At the core of a towering research institute in Nigeria are women leading from the front
This article was written by Prince Agwu and Obinna Onwujekwe, researchers at the University of Nigeria where the AHOP Nigeria National Centre is based. It is part of the AHOP series on International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023.
Celebrating women and girls in science!
On a typical meeting day at the Health Policy Research Group (HPRG), University of Nigeria, at least 10 out of the 15 attendees are women. These women are skilled in diverse multidisciplinary research techniques, straddling qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, policy reviews, and systematic and scoping reviews, stakeholders’ engagement and getting research into policy and practice. They attract and lead on groundbreaking research projects that yield great results on health policy and systems. They conduct research in rugged field sites and publish prolifically in prestigious journals and other research dissemination outlets. They equally give their best as research leaders, mentors and mentees. We think these powerful women are not celebrated enough. Hence, the reason we, two male HPRG scientists working alongside, mentoring, and learning from so many female colleagues in science, use this piece to reflect on the benefits to an organization where women hold influential positions and to celebrate their achievements.
About the Health Policy Research Group (HPRG)
HPRG is a leading health research institute in the global south, exceptionally involved in producing scientific evidence in diverse multidisciplinary areas that are important for health systems strengthening. Policymakers and practitioners regularly utilize the HPRG outputs to inform policymaking and practice. Most importantly, the next generation of scientists are incubated, nurtured, and unleashed at HPRG, as the institute prides itself in mentorship on research. HPRG is currently the Nigerian National Centre for the African Health Observatory Platform (AHOP). In all, this institute would not have achieved this much without the efforts of our female colleagues, and we must highlight this.
HPRG women lead from the front!
The labour, rigour, and sacrifices of doing quality scientific research has too often been attributed to men over the years. However at HPRG we observe something different.
For every five projects in HPRG, four are led by women, with excellent deliverables, respect for timelines, and proper management of people. Women such as Nkoli Ezuma, Chinyere Mbachu, Enyi Etiaba, Chinyere Okeke, Uche Ezenwaka, Ifeyinwa Arize, Nkoli Uguru, Pamela Ogbozor, Ifunanya Agu to mention but a few, have distinguished themselves in research leadership, and not stopping any time soon. It is worth noting that the entire administration and finance management of HPRG is staffed entirely by women that are led by the well experienced Nkechi Onwuameze.
The women in HPRG are almost all mothers who — in addition to their family responsibilities — continue to deliver rigorous research consistently over many years. We recall when we conducted a study in slums, it was inspiring to see that more than half the team sent to several slums in Enugu and Onitsha were led by these women. They dared and led; they fought and won. Such sterling virtues will continue holding sway in our team.
Building tomorrow’s women in science now
The character and competence of HPRG women in science show commitment to discipline and passion towards humanity. These virtues are not just applied to science but to other facets of their lives. We present narratives from informal conversations with these excellent women:
We were glad to see more women in the number of newly recruited researchers at HPRG which as an institution places significant emphasis on mentorship. We see growing bonds between the early career researchers and the more experienced ones. The relationship they share is not science-centred alone, providing pastoral support that reaches beyond the workplace.
Going forward
Nichelle Nichols said, “science is not a boy’s game, and it is not a girl’s game, but everyone’s game”. Competence should be placed ahead of the gender. We note that:
- African society needs more women showing research leadership and being at the front.
- Successful women in science should share their stories more often to inspire younger women to rise above the challenges of being a successful woman.
On this International Day of Women in Science, we celebrate all our female colleagues at HPRG. We encourage them to continue their pursuits of excellent research engagements, outputs, and implementation. We continue to benefit from the diverse perspectives and experiences that gender balance brings to an organization. Truly, trained women guarantee excellent nations, and perhaps, even more excellent nations when they are scientists!
Authors’ Bio
Obinna Onwujekwe is a Professor of Health Economics, and he coordinates HPRG as well as the National Centre of AHOP in Nigeria. Prince is a Research Fellow in HPRG and leads communications for AHOP in Nigeria.
