Future Africa Celebrates 10 Years of the Africa Science Leadership Programme (ASLP)

A remarkable milestone is on the horizon for the University of Pretoria (UP). It’s flagship initiative, the Africa Science Leadership Programme (ASLP), hosted at Future Africa—UP’s pan-African platform for collaborative research—marks its 10th anniversary. Launched in 2015 and funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the ASLP brought together 20 outstanding researchers from across the African continent, supported by a global facilitation team, to initiate what has since become a widely recognised, life-changing programme.

On 24 and 25 October 2024, the ASLP will celebrate a decade of empowering researchers as thought leaders, honing their leadership skills to drive scientific progress across Africa and beyond. The celebration will coincide with a follow-up workshop for the 2023 cohort of ASLP fellows, who will reflect on their year-long fellowship and the skills they have gained. The two-day event will also bring together a diverse group of guests, alumni, and friends of the programme to commemorate this significant milestone. Over the past decade, 12 researchers from the University of Pretoria (UP) have been selected through a rigorous process that evaluates talent from across Africa. These researchers, transformed by their experience, have shared the leadership and research skills gained through the ASLP with their peers and institutions.

Prof Eshchar Mizrachi from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was one of the inaugural fellows and now serves as a facilitator for the programme. Another inaugural fellow, Prof Surette van Staden from the Faculty of Education, also represented UP during the first cohort.

The following UP researchers have been selected for the ASLP since its inception:

• 2016: Prof Andre Ganswindt, Director of the Mammal Research Institute, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• 2017: Dr  Thierry Hoareau, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• 2018: Dr  Nwabisa Mehlomakulu and Dr. Johan Ferreira, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• 2019: Prof  Roula Inglesi-Lotz, Department of Economics
• 2021: Dr  Christopher Marufu, Faculty of Veterinary Science
• 2022: Dr  Yvette Hlophe, Faculty of Health Sciences; Dr. Daniel William Hart, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; Dr Jessika Bohlmann, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
• 2023: Dr  Werner Cordier, Faculty of Health Sciences

Inspired by the ASLP, the Tuks Young Research Leader Programme (TYRLP) was launched in 2015, which trained 20 fellows through a two-day leadership programme, expanding leadership skills development at UP over the past decade. A total of 121 UP researchers have benefited from this initiative. The success of the ASLP has also inspired spin-off programmes globally, reaching over 600 researchers to date. The ASLP’s next chapter aims to build on this momentum, further positioning Africa as a global leader in scientific research and innovation.

Visit the ASLP website: https://www.aslp.science