Meet the 12 Outstanding Science Communication Fellows in Africa for 2024-25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WED, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
Washington, D.C., September 18, 2025 — Today, STEMi Makers of Africa is pleased to announce the selection of the 2024-2025 SciComm in Practice Fellows.
After careful selection of dedicated fellows and commitment to shining a light on our shared human experience as well as demonstrating the power of science and exploration to change the world through science communication, these ten Science storytellers represent the fields of science, journalism, technology, film, and art.
- Meet our fellows and learn about their unique profiles
Lauritta Ndufeiya-Kumasi
Lauritta Ndufeiya-Kumasi is a Biochemist currently undergoing a PhD training in Medical Biochemistry and Immunochemistry at the department of Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. As a PhD candidate in Medical biochemistry, she is inspired by a fascination with the complex nature of biochemical reactions and their interactions with molecules. Inspired by her chemistry teacher, he sparked her curiosity when he taught Lauritta the concepts of atoms, molecules, ions and the rate of chemical reactions. Her motivation was further encouraged through the late Professor Dora Akuyili, a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food. Lauritta will go ahead to produce a science piece as part of her capstone project at the Scicomm in Practice Fellowship.
Prudence Aviyi
Prudence Aviyi has a degree in Physics from the University of Abomey-Calavi, He founded the second Benin astronomy club, with the idea to gather STEM students passionate and curious about space science and to develop space awareness. Prudence's objective is to develop a space ecosystem in Benin through the teaching of space science at university. Through this association, he is empowering a group of students and researchers contributing to research, education, and innovation in the space field at local and international level. In this leadership position, he has conducted projects such as the development of Benin's first CubeSat prototype and the coordination of the NASA Space Apps Challenge in Abomey-Calavi which reflects his commitment to promoting science and technology in his country.
“The fellowship consists of a series of biweekly webinars and activities spread across three months that will lead to the creation of a written piece of science communication.” said Amanda Obidike, the Director of STEMi Makers of Africa. “I am beyond thrilled to witness the stories, themes, and voices these ten Science storytellers will shed light on in this signature project. We expect the fellowship will take 5-10 hours a week of commitment. Fellowship candidates will develop skills in interviewing to capture the significance of a scientist’s work for the general public audience and translate technical research papers into well-developed and compelling content including press releases, blog articles, social media platforms and podcasts”.
Fellows will assist in developing a content calendar that will feature various mediums and cadence of content for the duration of the Fellowship term.
Fridolin Ubald DOSSOU-SOGNON
Fridolin Ubald DOSSOU-SOGNON has an M.Sc. in Environmental Protection and Management at the Biological Invasion Research Unit, University of Abomey-Calavi in West Africa. Fridolin has always been curious about things around him and to satisfy this curiosity, he chose to study sciences in high school instead of literature. After his baccalaureate diploma with the grade of Biology-Geology, Fridolin went further to attain a degree in Environmental Sciences where he understood that the world is facing many global environmental issues like climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, biological invasions. Fridolin has discovered new forms of living organisms and this has deepened his interest in research on marine biodiversity and the role the ocean plays in humankind’s well-being through the marine biodiversity it hosts. Fridolin will be interviewing a Scientist and writing a masterpiece of this Scientists’ work as part of his capstone project.
Aisiku, Osebhahiemen Andrea
Andrea was inspired to be a researcher as grew up with a sister who has a neurodevelopmental condition and always wondered why she was so different. Andrea wanted to know what it was and what could be done. But it turned out that as much as I wanted medicine, the feeling was not mutual. Rather than mope, Andrea tried to pursue a degree in genetics/genomics, hoping it would bring me closer to actualizing her goal, but this time she received rejections on the basis that her Animal & Environmental Biology degree is not related to molecular biology, genomics, or medical genetics. In a bid to rectify this, she started a Masters in Public Health program. Andrea has gone ahead to research on the cure for neurodevelopmental conditions as there are thousands of children in the world and even in Nigeria already living with this condition and yet not receiving the care and resources they need. Andrea will go ahead to interview a Scientist who will be featured in the SuperScientists series.
Halima Idris
Halima Idris has always been inspired by maps and fascinated by the complex workings of the natural world and the underlying spatial patterns that shape our planet. This curiosity and drive led Halima to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Mining at the University of Jos, Nigeria, where she developed a strong base in the natural sciences and acquired practical hands-on skills and techniques in field explorations. Halima has interned at the Strategic Space and Applications Department in the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), where she had the opportunity to work and learn from some of the agency’s leading scientists and cartographers. She became involved in a range of projects such as the assessments of forest reserve deforestation in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria using geospatial technology. As a way of paying it forward, Halima has actively mentored and
trained over 15 GIS interns from various universities across the country on Remote Sensing and GIS. Through it all, she has gained valuable experience in scientific communication, geospatial lab- based skills, data analysis and contributed to several research publications. Her career path has led her to the Department of Geography at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Nigeria, where she is pursuing an MSc. In Geography (Remote Sensing and GIS). Halima will go ahead to interview a Scientist who will be featured in the SuperScientists series.
