Imaginable Futures - Africa

For many young mothers becomes a distant dream due to stigma, financial hardship, and lack of supportive policies. How can they be supported to return to school with dignity and opportunity?

Our partner Z**i Afrique Foundation in partnership with the government, is working to strengthen the school re-entry policy for adolescent mothers, ensuring they have a second chance at education.

Z**i Afrique Foundation, government collaborate to explore School re-entry policy among adolescents – Kenya News Agency Z**i Afrique Foundation, government collaborate to explore School re-entry policy among adolescents KNA6 March 8, 2025 Counties, Editor Picks, Education, Nairobi, Social 0 Non-profit firm Z**i Afrique Foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Education (MoE) Policy and Partnership Department and...

Our partner The Mawazo Institute has released a report highlighting the experiences and challenges of women researchers. It calls for greater investment, mentorship, and policy action to create an equitable research ecosystem.

Key insights:
▪️𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐬: 𝟔𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.
▪️𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝟕𝟗% 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐃𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.
▪️𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬: 𝟑𝟖% 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

📖 To read more on the report, see link: https://shorturl.at/aadgD

"For Kenya to benefit from a demographic dividend, it is necessary to address the skills mismatch in educational institutions."

We couldn't agree more!

Involve youths in policy policy reforms to tackle skills mismatch, unemployment The government has also been criticised for rolling out education policy reforms that are not evidence-based, often arising from political declarations rather than research.

Today, our very own Samuel Mugacha moderated an insightful webinar on building resilient systems. Thank you to the entire team On Think Tanks and all of the panelists for leading this important discussion.

Some key takeaways:
1️⃣ Sustainable Research Funding – Africa must transition from short-term, donor-driven research funding to long-term, policy-anchored domestic investment.

2️⃣ Maximizing Existing Research – 60-80% of research remains unpublished and underutilized. We must curate, disseminate, and apply existing local knowledge effectively.

3️⃣ Strengthening Public & Private Collaboration – National research councils, improved infrastructure, and greater business sector involvement are essential for sustainable research funding.

4️⃣ Mindset Shift & Storytelling – We need to get better at communicating research impact and prioritizing local evidence. Global organizations should support rather than dictate African research agendas.

5️⃣ Addressing Structural Barriers – Legal and bureaucratic hurdles make it difficult to channel funding effectively. We must streamline contracting processes and equip institutions with the right skills to navigate complex funding landscapes.

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In honor of International Women's Day, we're spotlighting our partner The Mawazo Institute in our latest blog.

This year's theme, Accelerate Action, is a call to end systemic barriers that prevent gender equality. Mawazo Institute is doing just that by shining a light on the critical role researchers play in shaping the future of the continent.

How Mawazo is Powering Progress This year’s International Women’s Day is calling for the urgent dismantling of barriers that continue to hinder women. The Mawazo Institute is shining a light on the critical role African women researchers play in shaping the future of the continent.

Kenya’s youth are shaping the future—are we truly listening to them?
At the Africa Media Festival, our partner Shujaaz Kenya shared groundbreaking insights from seven years of research, where they interviewed 13,000 young people across Kenya.

If you’re working to create impact for young people, this is a resource worth looking at. Check out their full report here:https://kenyanyouthtrends.shujaazinc.com/Executive%20Summary%20-%207%20Years%2013K%20conversations.pdf

What does it take to unlock the economic future of young women—right where they are, on their own terms?

Our partner Educate! livelihood bootcamps were recently featured in a short film - “Taking the Alternative Path” - that highlights the barriers faced by young hashtag unable to access formal hashtag across rural Kenya.

It follows Jackline, Precious, and Beatrice on their path to economic independence.

Taking the Alternative Path

In Sub-Saharan Africa, research output remains disproportionately low despite the region accounting for 15% of the global population.

Through research and collaboration with universities, our partner African Population and Health Research Center is reshaping Africa’s landscape by redefining mentorship and supervision experiences for in STEM across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

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A Collaborative Framework for Gender-Lensed Supervision and Mentorship in East Africa - APHRC In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), women remain vastly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Despite accounting for 15% [...]Read More...

How can funders, and institutions invest in homegrown knowledge that speaks to Africa’s realities and aspirations?

Over the past 18 months, the Enhancing Education Research in Africa (EERA) project has engaged over 200 researchers to identify challenges and opportunities in the sector. The result? A set of practical, priorities that will lead towards a truly African-led and impactful education research ecosystem.

Key interventions?
✅ Direct access to funding
✅ Core funding & national research frameworks for sustainability
✅ Locally monitored outcomes to ensure relevance and impact
✅ African-led, long-term, and flexible funding principles
✅ Equity-driven access, prioritizing women, youth, marginalized groups, and early-career researchers.

The EERA project is led by our partner ESSA - Education Sub Saharan Africa in collaboration with Southern Hemisphere Thank you to our other partners Echidna Giving and Jacobs Foundation for being part of this initiative.

For more information, visit: https://essa-africa.org/node/1831

Do we need a national convention to resolve the myriad CBC Implementation problems? Join our Executive Director, Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa, today at 3:30 PM on 's X space, alongside Dr. Pamela Odhiambo, hosted by and be part of this conversation NTV Kenya Imaginable Futures - Africa Sam Gituku