Connie Nshemereirwe is an educational measurement specialist and former engineer who served as co‑chair and executive committee member of the Global Young Academy between 2016 and 2021. As a trainer, writer and speaker she works to link science and policy, and she contributes to the Africa Science Focus podcast.
She tells SciDev.Net that the research agenda in Africa should emerge from the grassroots and that new projects must focus on building stronger bridges between scientists in the global South. She notes that many research questions in Africa were set externally rather than by local communities, and she hopes future work will be more informed by African voices, more responsive to local challenges and better at producing fitting solutions. She also observes a change in science communication: researchers increasingly value simplifying findings so the public can understand them.
On education, Nshemereirwe said Uganda’s long school closures during the pandemic made an already complex situation worse. Children suffered learning losses and some did not return to school; some took work to earn a little money. She warns that leaving school narrows future possibilities, while acknowledging that a formal qualification today is not a guarantee of employment. She describes her own path: at Advanced level she tried economics but was directed into chemistry by her headmistress, then studied physics, chemistry and mathematics and later trained as an engineer. Scientific training taught her systematic, analytical and critical thinking.
Nshemereirwe is director of the Africa Science Leadership Program and was a 2015 fellow. The programme brought together scientists from many disciplines — for example toxicologists, mathematicians, lawyers, musicians, evolutionary scientists and educationists — and showed that funding and collaboration patterns are similar across the continent, with much research funding coming from the global North. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity and was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub‑Saharan Africa desk.
Difficult words
- grassroots — ordinary people and local community level
- agenda — a plan of topics for work or research
- global south — countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America
- responsive — quick to react to needs or changes
- simplify — make something easier to understandsimplifying
- learning loss — reduced knowledge and skills from disrupted schoolinglearning losses
- systematic — done in an orderly, planned way
- funding — money provided for a project or activity
- collaboration — work done together by two or more people
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could researchers and communities work together to set a research agenda from the grassroots? Give examples and challenges.
- What long-term effects might learning losses and school dropout have on young people’s futures in your country or region?
- How can simplifying research findings for the public help or harm public understanding and policy decisions? Explain with reasons.
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