THIRTY African women were recogniSed with the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Sub-Saharan Africa Awards on December over the weekend in Cotonou, Benin.

These women, including 25 PhD candidates and five post-doctoral researchers from 15 countries, are leading groundbreaking research to tackle critical issues facing the continent, such as food security, public health, and the effects of climate change.

In a joint statement, the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO highlighted the ongoing gender disparity in scientific fields. Women represent only 31.5percent of researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa, a gap the two organizations have worked to close over the past 15 years through initiatives like the For Women in Science program. Since its inception, the program has supported 240 young researchers from 34 African countries, having reviewed over 4,000 applications during its selection process.

The 2024 awardees, whose research spans multiple scientific disciplines, have been granted financial support, including research grants of €10,000 (about $10,500) for PhD candidates and €15,000 for post-doctoral researchers. In addition, the women will receive leadership, communication, and negotiation training, which will equip them to overcome challenges such as sexism and to excel in their careers.

The awardees’ work addresses a range of urgent issues, with projects spanning from agricultural sciences to health and environmental research. Some notable honorees include:

Bakang Kedumetse Kgasudi from Botswana, whose research in agricultural sciences focuses on developing climate-resilient cowpea varieties, a staple crop in Southern Africa.

Blessing Olagunju, a chemistry doctoral student from Nigeria, dedicated to improving water quality in the region.

Dr. Caroline Rosemyya Kwawu from Ghana, whose work on turning sunlight into fuel could contribute to sustainable energy solutions.

Irene Nandutu from Uganda, a postdoctoral researcher using artificial intelligence to study child brain health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Other notable awardees include Happyness Ngonyani from Tanzania, who is promoting water access in her country, and Tendai Abgirl Makore from Zimbabwe, researching the nutritional benefits of edible insects to improve food security.

One of the awardees, Pamela Ncube from Zimbabwe, shared her inspiring journey to becoming a scientist. Growing up with a strong interest in biology and a passion for solving health problems, Ncube faced many challenges in her career, particularly self-doubt and financial barriers. She credits mentorship for helping her overcome moments of uncertainty, emphasizing the importance of community support for women in science.

Ncube, one of this year’s winners, spoke to University World News about her research and becoming a scientist.

Ncube said that, growing up, she was a curious child and her grandparents fuelled this curiosity. She also had role models who included nurses and doctors within the community. They were solution- driven, making her want to be in the healthcare industry.

“From the time I was in school, transitioning to high school, I really was in love with biology and [how] the subject solves problems surrounding health. And then that’s when I came across biological sciences in high school. From there, I chose a degree in science,” she said.

Ncube stressed the importance of mentorship, which helped her in her academic journey when she was afflicted by a lot of self-doubt. “So a scientific career is challenging on its own, and there are many times when you fail more than win. In times when I felt rejected, maybe because of the [failure to secure] a grant or marks that were not good, I felt a lot of self-doubt about whether a scientific career was the thing for me or not. But, during that time, particularly during my undergraduate studies and now, I have had a team that supports me in coaching and mentoring and that boosted my confidence, even in the challenging times,” Ncube said.

“Another challenge was funding. To study science is very expensive and, even if you do have the money, the expenses can be a lot more [than expected].“So, throughout my career, I stressed about academics and also stressed that my funds [would not be] enough to really make me relaxed and [able to] focus on academics.”

Ncube said that, throughout her studies, she learned how to write for and grab opportunities for funding, which landed her a couple of scholarships that have funded her to where she is now.

Ncube’s doctoral studies at Stellenbosch University’s faculty of medicine and health sciences in South Africa focus on animal tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, an organism that has been studied far less than the more prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which primarily affects humans.

“This bacterium affects primarily animals including the rhino, lions, buffaloes, warthogs and more. My project is trying to find methods to understand the bacterium and how this bacterium manifests in animals because we know that, in humans, there are different states of infection,” said Ncube.

“When we are able to differentiate, then we can save the animal because the current policies are to cull the animal … just put down the animal when it is found to be infected. And the other aspect of it is to also influence policy. I can not only focus on culling the animals, but on saving the animals.”