As with most countries participating in the Gender Equality and Inclusivity (GEI) Project, the core issue in Zambia is the low participation of women in research activities. Through collaboration, 13 African research councils aim to address gender inequality in research and make the research-granting process in science, technology, and innovation (STI) more equitable. This series of posts highlights their work – to find out more about the project, click here. 

The Acting Programme Officer of Grants at the National Science and Technology Council, Phica Ndhlovu-Jalabani says that as a council they are looking to promote women’s participation in research activities, particularly in science, technology, and innovation. Their goal is for women to actively participate in the country’s development agenda and bridge the gap that exists between men and women. 

Ndhlovu-Jalabani explains that in rural areas, there is no access to STEM learning facilities, which is having a long-term impact on Zambia’s research space and culture. If we recognise that researchers are built from a young age, it’s important to nurture and support activities and facilities that promote youth development. The council in Zambia is addressing these deficits by building projects and opportunities in areas that lack resources so that young people can thrive. 

They’ve identified numerous resource-limited schools where they are establishing STEM Centres of Excellence. These centres include libraries, and science and computer laboratories. So far, they have supported two STEM Centres of Excellence, and they’re working towards their third. Through these centres, they aim to nurture the youth to be the researchers of the future and inspire rural girls and boys to perform better and drive enthusiasm for research. 

This grassroots-based approach is important, and they believe it will improve the research environment. As part of their mission, they also support two research funds and are actively working to encourage the participation of women. They believe in the power of collaboration to bring more women on board and through this project, they’re developing policies and frameworks to improve gender equality, inclusivity, and intersectionality, and work towards greater representation of women. 

The National Science and Technology Council of Zambia is also currently undertaking a process to develop an institutional GEI strategy, an activity funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the National Research Foundation, South Africa under the SGCI-GEI project.

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