The network of African women researchers Nowisafrica is born
Madrid, 8th July. Today, the NOWISAFRICA network (Network of Women Scientists Innovating in Africa) has been formally constituted in its first plenary meeting, which brings together more than 40 women scientists from the African continent linked to our Ellas Investigan program.
The aim of this network is to constitute a platform for the action of African researchers committed to the common goal of breaking down gender barriers and generating a culture of innovation and research in their countries.
The meeting, which has been focused on the analysis of the effects and management of the Covid-19 pandemic, has started with a brief open plenary with the intervention of María Teresa Fernandez De la Vega. The president has highlighted the importance of science, especially in these times, and has underlined the hard impact that the crisis is having, particularly on women.
Besides, she has appealed the researchers to work together to find the most effective ways to collaborate in the fight against the pandemic and its consequences from an interdisciplinary point of view. She has also encouraged them to reflect on how science can contribute to something as necessary on the continent as the achievement of peace.
Then, the participants have been divided into four parallel thematic groups that have addressed the different aspects of the crisis caused by the pandemic: Health and biomedicine; Economic impact and mitigation measures; Hard sciences, internet of things and information and communication technology; and Sustainable agriculture and food security.
Valuable conclusions and proposals have emerged from the four groups, which will be included in a document that we will soon publish on this website. And with them we will prepare an action plan that will constitute the roadmap of this network. A network born with the strength, enthusiasm and tenacity that characterize African women.