Cape Town, South Africa · 19 April 2024 — African Gong, the Pan-African Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology and Science Communication, concluded the core workshop of its fifth Africa Scientifique cohort at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa, expanding the programme's reach to include students from two historically disadvantaged universities.
The three-day intensive workshop, held from 17 to 19 April 2024 at AIMS South Africa in Cape Town, brought together researchers, academics, and for the first time, Honours students from the University of Venda (UNIVEN) and Walter Sisulu University (WSU) — institutions serving predominantly rural and historically marginalized communities in South Africa.
A Three-Phase Programme Model
The 2024 Africa Scientifique programme was structured into three distinct phases designed to build both knowledge and practical capacity:
Phase 1: Introduction (February–April 2024)
An in-person mini-workshop was conducted for AIMS South Africa researchers on 23 February 2024, followed by online introductory sessions for UNIVEN and WSU students on 9 April 2024. This phase established foundational concepts and prepared participants for the intensive workshop.
Phase 2: Core Workshop (17–19 April 2024)
The main three-day workshop at AIMS South Africa covered the leadership, knowledge, and practical skills necessary for effective science communication. Sessions addressed the unique challenges of communicating scientific research to African publics, including navigating cultural contexts, language diversity, and varying levels of scientific literacy.
Phase 3: Post-Workshop Mentoring (May–October 2024)
A six-month mentoring and project support period followed the workshop, during which participants planned, delivered, and evaluated their own practical public engagement activities. This extended support phase distinguishes Africa Scientifique from one-off training events, ensuring that participants translate learning into action.
An Afrocentric Approach to Science Communication
A defining feature of the Africa Scientifique programme is its explicit commitment to an Afrocentric footprint in science communication. The programme deliberately moves away from Eurocentric models of science communication, which have historically dominated African academic institutions, toward approaches that prioritize local cultural and social paradigms.
This approach recognizes that effective science communication in Africa requires more than translating Western best practices. It demands engagement with indigenous knowledge systems, local languages, community structures, and culturally appropriate communication channels. The programme's curriculum addresses these dimensions directly, equipping participants with the skills to communicate science in ways that resonate with African audiences.
Leadership and Vision
The programme is led by African Gong, an organization founded to improve public understanding of and engagement with science and technology across Africa. The organization is led by President Elizabeth Rasekoala, a prominent advocate for inclusive science communication who has written extensively on the need for culturally contextualized approaches to public engagement with science in African settings.
Under Rasekoala's leadership, African Gong has positioned science communication not merely as a skill set for researchers but as a critical component of Africa's broader development agenda. The organization argues that when African scientists can effectively communicate their work to publics, policymakers, and communities, the social returns on scientific investment multiply dramatically.
Why Science Communication Matters for Africa
The programme addresses a critical gap in African research training. Traditional undergraduate and postgraduate curricula across the continent rarely include science communication as a formal component, leaving researchers ill-equipped to engage with the publics who ultimately fund and benefit from their work.
This gap has several consequences:
- Research findings often remain inaccessible to the communities most affected by the issues studied
- Policy decisions are made without adequate input from scientific evidence
- Public trust in science is undermined when researchers cannot communicate their work effectively
- Career opportunities in science communication remain unexplored by talented African graduates
By filling this curricular gap, Africa Scientifique aims to produce researchers who are not only technically proficient but also effective communicators and public engagement practitioners.
The Broader Science Communication Ecosystem in Africa
Africa Scientifique operates within a growing ecosystem of science communication capacity-building initiatives across the continent:
| Organization | Focus |
|---|---|
| Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) | Kenya-based; offers courses in science communication, grant writing, and scientific publishing |
| Science for Africa (SFA) Foundation | Integrates science communication through its Public Engagement with Science (PES) programme |
| Jive Media Africa | Partners with universities for researcher training in media engagement and branding |
| STEMi Makers of Africa | SciComm In Practice Fellowship for early-career science communicators |
| Leaders of Africa Institute | Virtual Research Communication Program for researchers and practitioners |
Looking Forward
As the fifth cohort's six-month mentoring period concluded in October 2024, participants had developed and delivered their own public engagement activities — from community science workshops to media appearances and social media campaigns. This practical output represents the programme's ultimate measure of success: not just trained researchers, but researchers actively engaging African publics with science.
The continued expansion of the programme — from AIMS researchers to students at historically disadvantaged universities — signals a recognition that science communication capacity must be built broadly across the African higher education landscape, not concentrated at elite institutions alone. As the programme enters its sixth year, its Afrocentric model offers a template for how Africa can develop its own approaches to the global challenge of connecting science with society.
Sources
- African Gong, 2024 Africa Scientifique Programme Overview, 23 May 2024 —
- African Gong, About Us —
- AIMS South Africa, 2025 Africa Scientifique Programme —
- American Scientist, Global Discourse on Science Communication —
FIRAT Editorial Board
Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
