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WHO WE ARE

 

Doing A PhD in Africa (DAPIA) is a nonprofit social investment registered as the Higher Education Leadership Project-Africa in Ghana and The Netherlands. Founded by Dr. Titilope Ajayi in early 2017, it began life as a personal quest for community and space for peer sharing and networking. In the years since, as it became clear that this need was shared by many, what began as an informal peer support group has evolved into a more structured initiative to address multiple aspects of doctoral life in Africa. In addition to the commonly shared needs identified earlier, we have observed that many early doctoral career scholars face challenges of access to knowledge and information pertinent to their studies, structural deificits in various universities, and difficulty mastering some technical capacities, such as research management, academic writing, and resource mobilisation. At a broader level, we have remarked the relative absence of doctoral students from discourses about higher education reform across the continent. Through active scanning of our work environment and interactions with our thousands of community members from across the continent, we have identified some of the most pressing gaps and needs that inform our engagement approaches.

 

WHAT WE DO

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Facilitate access to knowledge and education through:

  • A database of PhD programmes at all African universities (in progress)

  • Dynamic information-sharing about fellowships, research funding, and diverse opportunities and knowledge relevant to doctoral study and scholarship with a focus on Africa

  • PhD LifeStories series: Showcases successful PhDs from African universities to guide current and aspiring scholars.

 

Enhance personal and career development:

  • Monthly PhD Clinic: A peer support forum for exchange among early career African scholars on a wide range of issues

  • Quarterly professional development workshops with experienced scholars and practitioners on a range of topics

  • E-learning courses on technical skills (in progress)

  • Networking and collaboration

 

Support:

  • Small research grants to early career African scholars for innovative impact-driven knowledge production (in progress)

  • Collaborative peer-based troubleshooting of day-to-day challenges faced by early career African scholars  

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Policy Engagement & Advocacy:

  • Support needed reforms in African higher education through engagements with policy actors

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