius to go directly for

her PhD in bio-resources management at
the same university, which she obtained in
August 2011.
Nafiisa won the first prize in the Women
in Science competition with her research,
which demonstrates the capacity of the
composting process to transform poultry
litter into a safe product to replenish the
organic matter content of soils. The most
relevant outcome of her research, she
believes, was the identification of the
weak points in composting systems, in
terms of sanitation, that allow bacterial
pathogens to proliferate during the
process. Optimising composting
practices as a component of both
conservation agriculture and conventional
farming is one of the solutions to
Africans soil fertility crisis.

12 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

As a young student in agricultural science,

Nafiisas role models included Franoise
Driver, who encouraged her to read
beyond her textbooks and stressed the
importance of demonstrating critical
analysis during exams and later in
peer-reviewed publications. Another role
model was Romeela Mohee, a pioneer in
compost engineering and her principal
PhD supervisor, who shared her vast
international experience with her research
students. Now, having won the Women in
Science competition and well on the way
to becoming a successful scientist in her
own right, Nafiisa hopes to become a role
model herself for young women who are
considering a career in agricultural
science. Nafiisa urges students to
share, like, add or follow national
and global developments in agricultural
science. University students should think
and express themselves freely through
their own blogs and social media, and
engage in civic action with the aim of
bringing food security to Mauritius, Africa
and the world.

Nafiisa hopes that she will be able to use

her growing reputation as an agricultural
scientist to challenge Mauritius
government officials about the progress
achieved in the Maurice Ile Durable (MID)
project. Launched in 2008 by Prime
Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam,
this project aims to transform the
environmental, economic and social
landscape of Mauritius and to make the
country a world model of sustainable
development, particularly in the context
of Small Island Developing States. She
plans to ask the government to what
extent, after six years, the universities
have empowered their graduates to
become the countrys future leaders with
an MID vision, and whether agricultural
and environmental scientists and
engineers can actually obtain secure jobs
to drive the MID vision. Without proper
academic training and scientific success
no one would have listened to me, but
now they may.

Lineair / Claude Thouvenin

Nafiisa always welcomes challenges to

test the limits of her own scientific
abilities, as happened during the question
time following her presentation of her
research findings for the competition finals
at the FARAs 6th Africa Agriculture
Science Week in Accra, Ghana, in 2013.
I had to convince agricultural scientists of
the African diaspora about the significance
and correctness of my findings. At the
time of the call for participation in the
Women in Science competition, she had
just completed her PhD and thought it
would be her best chance to share the
results of her research with fellow
competitors and to learn about advocacy
for enhancing agricultural and
environmental science in Africa.

13

A female agricultural engineer

on womens empowerment
Joining courses dominated by
males is challenging. But here
is a word of encouragement
for all my sisters out there:
know yourself and go for what
you are good at no matter
what the world thinks.
Florence Lubwama Kiyimba, National
Agricultural Research Organisation
(NARO), Uganda

When Florence Kiyimba left home to go to

university, her parents told her to go and
make us proud, which is just what she
did. After she obtained her MSc in
agricultural engineering at the University
of Nairobi, Kenya, in 1997, she joined
Ugandas National Agricultural Research
Organisation (NARO), where she is now a
senior research officer. While at NARO
she began her research and obtained her
PhD from Wageningen University and
Research centre, the Netherlands, with a
thesis entitled Tools for Womens
Empowerment? The case of the forage
chopper for smallholder dairy farmers in
Uganda in 2011. This research also won
her second prize at the 3rd Africa-wide
Women in Science competition in 2013.
Gaining my PhD involved a journey that
made it difficult to balance family and

career, and required me to make some

sacrifices in the family life I hold so dear.
Based on her experiences a period of
hard work and the success she enjoyed at
the end of it Florence advises girls at
secondary school that they too can excel
in chemistry and mathematics, areas
where men have always dominated. Work
hard and always be focused on the bigger
goal of your life. Meanwhile, she is
discussing with government and university
officials how girls can be encouraged to
embrace and maintain their interest in the
sciences during and in particular after
their training at university.
There are not many female students
reading agricultural engineering.
Unfortunately, I had no role model during
my university time that I could look up to.
But I had already been shaped by the

