13 African countries are collaborating as part of the Gender Equality and Inclusivity (GEI) Project to examine and address gender inequality in public research funding practices. The council in Senegal are analysing gender equality and women’s inclusion in research. This series of posts highlights the work of each African council – to find out more, click here. 

Senegal has only 25% representation of women in higher education and research, and the challenges faced by women haven’t been adequately identified. These factors mean that women have very little career advancement in the research landscape. 

Chargé de politique STI Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur de la Recherche et de l’Innovation (MESRI), Daouda Diouf explains that in Senegal they’re targeting vulnerable groups and through this project they hope to capture as many women as possible and to inspire them to embrace the world of research. He explains that you cannot develop a country without the participation of women and the vulnerable members of society. They aim to encourage women by creating economic means and resources to motivate them to participate in the STI ecosystem. Part of the work that they do is supporting women to complete dissertations and postgraduate studies without any constraints. The other is bringing women together in associations to carry out gender-related activities. 

They are using a mixed methodology approach to collect and analyse data about the representation of women in higher education and research. By focusing on the challenges faced by women, they will then be able to develop a gender equality, inclusivity, and intersectionality (GEII) strategic plan for the research sector. 

They have drawn up and validated a national strategic plan, under the authority of the president, that takes into account the country’s research and innovation. This plan is to include women and vulnerable groups. The goal is to make women key players in research and innovation through capacity building in GEII by the end of 2025, because it is time to raise the representation of women in research in Senegal. The message from Diouf is that “even men now understand that the world cannot move on without the contribution of women and vulnerable people.”

Funding for implementing GEII activities was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the National Research Foundation, South Africa.