African Graduate Students Network - UK

29/11/2021

***Opportunity: Casting Call***
Raw Research is working with Study UK and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) on a social media video campaign to raise awareness of the Graduate Route visa, and are looking for some recent international graduates from UK universities who successfully applied for the Graduate Route visa to feature in this campaign.

The videos will highlight the impact of their UK education experience and demonstrate how the Graduate Route is helping to set them on their way to the life and career they want. The videos will follow a similar style to a recent Study UK’s ‘I’m on my way’ campaign - using real footage, shot by graduates themselves on their phone camera.

Filming will take place via Zoom / remotely in January. Everyone selected for filming would be given a £200 voucher to say thank you for their time. Anyone interested in featuring in this campaign just needs to fill out this quick form for us:

Raw Research (www.rawresarch.co.uk) are working with the teams at Study UK and UK Visas and Immigration to make a series of online / social media films about the Graduate Route (https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/after-your-studies/post-study-work). We are looking for international students graduat...

25/05/2020

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: May 25, 2020 01:00 PM London
Topic: Energy Transition in Africa

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://buff.ly/3cT9Ca5

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

23/05/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economies and life as we know it. Amid the humanitarian and health efforts to deal with the crisis, energy security and access to modern energy service have been flagged as key areas in sustainable recovery measures. Africa has already embarked on a transformative energy pathway to harness its immense renewable energy potential. Accelerating progress in this regard can alleviate multiple immediate problems, while creating jobs, advancing industrial development, and promoting welfare.

Join us for a conversation on how the energy transition will affect the future of oil-dependent countries in Africa and explore what can leaders can do to diversify oil-dependent economies.

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://buff.ly/3cT9Ca5

18/05/2020

'Every crisis teaches us something as a society and a culture. Will academic culture adapt to what COVID taught us or will we slip back into the same old habits that were inefficient and wasted time?'

Higher education has just been jolted into a more accessible, and productive post-COVID world. Colleges and Universities are changing…

11/05/2020

Educator, scholar, and author, Dr. Tererai Trent is an internationally recognized humanitarian and voice for quality education and women's empowerment.

Born into a patriarchal society that denied women an opportunity to attend school, Dr. Trent's dream was to attain a Bachelors and Masters degree as well as a Ph.D. This looked impossible as she was married and a mother of three by the time she turned 18.

She never let go of her dream.

Dr. Tererai taught herself how to read and through hard work, she eventually earned multiple degrees and now she participates on a global platform with world leaders and international businesses and audiences, advocating for universal access to quality education.

She has published two books, won the 2018 NAACP Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and improved education for over 6,000 children. In 2019, Dr. Tererai was among the 10 women immortalized through the Statues For Equality project by sculptors Gillie and Marc Schattner outside New York's Rockefeller Centre.

A true inspiration, Trent’s motto is “Tinogona”, which means “It is achievable!”

As you chase your dream today and every other day, remember that nothing is impossible. It is achievable!

04/05/2020

Everyone can play a role in the response to the ongoing pandemic. Elizabeth Ogunsanya, a thirteen-year old Nigerian is doing her part in raising awareness in her community. Initially, she was concerned about living in a one-room apartment with three of her family members in a densely populated suburb of Lagos. Now, having been involved in ‘UNICEF-supported awareness raising and sensitization training... she has been empowered with information and training on how to communicate COVID-19 prevention messages to her community and peers.’

To prepare communities to protect themselves from the coronavirus, UNICEF is supporting social mobilisation efforts by Lagos State Government

30/04/2020

‘The World Food Program says COVID-19 will bring about a famine of biblical proportions, so it is a good time to revisit why food has never just been about the simple act of eating.’
Interesting piece on the politics of food and identity.

The World Food Program says COVID-19 will bring about a famine of biblical proportions, so it is a good time to revisit why food has never just been about the simple act of eating. Food is history. Food is identity.

28/04/2020

SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICA

Exciting news!
Today, the spotlight is on Senegal. You may have seen that she has been praised for the recent manufacturing of $1 test kits as a strategy to respond to COVID-19.

Senegal’s first COVID-19 case was confirmed on 2 March in Dakar. As of today, there have been 671 confirmed cases and 9 deaths. Interestingly, Senegal has been highlighted to have the highest recovery rate in Africa.

Preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus in Senegal have included curfews, lockdowns, messaging in Wolof and French educating residents on how to prevent coronavirus infection and actively seeking out sick individuals. Alongside these measures, in a bid to ‘flatten the curve’, rapid and affordable testing is essential.

A new and affordable test kit is being manufactured in diaTROPiX, Senegal. diaTROPiX is a subsidiary of renowned Biomedical Research centre, Institut Pasteur de Dakar. The test kits were developed by a UK based biotechnology company, Mologic Ltd in collaboration with Institut Pasteur and other partners.

This has been heralded as the ‘first time a diagnostic kit created in the UK will be jointly manufactured in Africa.’ Funding for this was made available by UK aid. Aljazeera journalist, Nicolas Haque explained that the new test kit turns around results within 10 minutes, with a saliva or blood sample tested on the mobile device. This speed will enable rapid daily testing while the world awaits an effective vaccine.

Emphasis has been made on the validation of these test kits undertaken at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and St George’s University London. The tests have been sent to countries around the world for independent assessment ensuring that it is good enough for use.

Much deserved spotlight on Senegal 🇸🇳 who is representing the continent 🌍 excellently in its ability to co-manufacture these rapid testing kits! More of this!!!!

Sources: WHO Africa, CNN, Aljazeera, Mologic and Technology Networks.

-19

17/04/2020

: Wanja Nyagah

One day it was all lively, laughter from every corner, unending stories while my friends and I walked back home from Uni. Before we knew it, everything went quiet, the streets were empty, people panicking everywhere and the new normal for us was staying indoors.

Just like every other international student, the closure of my university was not something I was looking forward to. Initially I was conflicted about moving back to my home country but I decided to stay back and continue with my academic work.
Thankfully, we are able to access learning materials online and have virtual classes too. I am privileged to have a safe place to stay, good internet connection and so I'm able to keep up with my academic work.

Being away from my family in such unpredictable times is tough. There is the aspect of worrying about them and I know they are worried about me too. Talking to my family regularly has really been helpful.

I live in a shared apartment. Both my flatmate and I are international students and weren't able to travel back to our homes. We are practising social distancing and the hygiene measures.
We are allowed to leave the house for grocery shopping or exercise so I take walks when I need to because being indoors for too long can be boring and mentally exhausting. It actually feels good to dress up and leave the house to just get to the grocery store, haha!

As expected, there is anxiety with the increasing numbers every other minute. O have really had to learn how to be intentional about looking after my mental health in these times. Sometimes the news can be overwhelming, so I limit what I read, watch or listen to.

Like everyone else, I'm patiently waiting for this to be over whilst making the most out of this unprecedented times.

16/04/2020

'Everything will take some time before it can get back to normal, ourselves too. Don’t be too hard on yourself but don’t be too inactive for too long. Get up, start creeping back to the top of your game, you will soon be hitting your goals.'

Some motivation from Glen Dhliwayo in this quarantine period.

Getting Back into the Game during Covid_19In my last blog article, I talked about the emergence of weekend behaviour in Covid_19 lockdowns. I acknowledged that these are no usual times as such anxiety and uncertainty are a guaranteed part of the human psyche everywhere. The article ended with a call...