14 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

Florences research focused on gender

aspects in the design and development of
a forage chopper to reduce the workloads
of women smallholder dairy farmers. She
considers the most relevant outcome of
her research the understanding that the
effectiveness of these machines depends
on social structures and support facilities
within households and communities.
Taking a participatory approach to the
technology design process, she decided,
together with the principal users, the
women, that the chopper needed to be
redesigned to incorporate simple
adjustments and modifications that would
make the machine easier and safer to
operate. She found, however, that
introducing a labour-saving device
targeted at women is in itself not enough
to guarantee that women will benefit from
it, let alone be empowered. She
encountered unanticipated dynamics
related to the artisans and welders who
make the machines, and concluded that
the empowerment of women with laboursaving tools requires a design process
that is grounded not only in engineering
but also in the social and material
contexts of their households.
Florence is building professional networks
with other women in science and
engineering to advance womens
empowerment efforts with technology.
The African Women in Agricultural
Research and Development (AWARD)
offered her a scholarship to network and

bring together women scientists and

engineers and thus enabled her to work
closely with like-minded professionals.
She is now writing research proposals
that can draw on the expertise of
interdisciplinary and multi-institutional
teams from such professional networks to
respond to the production constraints of
smallholder farmers.
Most of the innovations Florence and her
colleagues at NARO are working on have
been the result of sharing knowledge with
people facing similar challenges and
using similar farming systems. Changing
mind-sets takes a while but with more
effort we can impress on the men who
have never even talked to female farmers
or seen them at work the need to focus
on their needs so that agricultural
interventions will benefit those who carry
out most of the production activities
namely women.

Heifer / Russell Powell

teachers of my girls-only secondary

school. They taught me that what boys
could do we girls could do too, that we
should stand for what we believed in, and
more importantly never give up. I am now
the only female engineer among men and
I do equally well as my male colleagues.

15

An inspiration for aspiring

biotechnologists
At my MSc graduation
ceremony, my supervisor told
me that I had all it takes to be
successful and that I should
not regard the sky as my limit
but as my starting point!

Ijeoma Akaogu, National Biotechnology

Development Agency (NABDA), Abuja,
Nigeria

Ijeoma Akaogu won the third prize in the

3rd Africa-wide Women in Science
competition with her pioneering research
on extra-early maize hybrids with
combined resistance to Striga and
drought tolerance during the flowering
and grain-development periods. The prize
made her an instant celebrity at her
research institute, the National
Biotechnology Development Agency
(NABDA) in Abuja, Nigeria. The
International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria, where
she is now a research fellow, reported on
the prize in its worldwide newsletter and
the Daily Trust, one of Nigerias national
newspapers, soon picked up on the story.
Within a short time, seed companies
started to bang on her office door to learn
more about the candidate varieties she
had identified during her research.

Yet Ijeomas first desire was to be a

medical doctor. She applied twice to study
medicine, but without success. She then
pursued agricultural science with
enthusiasm and today has no regrets. On
the contrary, my research is challenging as
well as rewarding and my colleagues are
excited about my work and achievements.
I have visited advanced laboratories in the
United States and Europe, and have
attended international conferences where
I have met wonderful people who are now
part of my international network. Friends
who have studied medicine and law are
jealously calling me the tourist and want
to join me at NABDA.
Ijeomas interest in science began at an
early age. After having obtained her BSc
in plant science and biotechnology at Imo
State University, Nigeria, she continued to

16 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

study for an MSc in agronomy (plant

breeding major) at the University of
Ibadan, Nigeria, with the support of the
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA). She is now reading for a PhD at
the West Africa Centre for Crop
Improvement (WACCI) of the University of
Ghana. My father always encouraged me
to pursue a university education and
promised to pay for my training to any
level. He believed that a good education
was the best thing he could give his
daughter and he fully supported me during
my undergraduate studies at Imo. During
her studies, several people provided
valuable encouragement, in particular the
late Victor Ibigami, former director of
NABDAs agricultural department, whom
she met during her national youth service
at the institute. He was a wonderful man
who inspired me by sharing his own life
experiences. He was convinced that if
people could feed themselves well, they
would not become ill and would not need
to see a doctor at that time I had
applied for a second time to study
medicine at the University of Nigeria.

Nigeria, with the course work, where a

70% attendance rate was needed to be
allowed to sit for the examinations. While
I was doing my field trials, my friends kept
me posted about what was happening in
the lecture halls. But all the hard work
was well worth the effort. I was able to
draw on part of the research I did at
university for the Women in Science
Competition, and the rest is history.
Ijeoma always tells students who are just
beginning their studies that a degree will
give them the freedom to pursue their
dreams and that out there in the labour
market, it is the survival of the fittest, so
a good grade might well make all the
difference. I always emphasise that they
should refrain from joining cults: that
could ruin their lives. I tell them that they
are Nigerias leaders of the future, and
the country depends on them.

Ijeoma considers her time at university as

a challenge, but one she would not have
missed for the world. I remember
struggling to combine my research work,
which included multi-locational trials in

Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT

Her IITA supervisor, Baffour Badu-Apraku,

liked to challenge her to become a
scientist like him. But not all of my
supervisors were always so friendly; they
could sometimes be very severe. Often,
after a long day of lectures, they would
send me out into the field, since in their
view plant breeding is done in the field
and not in the classroom. You tend to
start appreciating your supervisors only
later in life.

