Crafting a better future with a stronger science voice: University of York researcher becomes Fellow with The African Academy of Sciences

Professor Rob Marchant said becoming a Fellow was "an honour" because it is rare for an international academic to be recognised in this way. 

Entrepreneurial potential

He said: "I want to help craft a better future where there is a stronger science voice from Africa. Currently African science contributes less than one per cent of scientific publications and patents. That is not good enough. In fact, it is quite shocking given the young and entrepreneurial nature of many African countries' populations. In my opinion this imbalance reflects the long history of systems that promote inequalities, including funding streams, opportunities and the unbalanced power in many 'partnerships'. 

"This is changing (slowly) and will change in the future but has to be supported at all levels."

Combining skills

The African Academy of Sciences is an organisation that coordinates science across the African continent. The non-profit has five focus areas: environment and climate change, health and wellbeing, natural sciences, policy and governance and social sciences, and humanities.

Professor Marchant said there is a pressing need to combine skills, insights and resources to tackle some of the global challenges around climate change. He added: "Many African countries are going to be some of the hardest hit by the impacts of a changing and more variable climate due to their reliance on natural resources, agriculture and rapidly growing and developing economies. Clearly the foundational drivers of global climate change emanate from the Global North.  

Navigating challenges

"We have just started to see the tip of the iceberg of what climate change challenges will come, it is only through partnerships, appropriate tools, techniques and innovation that we can navigate such challenges together."  

One of the focus areas of his fellowship will be collaborative working with NGOs in Africa alongside fundraising. Professor Marchant explained: "One of the challenges is the funding for the work and funding that allows for equitable partnerships, despite the challenges of fees and systems, but we can navigate these. One of things I have been pleasantly surprised to see with the new EU funding stream is a series of emerging calls focused on strong collaboration between Europe and Africa." 

Deeper collaboration

There's an untapped potential from dynamic new tools and deeper collaboration across the content. Professor Marchant added:  "Additionally there are a range of  tools such as the KESHO participatory scenario tool we created on the back of Climate COP 15 (2009)  that has been applied in Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana and Namibia is now being implemented to help with land use planning in Kenya - a tool moving from research to practice. Other tools for institutional support are being created through the Valuing Voices project in York - ultimately helping projects to be crafted that are equitable, impactful and based on solid partnerships. 

"The future is uncertain, of course, but I am confident this Fellowship will allow for closer interaction leading researchers in Africa and through this a voice on the importance of science across the continent, and indeed the role of African science and African scientists across the world."