Two Nigerian female scientists get UNESCO/ L’Oréal awards

Two Nigerian Scientists, Adekemi Adesulu, postdoctoral fellow, Food Science and Technology Laboratory at Bowen University, Iwo and Ibukunoluwa Adetutu Olajide, PhD fellow, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure are among the 20 awardees for the 2020 sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents Programme awards organised by UNESCO/ L’Oréal.

The 2020 Sub-Saharan Africa Young talents will join the community of 3,400 women researchers around the world, who have been supported by the For Women in Science Programme since its creation in 1988.

A report released by UNESCO on Tuesday said the joint initiative, launched in 2010, rewards 20 women scientists each year for their work and supports them to pursue their research through grants of 10,000 for PhD students and 15,000 for post-doctorates.

Only 2.4% of the world's researchers are African scientists, 31% of whom are women, said UNESCO.

Adesulu, who specialised in environmental genomics, is said to be interested in the analysis of the microbial composition of raw milk and traditional dairy products in Nigeria.

Through her research, she hopes to help ensure the safety and quality of African fermented foods.

For Olamide, she hopes that her research in the fields of science and engineering will lead to the establishment of efficient communication networks and the development of reliable power supply on the continent.

The 2020 Young talents come from 16 countries and embody all of the potentials of African science through their backgrounds and research subjects.

Also for the first time this year, young women scientists from Congo and Malawi were also rewarded.

The report said the jury of the 2020 Sub-Saharan Africa programme, chaired by Professor Nelson Torto, Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences, selected the 20 Young Talents from 330 applications.