17

Animal biologist succeeds

when farmers benefit
Girls should never think that
a scientific training at
university is too long and that
a scientific career is something
for men only.

Clmentine Dabir-Binso, Institut de

lEnvironnement et Recherches Agricoles
(INERA), Burkina Faso

In May 2014, Clmentine Binso was

elected to the Technical Management
Advisory Committee of the Feed the Future
Legume Innovation Laboratory at Michigan
State University, East Lansing, USA. At her
first committee meeting she felt very
emotional as she looked back on the long
and often difficult road from her village in
Burkina Faso to the meeting room where
the other committee members applauded
her. Clmentine admitted to herself that
she was getting used to such accolades.
A year earlier, FARAs General Assembly
had applauded her when she won the
4th prize in the 3rd Africa-wide Women in
Science competition.
At a very early age, Clmentine already
knew that she wanted to contribute to the
development of the rural area where she
grew up. As a child I loved pottering

about on my uncles farm; he was an

agricultural technician who taught me the
practical ins and outs of farming. So
when her family encouraged her to pursue
a career in agricultural research, she did
not have to think twice and enrolled at the
University of Niamey in Niger to study
animal biology. In those days, there were
not many secondary school students who
wanted to go to university, so if you were
qualified it was easy to obtain a
government scholarship. It must be said
that these scholarships were not very
generous, so every summer I had to get
a job to top them up.
After completing her BSc degree,
Clmentine went to France to continue
her studies at the University of Bordeaux
where she obtained her MSc in animal
biology in 1976. That was a really tough

18 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

At the university, Clmentine particularly

liked the practical sessions such as
dissecting animals, which she always
found fascinating. At the time, those
sessions embodied for me what was the
essence of science the search for proof
and evidence. Then there were of course
the professors, in particular the female
professors, who have always been her
role models. She just wanted to be one
of them. Many supervisors supported her
along the way and advised her to just grin
and bear it when she had those low
moments that all students inevitably
experience during their studies. They
urged me to remember that, in the end,
success in my work would be useful for
the farmers in my village.
Her persistence paid off. Clmentine now
is a senior research scientist with the
African and Malagasy Council for Higher
Education (CAMES) at INERA in Burkina
Faso. She likes to tell secondary school
students contemplating their options at
university that nothing will make them

more proud than to see farmers using

agricultural innovations that they helped
to develop. Every time that happens to
me, I feel very excited.
Clmentine won her prize at the Women
in Science competition for her success in
developing triple bagging technology for
storing cowpeas. She designed the
technology after years of rigorous
laboratory testing at INERA. She is now
regarded as the expert on triple bagging
and on good practices for storing
agricultural products, and is frequently
consulted on issues related to technical
capacity building among women in
agriculture. This recognition should serve
to encourage all women who are devoting
their time and efforts to science for
agriculture. It has given me confidence to
commit myself even more to supporting
smallholder farmers, especially women, to
help them improve their livelihoods. I also
hope to convince my government and
universities to create more opportunities
for girls to pursue university training in
agricultural science.

Flickr / Gates Foundation

time for me. I felt guilty when my family

and friends in the village said that I was
spending too much time studying, and I
also had serious problems adjusting to
the climate and social environment in
France. Despite that, I continued my
studies at Pierre and Marie Curie
University Paris VI and defended a
doctoral thesis in agricultural entomology
in 1980. In September 1980, the Institut
de lEnvironnement et de Recherches
Agricoles (INERA) recruited Clmentine as
agricultural entomologist and in 2001,
while still at INERA, Clmentine was
awarded a PhD in agricultural entomology
by the Universit de Cocody, the former
Universit Flix Houphet Boigny, in
Abidjan Cte dIvoire.

19

A scientist who promotes

agricultural entrepreneurship
We should drop the notion
that agriculture is a useless,
unprofitable career: for
those who are training and
educated, agribusiness and
agricultural science are
profitable income earners.
Fredah Karambu Rimberia, Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology,
Kenya

Fredah Rimberia grew up on a small farm in

the central highlands of Kenya. Her parents
grew coffee, tea, vegetables and had some
dairy cattle. They always encouraged her to
find ways of fighting the pests and diseases
on their farm and to look for a good job in
Nairobi in order to escape the continuous
struggle against poverty in the village. At
secondary school she excelled in science
subjects, and her geography and biology
teachers advised her to pursue a sciencerelated career. To convince me, they
pointed to former students of the school
who had become doctors and extension
workers and were now doing well in their
careers. Like many, she wanted to become
a doctor or horticulturalist after completing
her high school exams. In the end, Fredah
enrolled in the horticultural programme of
Egerton University, Kenyas premier
agricultural university.

Like so many other female agricultural

scientists in training, she struggled with
the fact that at university there were no
female study supervisors. After her
graduation she joined Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology,
where she met a female senior staff
member who had encountered the same
macho environment but had persistently
pursued her PhD degree. She was a
source of inspiration and encouraged
Fredah to continue her studies and read
for a PhD degree in agricultural science.
I could combine my family duties and
scientific career because I am blessed
with a very understanding husband who is
very supportive at home. But it was her
PhD supervisor, Professor Shinichi
Adaniya of the University of the Ryukyus,
Japan, who became her principal role
model as a scientist and who instilled in

20 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

Fredah enjoys being an agricultural

scientist at a public university. It not only
provides her with an income, but also the
chance to interact with like-minded
scientists in Kenya and beyond and join
international collaborative research
projects. She is fascinated by resultoriented research, when farmers can use
the findings from her work to solve real
problems on their farms. The research for
which she was rewarded the fifth prize in
the Women in Science competition was a
good example. The most relevant result
of my research was the finding that the
production of clean and healthy papaya
plantlets of known sex can solve farmers
inability to differentiate among the
papayas 3 sex types at the seedling
stage. I found that healthy orchards with a
correct mix of one male to nine female
plants will greatly increase the fruit yields
compared to current combinations based
on farmers guesswork.
Fredah keeps in touch with her home
base in the central highlands. She has

noticed that her former teachers at her

secondary school are now using her as
role model for those students who are not
sure whether to enrol in university or any
other professional training. She is
sometimes asked to talk to them and
always tells them to opt for further
training to prepare for venturing into
agribusiness and creating jobs for
themselves and other young people.
I always emphasise that they should not
sit back and feed on other peoples
efforts. And she advises those who are
talented in one or more academic
subjects to seek out opportunities for
postgraduate training and to become
lecturers or agricultural scientists.
Raising funds for your university training
cannot be an obstacle. The government
provides loans to pay for your fees and
other expenses during your BSc training.
And like me, you can get funding for
further study from multiple national and
international sources, provided you make
deliberate attempts and dont give up
after failing a number of times. And she
advises her former secondary school
teachers and university officials to
introduce courses in agricultural
entrepreneurship and make them
compulsory for all students, both in
secondary schools and in universities.

Alamy / Echo

her the discipline that is required for hard

work in research and publishing in
scientific journals. After five years in his
laboratory in Japan I can deal with any
research challenge.

21

Young scientist breeds new

wheat varieties
Students often consider
agriculture to be not cool.
However, anyone who delves
deeper into the science of
agriculture will discover that
it is really an exciting area to
explore and enjoy.
Jemanesh Kifetew Haile, Ethiopian
Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia

Women have built up successful careers

in agricultural science in Africa. Jemanesh
Haile, from the Ethiopian Institute of
Agricultural Research (EIAR) in Addis
Ababa, is one of them, and she credits
her husband for her academic success.
My husband is one of those model
African men who encourage women to
develop their own careers. During my
periods of absence for my study he takes
care of our kids. If it had not been for
him, I would never have achieved my
scientific goals.
In 2010, with four other young female
scientists, Jemanesh won the Jeanie
Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT)
Early Career Award for women working on
wheat in the early stages of their careers.
And in 2013, she was awarded the first
prize in the Young Professionals in

Science competition with her study to

identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) that
confer resistance to stem rust in
Ethiopian durum wheat. The results of
her research have made useful
information on stem rust genes and QTL
available specifically to Ethiopian wheat
breeders.
Jemanesh entered the Young
Professionals in Science competition
because she saw the event as a way to
contact other young African scientists.
She also thought that winning a prize in
such a competition would advance her
career and open up opportunities for new
research projects that would improve the
livelihoods of African farmers. But it is
not this prize, or the WIT Early Career
Award, but the practical benefits farmers
receive from my research on stem rust

