Mrs Florence Antwiwaah Aboh, research and innovation manager at the Office of Research, Innovation and Consultancy participated in the 15th WARIMA Workshops and Conference held in Lagos, Nigeria from 31st January to 1st February 2024.
The University of Lagos hosted the programme on the theme “Research and Innovation Management: From Operations to Strategy in collaboration with WHO TDR, ESSENCE on Health Research Initiative, African Centre of Excellence for Drug Research, Herbal Medicine Development and Regulatory Science (ACEDHARS), Inqaba Biotec, MRC Unit, The Gambia and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The Conference brought together members of WARIMA, Researchers, Research Managers and Academics across West Africa and other stakeholders in the Research Management space.
Panel Discussion after paper presentation
The Conference entailed parallel sessions on topics such as “Implementing Research Projects Across Multiple Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa”, “Networking as a Tool for Professionalisation and Capacity Development in Research and Innovation Management”, “Research Management in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Experiences of Research Managers and Opportunities for Research Management”, “Beyond the Science: The Role of Research Offices in Advancing Large-Scale Grant Applications” and “Analysing Funding Opportunities”. Interactions on these topics created room for cross-institutional exchange and experiential learning. Participants also had the opportunity to explore funding sources to increase grants and maximise the research impact of higher education and research institutions.
Speakers at the Conference included the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic and Research, University of Lagos, Professor Bolanle Oboh, Professor Gordon Awandare, Director of West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Mr. Dembo Kanteh, WARIMA President, Dr. LeShawndra Price, Director of the Office of Research Training and Special Programs at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases USA. Other presenters were Mrs Beatrice Sakyibea Biney-Nyamekye, Senior Research Development Officer, Office of Research and Innovation Development, University of Ghana and Dr Anna Matros-Goreses, Executive Director, Research, Innovation and Partnerships, University of Science and Technology, Namibia.
The Conference was preceded by Pre-Conference Workshops from 29th to 30th January 2024.
Mrs Florence Aboh with Colleagues at the University of Ghana
