The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology proudly celebrates the remarkable achievements of Devotha Nyambo, Lecturer at the School of Computational and Communication Science and Engineering (CoCSE), and Naelijwa Mshanga, Ph.D. student in Life and Environmental Sciences (LiSBE), for their outstanding recognition as emerging winners of the 14th L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Sub-Saharan Africa Awards.

The prestigious award ceremony, graced by His Excellency Mr. Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana, on November 9th in Kasane, Botswana, honoured 25 Ph.D. candidates and 5 post-doctoral researchers.

Yearly, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Sub-Saharan Africa Awards commend and support African women scientists for their exceptional research, illustrating the commitment of Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO in promoting gender equality in science. This year, 30 young talented women researchers were honoured—an increase of 10 awards from previous years.

Devotha and Naelijwa were selected among 632 applicants for their scientific excellence by a jury of 10 members, led by Professor Aggrey Ambali, Director of Technical Cooperation and Program Funding at the African Union Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD.

The recipients of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Sub-Saharan Africa Awards receive financial support to further their research endeavours—grants of €10,000 for Ph.D. candidates and €15,000 for post-doctoral researchers.