22 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

Most of Jemaneshs family, including her

parents, are farmers. The returns from
their farms are hardly sufficient to support
them. One of my childhood dreams was
to see Ethiopian farmers using improved
seeds and other inputs. When she left
secondary school and went to university
she entered a world that was totally new
for her. Understanding science was
perhaps the easiest part of that
transition; the social and cultural barriers
I encountered as a female student were
much more of a struggle to overcome.
Initially, her family was unhappy that she
wanted to study agriculture at the
university. They told me that I didnt need
to be educated to be a farmer like them.
I am glad that they have come around
after seeing what I have achieved. My
brothers Alemu Kifetew and the late Bayu
Kifetew helped me through this very
difficult time at home
Directly after my BSc, I joined EIAR as a
junior researcher in the national wheat
improvement programme, where I had the
opportunity to focus on various elements
of wheat research, from collecting local
varieties from farmers to generating
improved wheat cultivars and developing
farm management practices. After two
years with EIAR, I went back to Addis
Ababa University to do my MSc in
genetics. At this point, I decided that I
wanted to study abroad to learn more
about modern plant breeding techniques
and methods.
In late 2008, Jemanesh got a scholarship
from the German Academic Exchange
Service to do a PhD in gene and genome

mapping at the University of Kassel in

Germany in collaboration with the Leibniz
Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant
Research (IPK). There I met Marion Rder,
currently leader of the Gene and Genome
Mapping group at PIK, Gatersleben,
Germany. She not only became my
supervisor who helped me through my
four-year PhD study and research, but also
became my role model. She is an inspiring
and very talented scientist who relentlessly
devotes all her time to science.
Currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Crop
Development Centre at the University of
Saskatchewan, Canada, Jemanesh would
like to encourage secondary school
students in Ethiopia to choose options
that lead to careers in agriculture. There
are many exciting opportunities for further
study to improve agricultural productivity
and enhance food security in my country.

Lineair / Sean Sprague

resistance that are encouraging me to

continue my career in agricultural
research.

23

A successful science career

means never giving up
The keys to a successful
scientific career are to never
give up, to recognise an
opportunity when it presents
itself and make the most of it.
It gets better and better as you
go higher.
Stella Kabiri, Mukono Zonal Agricultural
Research and Development Institute
(MUZARDI), Uganda

Stella Kabiri is a crop scientist at the

Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and
Development Institute in central Uganda.
Her career has progressed smoothly, in
spite of an initial setback when she failed
her university entrance exams. But she
drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela,
who endured 27 years in prison to later
become president of South Africa. She
repeated her A-levels and was admitted
to Makerere University in Kampala to
read agricultural science.
At Makerere University, Stella quickly
discovered that there is a general
misconception that studying agricultural
science only involves training to work on a
farm. So I was ready to break some sweat,
only to discover that agricultural science
encompasses many different disciplines,
such as crop science, animal science,

agricultural economics and extension

education. She also experienced the
gender disparities that still exist among
students at many African universities. Out
of a class of 92 students, only 18 of us
were women. One day a male student told
me, in the presence of my classmates, that
I was going to fail my course work. I was
stunned at first, but soon it became clear
to me that irrespective of gender, all
students were equally smart, intelligent and
ambitious. And I won second prize in the 3rd
Africa-wide Science Competition for Young
Professionals, not him. The first prize in
that competition was won by a woman too.
Stella had entered the competition
because she saw an opportunity to raise
awareness of the risks posed by
Cymbopogon nardus, commonly known as
muteete grass, an aggressive invasive

24 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

the 2,000 students with the highest

scores in their pre-university exams, and
she was one of them. Later, during her
training, she realised that there are many
international funding opportunities in the
field of agricultural science. You just have
to find them. And since there are few
women scientists there is always a good
chance to be selected. Indeed, she
received two scholarships from the Dutch
government, one to study for an MSc in
natural resources management at the
University of Twentes Faculty of
Geo-information Science and Observation
(ITC), and another to read for a PhD at
Wageningen University, which she expects
to obtain in 2015.

At the start of her career, she observed that

many male respondents were prodigiously
overweight while their wives were so frail
and thin you could think chocolate had been
poured on their bones. She decided to find
out why. It turned out that most households
had just one cow that produced half a litre
of milk, which would be taken by the man
while his wife and children nibbled on
leftovers. Also, the women did the bulk of
the farm work. On another occasion, she
met a widow with six small children sitting
around a meal that looked like it was their
last dinner. Such women not only need
programmes that contribute directly to
poverty eradication, but also policies that
promote their social and economic
empowerment. My lifes purpose became
clear from these two experiences, and I
decided to get myself a more holistic
education so that I could make a
meaningful contribution to improving the
lives of the rural poor.

Asked what advice she would give to the

authorities in Uganda and other African
countries, Stella explains that she would
urge government officials to encourage
girls at secondary school to study science
subjects, and universities to introduce
short courses on agricultural
entrepreneurship for rural farmers. There
is so much knowledge in universities that
does not reach the rural poor. Universities
depend on their graduates to deliver this
knowledge. But graduates have to find
jobs, and often those jobs do not link
them to poor farmers.

