Return to work in Africa and avoid isolation: could networks of African scientists be an answer?

Mohamed Benguerna, Research Centre in Economy Applied to Developpement, Algiers, Algeria

This is a crucial question. We observe that African scientists are generally active in scientific and professional research networks, but often these are research networks belonging to countries in the North.

Emmanuel Kamdem, université de Douala, Cameroun / University of Douala, Cameroon

The fact is that scientific collaboration is stronger between African scientists and researchers from Western countries, between the South and the North.

Nathalie Persson, Fondation internationale pour la science, Suède / International Foundation for Science, Sweden

Since in Africa we are mainly used to seeing vertical collaboration, I think we would gain more by also teaching these young people to collaborate in a network. And that's why it's very important that we team up with other researchers who are interested in this same type of problem. We have a much better chance of opening up our perspectives and understanding of the problem. We cannot work in silos.

Emmanuel Kamdem

Today, doing research, whether scientific, fundamental or applied, means being able to read and express oneself in English. We should be able to break down these borders and ensure that French-speaking scientists are better inspired by the scientific productions of English-speaking scientists, and vice versa.

Mohamed Benguerna

First, there is a communication and information problem. Secondly, I also think it's a cultural problem. There are behaviours that often return : the African scientists generally seek associations with a research center or with an institution from Europe or from the US.

Emmanuel Kamdem

Another difficulty is mobility. That is, traveling at the continental level. For instance, it is much easier for an African scientist to travel from Douala to Paris than to travel from Douala to Nairobi, or from Douala to Johannesburg.

Mohamed Benguerna

The first priority is to target this type of network, to target people concerned with the same problems and make them work together.

Emmanuel Kamdem

To develop a network, resources are needed. Human resources : skilled scientists, who love their work, who are truly committed to African research. The other question that always comes up is that of financial resources. It is easier to obtain funding when we are together, when we present projects that do not take place in a single country, but in several, thus bringing together African scientists from different countries and different nationalities.

Interviews by Jean-François Haït