The Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) is calling on relevant stakeholders to provide mentorship for women in academia so that more of them will become principal researchers.
This comes at the back of what transpired at the recently held UCC 7th Research Awards and Grants (RAG) Ceremony where out of the seven awards for best researchers, there was only one female and of the 39 research grantees only nine female principal investigators were recorded.
According to DRIC, this narrative has to change, and to achieve that women in academia must receive more mentorship so that apart from collaborating with their male counterparts for research, they can also lead studies.
Deputy Director of the UCC Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC), Professor Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah indicates that “the mentorship, whatever it takes to do it, more will be needed.”
She was speaking at the UCC 7th Research Awards and Grants (RAG) Ceremony on Wednesday, 16th November 2022.
Prof. Obiri-Yeboah notes that the number of females recorded is reflected in the applications and believes the narrative must change to include more females.
The Awards received at this year’s edition included one Best Evolved Researcher Award, one Best Evolving Researcher Award, and five Best College-Level Researcher Awards.
The Research Support Grants also comprised two awards for Policy and Practice-Oriented Research Support Grant-University-Wide, two awards for Non-Teaching Senior Members, 9 for Individual Researchers, 17 awards for Group-Led Research, four for Inter-Departmental Research, and five for Special Funded Research.
In all, there were 7 Best Researcher Awards and 39 Research Support Grants.
The 7th Research Awards and Grants Ceremony was held on the theme “Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development in a charging World: The Role of African Universities”.
Read also: SDG goals: Africa has made little progress – Prof. Margaret Gyapong
Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