Stella had no problem obtaining funds for

her university training and research. At the
time the government of Uganda sponsored

Cantiq Unique

species that is rapidly encroaching on

large areas of Ugandan rangeland.
Muteete grass produces pungent and
volatile essential oils, and she discovered
that these can be used to control Cyperus
rotundus, another invasive grass that is
affecting crop production across Africa,
and so could be used as a cheap and
environmentally friendly alternative to
chemical weed and pest control. Winning
second prize in the competition really
looks good on my curriculum vitae, but
solving problems and discovering
something that no one else has found
before are much more rewarding than
winning a prize. Those are the reasons
why I trained to become a scientist.

25

Scientist breaks new ground:

Heat-tolerant local chickens
Agricultural science covers
many areas one can venture
into. Studying agriculture
at university does not mean
missing out on opportunities.
I am a living proof of that.

Julius Kofi Hagan, University of Cape

Coast, Ghana

Agricultural science should be

reintroduced as a compulsory subject in
Ghanas primary and secondary schools.
Universities should make courses in
agricultural science more practical in
order to enable graduates to start their
own agri-businesses. And the government
should offer special scholarships for
young women who wish to read
agricultural science at university in order
to boost the number of female agricultural
scientists.
These are three pieces of advice that
Julius Hagan, lecturer at the Department
of Animal Science at the University of
Cape Coasts School of Agriculture, would
give to Ghanas government and
universities. He was awarded third prize in
the 3rd Africa-wide Young Professionals in
Science competition for his research on

the introduction of heat-tolerant genes

into exotic chicken breeds as a way to
improve egg production in warm and
humid environments.
Julius describes himself as a selfmotivator who is determined to break the
poverty cycle in his family and decided
that the only way to do so was to study
hard. At secondary school he read the life
stories of the great mathematicians,
inventors and scientists and decided to
go to university to become a
mathematician. But he was not admitted
to read mathematics because his
secondary school did not offer pure
science subjects, so he followed the
agricultural science programme.
Agricultural science really was a
consolation prize. But I have never
regretted it.

26 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

The main output of his research for

which he was awarded the third prize in
the Young Professionals in Science
competition was the development of
chicken breeds that can be highly
productive in the hot and humid
environments of the tropics. He covered
most of the research costs himself, with
additional support from his PhD
supervisor and a scholarship. In Ghana,
all young researchers first need several
years of experience and exposure before
they can reach the position where they
can raise funding for their research.
Winning the third prize and subsequently
having the results of his research being
selected by CTA as one of its Top 20
agricultural innovations that is benefitting
smallholder farmers have changed all
this. This acknowledgement has provided
international recognition and opened
doors for collaboration all over the world.
The publicity that comes with winning
these awards has boosted my
professional image. Everybody seems to
know me now, and my academic career
has moved ahead much more quickly.

Looking back, Julius never imagined that

he would come as far as he has. OK,
maybe being an agricultural scientist is
not financially rewarding, but I am
anything but unhappy, because teaching
and research are my passions. They
asked me to present a paper on behalf of
my country to the worlds most eminent
animal breeders and geneticists at a
conference in Brazil. As a poor village boy
who has struggled to make a living, this
was an emotional experience. He would
like to impress on students in secondary
school and those enrolled in agricultural
colleges and universities that agriculture
is the mainstay of African economies, yet
it is a barely exploited area and as a
result presents todays students with
numerous opportunities. Agricultural
science is a broad field, and there are so
many areas one can venture into.
Studying agriculture at university does
not mean missing out on opportunities.
I am a living proof of that.

CIMMYT

In his first year at university, Julius formed

study groups to make up for his lack of
background in subjects such as organic
chemistry and physics, and he read
beyond the lecture notes provided by his
teachers. He worked during the holidays
to pay his tuition fees, accommodation
and living expenses, and he only sought
financial support from his family and
friends when he was not earning enough.
He was employed by the University of
Cape Coast as a senior research
assistant and ended up receiving a
scholarship to do a PhD at the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, which he
received in 2010.

27

A dedicated researcher and

community activist
Agricultural science is based
on mathematics, chemistry
and life sciences. If you wish
to read agricultural science
LiNEAIR / Pascal Deloche / GODONG

at university, make sure you

take A-level courses in these
subjects.
Komi Edem Koledzi, University of Lom,
Togo

