Mawazo Ideas Podcast

Dec 11 2024 47 ep. 36 mins 9
Mawazo Ideas Podcast artwork

The Mawazo Ideas Podcast gives a public platform to Africans who are making an impact with their Big Ideas. In five seasons of the podcast, we have featured interviews with African experts in science and policy. We discuss their science journeys, climate change mitigation and conservation, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent.

In Season 6 of our podcast, we delve into the experiences of African women in research through six compelling episodes. We explore why these women choose to pursue a PhD, the dynamics of research mobility, and how they secure funding for their studies. Additionally, we examine the challenges of studying in politically unstable regions, the crucial role of community support, and the unique obstacles they face—from gendered issues and Black tax to balancing work and personal life. Join us as we uncover the diverse realities and inspiring journeys of African women scholars.

Subscribe to the Mawazo Ideas Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure you don’t miss an episode of this informative science podcast 

  Science  Society & Culture  Business
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Research in the Age of “Gen Z”

Dec 11 2024 63 mins  
How are youth shaping and influencing the African research ecosystem and its future? As the youngest generation in the field, they bring with them a unique perspective, and technological implications as digital natives along with their desires and motivations. Dr. Moses Ngware, Head of Education and Youth Empowerment research at the African Population and Health Research Center, di

Is the African Academy Broken? (BONUS)

Dec 09 2024 65 mins  
If the African academy is broken, how can it be reimagined? In this bonus episode with Prof. Wandia Njoya, we pick up our conversation on how to build alternative systems that encourage intellectual freedom and critical thinking. We examine the unique history of the university system in Kenya, alongside broader challenges across Africa, exploring the tension between government cont

Brain Drain and the Impact on the African Knowledge Economy

Dec 04 2024 40 mins  
Can we reimagine education and create alternatives, or is the African university under siege? With Prof. Wandia Njoya, an Associate Professor of Literature who loves to stretch academic boundaries, we explore the stifling of African talent within the current education system that drives many to seek opportunities abroad. We also discuss the plight of young African women researchers

Bridging Policy and Research to Advance Governance in Africa

Nov 28 2024 51 mins  
We sit down with Dr. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, senior economic policy expert, former Nigerian Minister and Vice President for the World Bank's Africa Region, and founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance to examine how policy impacts the implementation and utility of research across Africa. We discuss what policymakers need to consider to effectively bridge the

Reframing Youth in Academia: Age vs. Experience

Nov 21 2024 36 mins  
What does it means to be a “young” researcher in Africa? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Mutua, a computer science lecturer and Mawazo Fellowship alumnus, to discuss the unique challenges and growth opportunities for young academics. Dr. Elizabeth offers insights from her PhD journey, including the age limitations imposed by funders and the added challenges of b

Research in the Shadow of Conflict

Jul 12 2024 46 mins  
In this Sixth and Final Episode of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast Season Six, scholars explore the impact of conflict on African women researchers.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that 30 million displaced people live in Africa. This is about one-third of the world’s refugee population. Higher numbers have been recorded in Ethiopia, Central African Repub

A Fellowship of Funders: Finding Financial Support for Your PhD

Jul 05 2024 52 mins  
The team explores how African women scholars fund their doctoral studies in this fifth episode of Season Six of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast. The scholars take us on a daring journey of crowdsourcing funding information, seeking familial support, partnering with scholars from different geographical jurisdictions, adapting to existing funding criteria, and mapping new trajectories whene

A Woman's Journey into the Research Realm

Jul 03 2024 82 mins  
This season of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast, we are exploring the Realities of African Women in Research. Join us as we dive into what it truly means to pursue a PhD on the continent on as an African woman.For the first episode of the season, we will follow an African woman's journey into the research realm. African women only account for 31.5 percent of the researchers on the continen

Rising from the Research Fringe: A PhD Saga

Jun 27 2024 57 mins  
In this fourth episode of season 6 of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast, the team explores how women scholars pioneer, research, and generally exist on the margins of academia. Scholars explore the gendered experiences of women academics through the feminist intersectional lens. The discussion focuses on sexism and misogyny within the academy and other critical intersecting identities like

May The Force Be With You: Community in a Scholarly Quest

Jun 12 2024 77 mins  
In this third episode of season 6 of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast, the team explores the role of community in the PhD journey. Scholars communicate in information sharing, innovation, publication, and evaluating each other’s work, establishing and maintaining ties that become an integral part of a scholar’s career. Yet, conducting research is often described as a lonely and isolati