Accra, Ghana – Today, 16 June, marks the opening of the 2026 TWAS Skill Building Workshop in Accra, Ghana, running until 18 June. Organized by The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS), the event brings together 26 early-career scientists supported through the Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI) Programme.
The workshop, a component of the SG-NAPI programme, supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space of Germany (BMFTR), aims to strengthen research capacity and foster collaboration across the continent.
Participants come from 13 countries: Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Over three days, participants will engage in expert-led sessions on scientific writing, responsible AI in science, science communication, importance of mentoring, and transdisciplinary research for sustainable development in Africa. The programme also includes networking activities designed to spark new partnerships and collaborative projects, and a keynote lecture by Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor. Known as the 'father of the Internet in Africa', in 1994 he established the first Internet service provider in Ghana and West Africa, and played a major role in implementing the new technology throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
“This workshop reflects TWAS’s commitment to strengthening not only individual researchers, but the wider systems that support science and education in Africa. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the absence of effective diagnostics, treatment and vaccines underscore the importance of investing in skills, collaboration, and capacity to help create the conditions for lasting impact,” said TWAS President Quarraisha Abdool Karim.
The SG-NAPI grant is a TWAS programme, launched in 2021. It helps early-career researchers who have obtained their PhD abroad and have recently returned to Africa, or will shortly return to an academic position in their home country. Grants up to USD 67,700 are awarded to promising high-level research projects in agriculture, biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, engineering, information and computer technology, mathematics, medical sciences, and physics carried out in African countries that TWAS has identified as lagging in science and technology.
The awarded projects have a significant transformative potential and are carried out in one of the eligible countries. To date, the programme has launched five calls, and assigned 124 grants.
About TWAS
For over 40 years, The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) has been a leading force in developing crucial scientific capability in the global South. A global science academy founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, TWAS supports sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy, and diplomacy. With its partners, TWAS has graduated over 1,300 PhDs and awarded more than 2,300 postdoctoral fellowships to developing world scientists. The Academy also bestowed over 1,200 prizes, awarded over 2,870 research grants, trained over 750 individuals in science diplomacy, and supported over 1,400 exchange visits. TWAS is a programme unit of UNESCO.
Note to editors
The workshop takes place at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, Ghana
(Address: Borstal Avenue, South Airport Residential Area, Accra, Ghana, Tel: +233 30 273 4617 or +233 25 796 4654).
For media inquiries, interviews, or to attend the event in person, please contact:
Giovanni Ortolani, Public Information Officer, gortolani@twas.org (in Accra during the event)
Cristina Serra, Communications Assistant, cserra@twas.org – mobile: +39 338 430521