Edem Koledzi is one of a rare breed of

scientists who has actually implemented
the results of his own research. In his
early years at the University of Lom,
Togo, he began to wonder why
sophisticated urban waste processing
plants with expensive imported
technologies in his country were either at a
standstill or operating at reduced capacity,
costing the government lots of money
every year. At the University of Limoges,
France, he therefore decided to investigate
solid waste chains and the associated
compost production systems in Lom,
from households to agricultural fields, for
which he received his PhD in 2011.
Meanwhile, alongside his research work
and with the help of ENPRO, a local NGO
operating a door-to-door waste collection
service, he was instrumental in
establishing an urban waste-sorting

platform and composting unit where he

applied and tested the findings of his own
research.
Edem is equally proud of his PhD and the
success of his composting project.
Compost producers and farmers both
benefit the compost is sold to farmers
who use it on their fields instead of
chemical fertilizers to maintain and even
regenerate the fertility of their farms. The
composting project currently processes
20 tonnes of urban waste every day and
employs a staff of 35. Recently,
international NGOs such as the
GoodPlanet Foundation became involved
to help the plant to become financially
sustainable by 2015.
Edems research and his urban wastesorting and composting plant have also

28 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

university, make sure you take A-level

courses in these subjects. He likes to
tell students that they are living in a
globalised world but that they should not
blindly follow the latest trendy ideas
promoted through social media. They
should follow their own intuition, develop
their own talents and learn as quickly as
possible how to set up and implement
their own research projects.

Edem considers the award for his

research recognition that even simple
adaptations to existing technologies can
help Africa feed itself. As a scientist, he
combines a keen interest in formulating
hypotheses and developing scientific
protocols to prove them right or wrong,
with a passion for transferring the
technologies he develops to practical use.
I always feel genuinely excited working
with the ENPRO people in applying my
technologies to large-scale, low-cost
compost production and going out to the
villages to talk with farmers and convince
them to replace expensive chemical
fertilizers with much cheaper and equally
effective compost.

In Togo, Edem has now become a strong

advocate for turning waste into compost to
replace chemical fertilizers. He is
challenging his government to stop
subsidising chemical fertilizers and instead
to start supporting the production of
equally effective and much cheaper
compost, and to launch campaigns to
encourage farmers to use it. We have
demonstrated to the mayor of Lom that
our way of collecting urban waste and
composting the organic material it contains
saves the city lots of money. It makes
sense to recycle these savings and invest
part of them to produce organic fertilizers
from the waste we produce.

The results of Edems research have

often been contrary to common wisdom.
He is a modest scientist, and as a
student he has struggled to confront his
supervisors and peers with research
findings that no one expected. However,
the international science prize has
brought recognition with it, and he is now
much more confident about speaking out,
not only about his own work but also to
students who want to become agricultural
scientists like him. He often gives
secondary school students the following
advice: Agricultural science is based on
mathematics, chemistry and life sciences.
If you wish to read agricultural science at

Flickr / Deutsche Welle

attracted the attention of the international

agricultural science community. He has
published articles in peer-reviewed
journals, and has been invited to
international conferences to present the
results of his research and discuss how
he has applied them to boost compost
production. In 2013 he was awarded
fourth prize in the 3rd Africa-wide Young
Professionals in Sciences competition.

29

Ring-fence budgets for

agricultural research
Almost all middle-income
people end up retiring to work
on their farms. Why not start
young instead of coming to
it when you are tired and
looking for a new life?

Donald Kugonza, Makerere University,

Uganda

Science, especially its practical aspects,

had always fascinated Donald Kugonza,
so going to university after high school
was a logical step. When I was a child,
on holiday on a farm away from the hustle
and bustle of the town, I decided that I
wanted a career working with livestock.
He can talk with great enthusiasm about
his aunts dairy farm where he lived after
his father died when he was just ten
years old, and about his years at high
school were he did well in agriculture,
even though the subject was frowned on
by his classmates.
Donald studied at Makerere University in
Kampala, Uganda, and graduated in
animal science. He obtained his PhD in
animal breeding and genetics at the same
university. While studying the work of
Mendel and Darwin he kept true to his

roots and continued to grow tomatoes,

cabbages and aubergines on his student
allotment. At Makerere he met Professor
Gabriel Kiwuwa, who not only taught him
animal genetics but also took him under
his wing. He called me son and I really
felt he filled the position of dad that had
been vacant for so long. I admired his
command of animal genetics and
breeding, and still do.
Donald pursued several options to
support his university training. He won a
number of scholarships: one from the
government of Uganda to study for his
BSc degree, a second from DANIDA
(Danish Aid) for his MSc, and another
from NORAD (Norwegian Aid) for his PhD,
which covered the tuition fees, research
costs and his living expenses. He notes
that support for animal science is very

