December 2018

The West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA) held its 12th annual conference at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, from 25-30 November, 2018 and was focused on “Strengthening Research, Innovation Incubation and Knowledge Product Delivery for National and Regional Development”.

SARIMA, in support of strengthening Research Management (RM) beyond the SADC boarders, accepted the invitation by WARIMA to present a joint workshop with the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) on the professionalisation of RM in West Africa. The workshop was attended by 35 people and focused on: (i) the RM Professional Competency Framework (PCF) developed by SARIMA and how WARIMA members could utilise this tool, (ii) increasing awareness of the importance of professional research management in the context of accountability, (iii) the range of professionalisation efforts that are in progress in Africa, (iv) experiences of West African universities in their RM capacity building efforts, (v) AAS efforts to engage research managers and leadership in WARIMA on the establishment of a pan-African network of research managers recognised by the African Union.

In her concluding remarks, Dr Patricia Lar, WARIMA Secretary General highlighted the importance of WARIMA to engage with research mangers within the region and with the committee of Vice Chancellors. She also emphasised the importance of the PCF and its use in planning of professional development and careers for research managers.  She furthermore expressed her thanks to SARIMA, represented by Dr Jose Jackson-Malete and Ms Petronella Chirawu and the ASS, represented by Ms Allen Mukhwana.