Mentorship as a strategy to improve research ability of students and young researchers in Africa: an exploratory study and initial findings on the CORE Africa Research Mentorship Scheme

Mentorship provides an opportunity to support skill development, improve research ability, promote interest in research and offer career advice. The need for research mentorship in Africa is well-recognised. However, there is scarce literature on the development of such programmes and their potential impacts on students and young researchers in Africa (SYRIA). This study documents the development of the CORE Africa Research Mentorship Scheme (CARMS), and reports the outcomes and challenges experienced over a two-year period, from 2018 to 2020. 41 mentors and mentees from Cameroon, Uganda and Nigeria participated in the programme. Mentors were based in Africa and the UK, while mentees were all based in Africa. Mentees gained knowledge and skills in various research areas including proposal writing, research methods, data analysis, report writing and research publication. Nine mentees gained their first research publication through the CARMS and three successfully completed their first grant proposal. Three mentees were supported by their mentor to develop PhD research proposals and five others gained skills that helped them secure paid research jobs. Eleven mentees have graduated from the programme, seven of which are currently enrolled as trainee mentors. Mentees appreciated the opportunity to improve on their research skills and felt that the programme gave them a safe environment to freely express their concerns. Main challenges encountered were: difficulty finding suitable mentors, communication barriers, poorly defined mentorship goals, dealing with mentees lack of knowledge/experience of basic research concepts and funding limitations. This programme had several positive impacts on the knowledge and skills of mentees and demonstrates the importance of mentorship in research capacity strengthening. Sustaining such programmes requires investments in training and development, to ensure that mentees are continuously and adequately supported.