30 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

Donald has had a rewarding university

career. I enjoy my research and the
associated teaching. I am also doing
consulting work, both in Uganda and in
neighbouring countries. He travels widely
in Africa, as well as to Asia, Europe and
the United States. Last year I attended
the 2013 World Food Prize award
ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa. I will not
quickly forget sitting next to Marc Van
Montagu, the man who discovered the
Ti plasmid, part of the genetic equipment
used by bacteria such as Agrobacterium
tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes to transfer
their genetic material to the nuclei of the
plants they attack. I have been fascinated
by this phenomenon throughout my
career. I cant imagine there is anything
else I would enjoy more than scientific
research and teaching.
Donald strongly believes that Uganda
should fund its agricultural research from
its own revenues. He is convinced that
the government should ring-fence funding
for crop and livestock research. Currently,
80% of his own research is funded by
international research organisations such
as the Competitive Grant Scheme of the
National Agricultural Research
Organisation (NARO) in Uganda,
RUFORUM (Regional Universities Forum),
and the Lake Victoria Research Initiative
of the Inter-University Council of East
Africa. He hopes that the Ugandan
government will take its responsibility
soon and replace these agencies as the
principal financier of his research.

Donald won the fifth prize in the Young

Professionals in Science for his research
on pigs. Winning this prize and gaining
publicity has opened doors for him. For
example, NARO invited him to become a
member of the advisory panel to the
National Livestock Resources Research
Institute in Entebbe. Sitting on this panel
together with two eminent scientists has
really helped my career.
With his contagious enthusiasm he is
keen to offer advice to secondary school
students. Choosing a career in
agriculture will bring you accomplishment.
If you want to transform your community
and ensure that people have enough to
eat, agriculture is the career of choice.
And if you are interested in making
money, a career in agriculture will get you
there too, although perhaps not as fast
as you might wish.

ILRI /Danilo peze

limited across the world, but once I had

identified a potential funder, obtaining a
grant was quite easy. The quality of his
research, as well as the compelling
passion with which he talks about his
work, have opened many doors for him.

31

Future prospects for science and innovation

in Africa
Africa remains fully committed at the
highest policy level to the deployment of
science, technology and innovation (ST&I)
for its socio-economic and agricultural
development. Yet agriculture in Africa has a
PR problem; it is generally linked with
poverty, drudgery, long working hours and
low wages. That said, agriculture will remain
Africas most important productive sector,
especially as urban markets expand. It has
the potential to absorb Africas young
professionals; on farms, in agri-business,
in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical
industries, in trade and logistics, and in
research, teaching and training.
Today, agriculture in Africa is experiencing
a renaissance, which the life stories of
these twelve remarkable African men and
women agricultural scientists confirm.
They are trailblazers and their efforts are
improving the quality of farm produce,
making crops and livestock more resilient
to climate change, transforming technology
development by making it more inclusive
and gender sensitive, and enhancing
agribusiness and trade. They are science
and engineering champions for whom the
sky is not their limit but their starting point.
By 2050, 40% of the worlds youth will be
African. Future generations need to be
educated and their energies focused on
productive activities. Parents are prepared
to invest in their childrens future and will
spend every spare penny to enrol their

children in primary and secondary schools,

and in many cases universities. But African
governments need to engage their homegrown talents with the necessary know-how
and understanding of the local context. If
Africa is to make poverty history, they
must continue to invest in creating an
enabling environments for a new cadre
of ST&I champions.
The twelve agricultural scientists portrayed
in this booklet are successful scientists.
They all remained modest and well aware
that it took the support of their families
and village communities to be where they
are now. But they are also devoted to
agricultural innovation. They lead, or will
soon lead, national and international policy
debates on agricultural innovation
systems, food and nutrition security,
biotechnology, nanotechnology and the
battle to stem the impact of climate
change on agriculture. But most of all, they
are role models for the next generation,
who by their example can become better
students, defend what they believe in and
more importantly never give up.
Africa needs a critical mass of highly
motivated, well-trained, skilled and
committed scientists. The life stories in
this publication demonstrate that there
is a foundation on which Africa can build.
Let these and other committed scientists
serve as the launch pad for future
generations.

Judith A. Francis, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA),
Wageningen, the Netherlands

32 | Life Stories of African Women and Young Professionals in Science

About this publication

This booklet takes a look at the life stories of twelve remarkable African agricultural
scientists who are making a difference on the continent and internationally. Ten of them
are the women and young researchers who were winners of the 3rd Africa-wide science
competitions. They are motivated to be part of the solution, and not the problem.
Indeed, as researchers they are helping to transform agriculture by developing
science-based solutions to some of the complex issues facing African farmers. Their
journeys to becoming agricultural scientists are strikingly similar: most of them come
from smallholder farms, and their flair for science was spotted and nurtured by their
secondary school teachers, their families, captivating mentors and generous role models.

2014 CTA and IFS

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
P.O. Box 380
6700 AJ Wageningen
The Netherlands
www.cta.int
International Foundation for Science (IFS)
Karlavgen 108, 5th floor
SE-115 26 Stockholm
Sweden
www.ifs.se