Research Capacity Enhancement Training for Female Researchers concluded
A second round of Research Capacity Enhancement Training for Female Researchers was conducted from April 3-6, 2024 at the University of Gondar. The training, organized by the RISA project at the University of Gondar was attended by top university management, female academicians from various disciplines, research institutes and the project staff.
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Kassahun Tegegne, Academic Vice President of the University of Gondar, stated that the RISA project is engaged in improving the livelihood of poor farming households by scaling up improved agricultural technologies. Besides, the project aims to enhance the research knowledge and skills of female researchers as capacitating farmers and researchers go hand-in-hand. He also explained that the training provides the trainees with an opportunity to learn about data analysis and publication and become competitive academics and researchers.
Dr. Asrat Atsedeweyn, President of the University of Gondar, shared with the trainees that the university has been working to create employment opportunities for capable female staff despite limitations in taking initiative and assuming principal researcher and administrative roles. Although female academicians have the capacity, they are not involved in research endeavors as expected. The population of female staff at the university needs to demonstrate their capacity and potential to contribute to the institution and their communities. He emphasized that female academicians should become pioneers in all activities taking place at the university and set an example for female students. “The efforts by RISA are encouraging, and the University of Gondar will continue to support female academics and the project in achieving their goals”, said Dr. Asrat.
The overall objectives of the RISA project, capacity enhancement training, and what is expected from the trainees were introduced by a project staff. The RISA project at the University of Gondar aims to create networking opportunities and strengthen the research and innovation ecosystem for female researchers at the university.
The first-round training has been successful in capacitating female researchers and the University showed its commitment by funding research projects led by female staff. The RISA project at the university of Gondar also aims to improve knowledge management and scale up innovation through participatory processes involving diverse stakeholders. This year, RISA plans to work more on increasing the visibility of female researchers through publications and research dissemination.
Dr. Zewditu Abdissa and Dr. Lemma Derseh facilitated part of the training on quantitative data analysis, while Dr. Molalign Belay and Dr. Alemu Azemera facilitated the qualitative data analysis and scientific writing and publication part, respectively. During the training, the trainees had a hands-on experience with both types of data analysis and had the opportunity to learn from the research experiences of the trainers.
In the end, Dr. Wuletaw Mekuria, delegate of the Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer at the University of Gondar, celebrated the project’s objectives and actions in addressing half of the Sustainable Development Goals. He also recommended the trainees to set up a sort of group to hunt for research grants and embark on research activities. Lastly, he reminded the trainees of establishing linkage between themselves and academicians and researchers working elsewhere in the world.