Research Methods Training Workshop Participants Encouraged to Collaborate
University of Botswana Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Professor Doreen Ramogola-Masire, has encouraged research methods training fellows to collaborate on research to share skills, increase productivity, efficiency and research quality.
Professor Masire was speaking at a workshop hosted by UB Department of Sociology in partnership with Social Science Research Council (SSRC) at the Grand Palm Hotel on July 24, 2023. Professor Ramogola-Masire further advised the fellows to corporate and engage with their mentors and each other on research projects. She also highlighted that research had to be supported with funds and best instruments to address challenges faced by societies.
Meanwhile, Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor Emmanuel Botlhale, also encouraged the fellows to be creative and innovative in the way they planned their research projects. He said Africa could only achieve its aspirations through research to improve the quality of lives as well as offset challenges faced by the continent. Programme Director at the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) at the SSRC, Dr Cyril Obi, said APN supported African scholars and practitioners in African institutions of higher education as well as regional and national organisations to produce high quality and globally visible research on African peacebuilding.
He also noted that the Next Gen sought to strengthen higher education in Africa by offering a sequence of fellowship and training opportunities to PhD students to enable them to undertake research and progress steadily towards completion of their doctorate degrees. University of Botswana Department of Sociology, Professor Gabriel Faimau, also noted that the goal underpinning the workshop was to help fellows to refine their proposals and research designs before heading out to the field. The aim, he said, was to develop their doctoral dissertations to produce high quality research-based knowledge. He also encouraged mentors to share their expertise, experience and insights to support the fellows to reach their goals including those of the programme.