FIRST WORKSHOP OF THE DELGEME Plus PROGRAMME
The DELGEME Plus programme held its first workshop, devoted to reviewing the research topics of doctoral and post-doctoral candidates, from 19 to 23 February 2024 in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The opening ceremony was marked by a welcome address from an official of the Ibadan International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), followed by welcome notes from
Professor Iruka Okeke of the University of Ibadan, co-applicant on the programme and host for the day, who kicked off the activities. This inaugural session, in a hybrid format,
brought together the programme’s co-applicants, fellows and administrative support staff from nine African countries, including: Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Cameroon,
Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa.
The main objectives of the workshop were:
- A review of the programme’s activities since its official launch on 11, 12 and 13 September 2023 in Bamako;
- to finalise the research topics for future doctoral and post-doctoral fellows;
- promoting public and community engagement;
- revising the action plan for 2024 and the following steps of the recruitment process;
- visiting the partner’s laboratories;
- Examination of the new master’s degree in Anti-Microbial Resistance created within the University of Science, Technology and Technology of Bamako (USTTB) in response to the programme’s proposal;
- clarification of the next steps for DELGEME Plus fellowship awardees.
Professor Abdoulaye Djimde, Programme Director, gave an update on the progress of the programme, highlighting, among other things, the recruitment of ten master’s students for
the first cohort, the pre-selection of five doctoral students and four post-doctoral fellows. He also mentioned USTTB’s certification in Good Financial Grant Practice for grant management,
as well as the submission of the programme’s first technical report to the donor.
Presentation of research projects:
Each grantee presented his or her project in an outstanding manner, leading to an in-depth debate and critical exchanges that prompted each candidate to reconsider and make the necessary
improvements, considering the consortium’s recommendations. To this end, each candidate was supported by a member of the consortium to help them refine their project.
Dr Oumou Maiga, coordinator of the DELGEME Plus master’s programme, gave a progress report on the scheduling of courses and the breakdown of teaching by semester.
The participants had the honour of visiting the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, including specifically the microbiology laboratory leaded by Professor Iruka Okeke, who also
presented a summary of the activities she directs or supervises there.
The meeting concluded with a dinner hosted by Professor Iruka Okeke.
The next meeting will be in Kenya in 2025 to assess the mid-term progress of DELGEME Plus.
