The Africa Scientifique (AS) Programme empowers graduate students and researchers with essential skills to effectively communicate science and engage with diverse African communities. Following a three-day science communication workshop (Phase 2), participants begin a six-month project support phase (Phase 3), where they apply their knowledge through real-world outreach initiatives. These Afrocentric science communication projects are designed to address local societal challenges, bringing science closer to communities in meaningful and impactful ways.

'Mathematics is a key solution to the world’s pressing problems. As emerging scientists, we must learn to share it in our communities’ local languages to reach and benefit more people.' — Africa Scientifique Participant, 2020"

 Science Communication Projects: The 2020 and 2021 Africa Scientifique cohorts (AIMS South Africa)

Mentoring and Support Planning & Delivery

With guidance from the AIMS House of Science and African Gong, participants design, implement, and evaluate their public engagement activities. This hands-on phase includes strategic mentoring to help students create impactful science communication strategies, from tool design and platform selection to project delivery. Students benefit from Lab sessions, as well as group and peer-to-peer mentoring offered both online and in person.

Delivery of Outreach Science Communication Activities

The project activities highlight students' creativity, innovation, leadership, and empowerment, showcasing how the Africa Scientifique Programme enables young researchers to use mathematics in addressing societal challenges. These projects reach diverse audiences—including marginalized communities—across various locations and employ a range of communication goals, formats, tools, and African indigenous languages to connect mathematics with socio-economic and cultural issues.

By engaging with the public, these emerging scientists are gaining valuable skills to become leaders in science communication. Through hands-on experiences, they share insights, learning outcomes, and the challenges faced in building trust and impact.

The project activities demonstrate students’ creativity, innovation, leadership, empowerment and the impact of the programme in terms of how mathematics can be used to address societal challenges. They (activities) further illustrate the diversity of public audiences (particularly the hard-to-reach and/or neglected), geographical locations, goals for communicating, mathematical themes or concepts, engagement platforms, formats and tools, use of African indigenous languages, and range of topics inspired by African socio-economic and cultural challenges. Most importantly, the project activities demonstrate that young African researchers are willing to engage with public audiences, and if they are equipped with the necessary skills, their potential to be well-rounded scientists who can contribute to science communication advancement and footprint on the continent could be realised. The students also shared their learning outcomes, insights and knowledge from the ‘hands-on’ experiences and ongoing science engagement intentions and challenges they faced during the project activities delivery process, from enrolment to engendering trust and impact in their target audience.

Recognition and Rewards for Completing Africa Scientifique Phase 3

In recognition of participants' outstanding commitment and successful completion of Phase 3 of the AS Programme, each participant receives a cash prize, a Leadership Certificate, and a commendation letter to support their career progression.