Mawazo Ideas Podcast

The Mawazo Institute
  • 5.0 (4)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
Mawazo Ideas Podcast

The Mawazo Ideas Podcast gives a public platform to Africans who are making an impact with their Big Ideas. Featuring interviews with African experts in science and policy, we discuss their science journeys and dive into the experiences of African women in research.  From climate change mitigation to conservation, to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent, and the role of young voices in Africa's research ecosystem, we spotlight innovative thinkers shaping our future. Subscribe to the Mawazo Ideas Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure you don’t miss an episode of this informative science podcast 

  1. Disparate Youth: What Young Academics Have to Say

    12/19/2024

    Disparate Youth: What Young Academics Have to Say

    The Season 7 finale features a compelling roundtable with young academics, Chebet Koske and Dorcas Mwigereri, discussing the realities of navigating the African academy. They tackle challenges like limited resources, mentorship gaps, and sidelined youth voices, while emphasising the need for intergenerational collaboration and peer support. Our guests share strategies for young people to confidently step into leadership roles and also highlight the critical need for platforms that amplify you...

    48 min
  2. Research in the Age of “Gen Z”

    12/12/2024

    Research in the Age of “Gen Z”

    How are youth shaping and influencing the African research ecosystem and its future? As the youngest generation in the field, they bring with them a unique perspective, and technological implications as digital natives along with their desires and motivations. Dr. Moses Ngware, Head of Education and Youth Empowerment research at the African Population and Health Research Center, discusses how to harness the power of youth in informal knowledge generation and the pressing need to make r...

    1h 3m
  3. Is the African Academy Broken? (BONUS)

    12/10/2024

    Is the African Academy Broken? (BONUS)

    If the African academy is broken, how can it be reimagined? In this bonus episode with Prof. Wandia Njoya, we pick up our conversation on how to build alternative systems that encourage intellectual freedom and critical thinking. We examine the unique history of the university system in Kenya, alongside broader challenges across Africa, exploring the tension between government control and the public's need for universities as engines of social mobility. The conversation also touches on popula...

    1h 5m
  4. Brain Drain and the Impact on the African Knowledge Economy

    12/05/2024

    Brain Drain and the Impact on the African Knowledge Economy

    Can we reimagine education and create alternatives, or is the African university under siege? With Prof. Wandia Njoya, an Associate Professor of Literature who loves to stretch academic boundaries, we explore the stifling of African talent within the current education system that drives many to seek opportunities abroad. We also discuss the plight of young African women researchers, the lack of career paths for academics and creatives, and the effects of the industrialisation of Africa's univ...

    40 min
  5. Bridging Policy and Research to Advance Governance in Africa

    11/28/2024

    Bridging Policy and Research to Advance Governance in Africa

    We sit down with Dr. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, senior economic policy expert, former Nigerian Minister and Vice President for the World Bank's Africa Region, and founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance to examine how policy impacts the implementation and utility of research across Africa. We discuss what policymakers need to consider to effectively bridge the gap between policy and research, in order for research to drive meaningful change. Dr. Oby also highlights the critic...

    51 min
  6. Reframing Youth in Academia: Age vs. Experience

    11/21/2024

    Reframing Youth in Academia: Age vs. Experience

    What does it means to be a “young” researcher in Africa? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Mutua, a computer science lecturer and Mawazo Fellowship alumnus, to discuss the unique challenges and growth opportunities for young academics. Dr. Elizabeth offers insights from her PhD journey, including the age limitations imposed by funders and the added challenges of balancing her research and starting a family. Dr. Elizabeth also shares her own experience with mentoring, and what in...

    36 min
  7. Research in the Shadow of Conflict

    07/12/2024

    Research in the Shadow of Conflict

    In this Sixth and Final Episode of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast Season Six, scholars explore the impact of conflict on African women researchers. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that 30 million displaced people live in Africa. This is about one-third of the world’s refugee population. Higher numbers have been recorded in Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Nigeria. Studies have shown that women migran...

    46 min
  8. A Fellowship of Funders: Finding Financial Support for Your PhD

    07/05/2024

    A Fellowship of Funders: Finding Financial Support for Your PhD

    The team explores how African women scholars fund their doctoral studies in this fifth episode of Season Six of the Mawazo Ideas Podcast. The scholars take us on a daring journey of crowdsourcing funding information, seeking familial support, partnering with scholars from different geographical jurisdictions, adapting to existing funding criteria, and mapping new trajectories whenever necessary to secure the coveted doctoral degree. Globally, funding has been cited as the major factor that dr...

    52 min
See All (48)

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Mawazo Ideas Podcast gives a public platform to Africans who are making an impact with their Big Ideas. Featuring interviews with African experts in science and policy, we discuss their science journeys and dive into the experiences of African women in research.  From climate change mitigation to conservation, to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent, and the role of young voices in Africa's research ecosystem, we spotlight innovative thinkers shaping our future. Subscribe to the Mawazo Ideas Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure you don’t miss an episode of this informative science podcast 

Information

  • Creator
    The Mawazo Institute
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Mawazo Institute
  • Show Website
    Mawazo Ideas Podcast

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada