Submission deadline extended to 15th April 2024
The 10th AfricaLics PhD Academy offers a unique chance for PhD students (and a small number of Masters students) currently pursuing their studies at African universities and focusing on innovation and development studies. This opportunity allows them to enhance their understanding of this growing field, engage with prominent academics in the discipline, and obtain valuable feedback on their continuing research journey.
Africa’s population is expected to reach about 2.6 billion by 2050, up from the current 1.4 billion. This will require an increase in agricultural and food production by up to 70% to fit the population’s needs, a serious challenge for the agriculture and food systems. Such requirement, in the context of resource scarcity, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, soaring food prices, and very harsh socioeconomic conjecture, is difficult to attain without the intervention of emerging technologies and innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) to leapfrog the transformations required in the sector.
The African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) network emphasizes interactive learning and promotes plurality in terms of research approaches, methodologies and theoretical perspectives. AfricaLics fosters a culture where serious research discussions take place in an open and friendly atmosphere.
What We Do
AfricaLics connects scholars working within the areas of innovation and development with specific focus on these issues for African countries. We provide networking opportunities and increase access to education to enhance economic and socially sustainable development in Africa. We provide these opportunities for scholars through various activities including: conferences, PhD academies , visiting fellows programme for PhD students and post-doctoral researchers and dedicated online networking platforms.
Thematic Areas
AfricaLics initially worked within various themes that were seen by scholars involved in the establishment of the network to be under-researched and later has worked to fill some of the gaps. Today members of AfricaLics work on many different topics and thematic areas, ranging from firm level innovation, STI indicators, agricultural innovation systems, innovation and low-carbon development to inclusive innovation and the intersections between innovation and global value chains.
The network currently has two established thematic coordinators: one on development of STI indicators suitable for African contexts and the other on the intersections between innovation and Global Value Chains. Reports from the two thematic coordinators will be posted on our website as they are being completed. Two more thematic coordinators are in the making (on green transition/energy and agricultural innovation systems respectively).
Membership
Members of AfricaLics are expected to be supportive of the goals as they are set out in the preamble above and to act accordingly. They are also expected to take an active part in AfricaLics Conferences and – where relevant – in AfricaLics Academies and participate in other activities of the network.
Alumni Testimonials
Latest News & Blogs
Emerging Technologies and Innovations for Agriculture and Food Systems Security in Africa
Africa’s population is expected to reach about 2.6 billion by 2050, up from the current 1.4 billion. This will require an increase in agricultural and food production by up to 70% to fit the population’s needs, a serious challenge for the agriculture and food systems.
Navigating the Art of Publishing Special Journal Issues: Insights from online AfricaLics Alumni event, October 2023.
As an enthusiastic learner and supporter of academic publishing, the AfricaLics network recently hosted an enthralling seminar on “Publishing Special Journal Issues.” Prof. Geci Karuri-Sabina and Prof. Oluseye Jegede, who are both..
Rethinking biotechnology deployment pathway: Insights for emerging applications like Gene editing
This policy briefing is based on highlights and discussions held during a webinar focusing on‘rethinking biotechnologydeployment pathway: insights for emerging applications like gene drives’.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling… Is Academic Writing a Competence for Everyone???Highlights from AfricaLics course on academic writing skills
After the interviews and selection process, six of us were offered the special privilege to be AfricaLics VFP Fellows (2023 Cohort). Like the other 5 fellows I eagerly anticipated the inception..