Six bright young African PhD students, members of the first cohort of scientists from across the continent awarded scholarships by the Africa Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) for Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology will share their experiences, research, and plans for applying the knowledge they have gained as part of the program back home.
In addition to hearing from the PhD students, we will also hear from:
- African governments and universities – why they see RSIF as a groundbreaking innovation in regional integration and collaboration
- RSIF donors (World Bank & Korea) – why establishing a regional fund for training, research and innovation in Africa was an operational breakthrough with potential for replication in other regions.
RSIF is a unique and far-reaching initiative, driven by African governments to accelerate the creation of a skilled and high quality labor force to propel Africa’s socioeconomic transformation. It supports PhD training, which incorporates international and home country study; applied research; and innovation for enterprises in priority development sectors within Africa. Operationalized just 2 years ago, 6 African countries have already joined the fund, along with development partners, including the World Bank, and more will join in 2020.