Joseph Sam
Joseph Sam is a Research Assistant at the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health & Allied Science, Volta Region in Ghana. Joseph is a public health professional and a sickle cell disease (SCD) advocate in Ghana. He grew up in rural Ghana where no one in his community knew about sickle cell disease. At basic school, he watched his best friend suffer pain crises daily with no idea of the treatment regime or management for the disease. Sadly, she passed away a few years later when her parents took her to the village for herbal treatments. Since then, he has always felt the urge to help people who are sick from
poor-resource regions. Today, Joseph Sam coordinates programs every year during World Sickle Cell Day to increase awareness in my community and promote early screening. Last year, his team secured funding to screen 5000 basic school children within the Hohoe Municipality. The project aimed at increasing awareness of SCD, correcting misinformation and promoting early screening. Joseph Sam is a Health Promotion Officer and a WHO/TDR trained implementation scientist. His expertise includes qualitative and quantitative research, and data analysis using MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, and SPSS.
Victor Omale
Victor Omale’s career in science, especially in chemistry, has been a journey shaped by curiosity, inspiration, and a desire to understand the world around us. This path has led him to studying industrial chemistry because of the desire to do things and the influences of his teachers in secondary school. From a young age, Victor was fascinated by the natural
World, like how plants grow, the colors of different minerals, and the reactions seen while cooking. Victor has gained a number of experiences during his undergraduates’ days, including carrying out some interesting projects like heavy metal analysis in roasted meat and local drinks sold in Anyigba metropolis in Dekina local government of Kogi state. Victor will be publishing a Science think piece as part of his capstone project at the SciComm in Practice Fellowship.
Hawa Abdulai
Inspired by the sound of waves growing up, Hawa was inspired by natural landscapes and never missed an opportunity to explore the outdoors. Hawa is a Geologist where she has learned and applied the theories about the evolution, nature and processes that shape the earth. While on the field, Hawa has applied all the theories learnt in class to identify rocks and other natural landscapes. When it was time to specialise, she began to understand that there were so many challenges bedevilling the earth, many are as a result of our human activities. These processes might have been what led to the beach overflowing its bank when she was little. Hawa will be publishing a Science think piece as part of his capstone project at the SciComm in Practice Fellowship.
Goodness Ajamu
Recognizing the importance of theoretical knowledge and technical skills in materials science and engineering, Goodness was inspired to pursue a hands-on experience that will complement his academic background and training in physics. This led Goodness to intern at the Functional Materials Lab at ITMO University in Russia.
During his internship at ITMO, he engaged in biophysics-related projects, including transfection experiments involving calcium carbonate particles in a microfluidic environment. His work involved synthesizing and functionalizing these particles, studying genetic material uptake, and assessing transfection efficacy using gel electrophoresis and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The main objective of the project was to create some sort of combination platform—a one-size-fits-all kind of device—where all processes of transfection could be executed without having to utilize different apparatuses, as is customary using conventional methods of transfection. Goodness will go ahead to interview a Scientist as part of his capstone project.
Valerie Okpah Nnaemeka
Valerie was inspired by the Dexter’s Laboratory cartoon and was further intrigued by the concept of cooking something up in the laboratory. With a degree in biochemistry, she got an opportunity to get a placement at the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) as an industrial trainee, where she got to work in the physicochemical laboratory, testing various kinds of food samples to ensure that they met Nigerian standards. In her final year, she worked on a project investigating the effects of temperature on chlorophyll, reducing sugar, and amylase in
Carica papaya leaf extract. After completing her Master’s degree in Biochemistry, she went for training at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan to get better hands-on experience in using molecular biology tools. Valerie was further emboldened and applied to be a volunteer research assistant and Intern at the National Biotechnology Development Agency, here, she had practical experience in plant breeding from fields to greenhouse, using both phenotypic analysis and genomic analysis. Valerie will go ahead to publish a science piece and article as part of her capstone project in the SIP Fellowship.
Amadou Gariko
Amadou Gariko rose from being the first-generation in his family to study and attend University. He graduated from the medical School of Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, USTTB-Mali, and became the first Medical Doctor in his village and the nearby communities. Motivated by a commitment to equitable healthcare, his efforts focus on fostering collaborative networks and sustainable health solutions. He chose to study medicine, because it was his dream to be a doctor, and during his medical thesis data collection, at the pathology department where he met a 19 year old young girl, with breast lump, which came positive after biopsy. As a result of his death, Amadou Gariko is dedicating himself to research in cancer, especially on breast cancer control. Amado will go ahead to interview a Scientist as part of his capstone project.
Linda Boamah
Linda Boamah is the Assistant Manager Research and Development at the Niche Confectionary Ghana Limited, a Quality control and Assurance specialist and Scientist who is interested in exploring the chemical composition of food components and their interactions to enhance flavor, nutritional value, and shelf life; optimizing food processing for efficiency, quality enhancement, and waste reduction; and developing strategies to ensure healthy, safe, and quality food products. A career in the R&D/NPD has given her the opportunity to take that curiosity and passion from childhood and turn it into work of relevance in Food Science. It has equipped her with ways of understanding complex issues and finding solutions to them. From this experience, she has come to appreciate the role of mentorship and hands-on experiences in fostering a love for Science.
Each of the fellows will receive mentoring support from the Science Communication faculty to focus on ten unique projects over one year using different storytelling mediums.
New in 2024, STEMi Makers of Africa will be working with the SuperScientists in South Africa to support and curate the work of fellows whose projects elevate stories of budding scientists who are making impact, science writing and articles and science projects among West Africans. By partnering with SuperScientists, the Science in Practice Fellowship can elevate these important — and necessary — stories so that we can advance meaningful change in simplifying Science and accessible to all.