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Every year on International Women’s Day (IWD), the world celebrates the achievements of women while reflecting on ways to accelerate progress toward achieving gender equality. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain”, emphasizes the importance of support and reciprocity. When individuals, organisations, and communities provide women with opportunities, mentorship, and access to knowledge and networks, it leads to benefits for society. The women become empowered and are consequently able to innovate, mentor others, and develop solutions that foster growth in communities, economies, and ecosystems.
At BioInnovate Africa, our Fellowship for Women Scientists initiative exemplifies support and reciprocity. The initiative provides early- and mid-career women scientists with the opportunity to advance their bioscience skills, innovation capacity, and overall career progression by working with and learning from BioInnovate Africa bioeconomy projects and networks in eastern Africa. Over a period of three to six months, involving cross-country exchange, mentorship, and hands-on research experience, fellows are empowered to gain knowledge while contributing to the development of sustainable, biobased solutions that address societal challenges in agriculture, the environment, and health.
On this IWD 2026, we highlight the inspiring journeys of eight alumnae of our fellowship initiative, who are giving back through research, innovation, mentorship, and solutions that contribute to sustainable development while fostering East Africa’s bioeconomy.
Micheline Kazeneza – Cohort II, Burundi
Micheline undertook her fellowship in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, at SENAI farm supplies Limited, Uganda, under the mentorship of Prof. Samuel Kyamanywa and Dr Settumba Mukasa. The fellowship provided her with a platform to advance her research interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Agriculture. Building on the fellowship experience, she secured a PASET-RSIF scholarship to pursue her Ph.D. at the University of Rwanda’s African Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT). Her work focuses on helping smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa protect their crops from pest birds using affordable, accessible smart technology that recognizes bird sounds, scares them away, and alerts farmers when they approach their fields for further action. She has published six research papers, created a dataset of nearly 10,000 bird sound recordings, and supported AI education in the region by organising and moderating the Deep Learning IndabaX Burundi 2025 conference. Through her innovations, she is equipping farmers with technology while contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and food security in the region.
Diana Namayanja – Cohort II, Uganda
Diana undertook her fellowship in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, at International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Kenya, under the mentorship of Dr Chrysantus Tanga. Her work focused on insect-based food and farming, particularly Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae as a sustainable protein feed source. In December 2025, she secured USD 250,000 in competitive World Bank funding to implement a three-year climate-smart agriculture project through Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). The fellowship provided her with skills, mentorship, and a network that enabled her to transform her early research into a national-scale initiative, contributing to sustainable and climate-smart food systems in Uganda.
Dorah Momanyi – Cohort III, Kenya
Dorah undertook her fellowship from March to July 2021 at Makerere University, Uganda, under the mentorship of Prof Yusuf Byaruhanga. Her work focused on food science and nutrition. The fellowship not only equipped her with technical and research skills but also enhanced her ability to secure competitive grants. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Nairobi, examining how agroforestry contributes to livelihoods, food, and nutrition security among communities around Mount Kenya Forest. Her studies are supported by two grant funding she secured in 2025 from Survey CTO and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Her research maps agroforestry systems, develops indices to measure their impact on nutrition and income, and informs sustainable practices. By providing evidence-based insights, her work supports communities and policymakers in strengthening food systems.
Gladys Holeh – Cohort III, Kenya
Gladys undertook her fellowship from February to July 2021 at Biobuu Limited, under the mentorship of Kigen Compton. Her work focused on Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae as an affordable protein alternative for fish and poultry. The fellowship strengthened her skills in experimental design, waste-to-protein conversion, data analysis, and scientific communication. Building on this experience, she has published multiple peer-reviewed papers, trained coastal communities in BSF production, and established a BSF research and production facility at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to support applied research and mentorship. She also received various awards and recognitions for her work. The fellowship accelerated her career trajectory, leading to a Ph.D. scholarship at Ghent University, a research scientist role at Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), and the Blue Food Futures Research Grant Program Fellowship (Dec 2025–Jun 2026), enabling her to advance sustainable aquaculture, nutrition, and climate-smart solutions while bridging science, policy, and community adoption.
Margareth Lupembe – Cohort IV, Tanzania
Margareth undertook her fellowship from August to November 2024 at Kyambogo University, Uganda, under the mentorship of Dr Juliet Kyayesimira. Her work focuses on producing starch-based biomaterials from agricultural waste, such as peels from Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava, for use as gelling agents in plant tissue culture. Building on the fellowship, she participated in the BioInnovate Africa Biobased Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (BIEB) 2025, where her innovation was selected for full proposal submission and awarded USD 10,000 to test and validate products, including starch-based gelling agents and EcoGrow bags, in user environments. The skills, mentorship, and scientific writing guidance she gained through the fellowship also contributed to her securing a competitive Ph.D. scholarship at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) under the Food Systems Resilience Program (2025 – 2028), focusing on edible wild fruits and starch-based applications. Her work is turning research ideas into scalable bioinnovations that promote sustainable agriculture and circular use of agricultural waste.
Ruth Moirana – Cohort IV, Tanzania
Ruth undertook her fellowship from May to August 2025 at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, under the mentorship of Prof. Richard Onwonga. Her fellowship work focused on developing a biofertilizer enhanced with beneficial microorganisms to improve soil productivity. Building on this experience, she secured a six-month fellowship with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, an opportunity made possible through the mentorship and professional association she developed during her BioInnovate Africa fellowship. Ruth continues to collaborate with Prof. Onwonga, with whom she has recently submitted a manuscript for publication and plans to develop future grant proposals. Through her fellowship, she has built valuable partnerships, strengthened her research profile, and laid the foundation for continued contributions to collaborative and impactful scientific work.
Rashidah Kaggwa – Cohort IV, Uganda
Rashidah undertook her fellowship from January to April 2025 at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya, under the mentorship of Dr John Kagira. Her fellowship work focused on nanoencapsulated bromelain derived from pineapple waste. Building on this experience, she has formulated a bromelain-based ointment for wound healing, currently in its early stages and designed to enhance skin regeneration for patients with burns and chronic wounds. In addition to her research, she mentors master’s and undergraduate students, guiding them in natural product formulation, quality control, quality assurance, and sustainable bioinnovation practices. Through her fellowship, she is advancing innovative, science-based solutions while mentoring the next generation of researchers.
Iman Brema – Cohort IV, Sudan
Iman undertook her fellowship from August to November 2024, at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Kenya, under the mentorship of Dr Solveig Haukeland and Dr David Tchouassi. Her work focused on monitoring and controlling potato cyst nematodes and mosquito populations, addressing challenges at the intersection of agriculture and public health through innovative and environmentally friendly solutions that support food security and sustainability. Building on her fellowship experience, she secured funding from the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF), USA, to continue her research at icipe. She was also awarded the Open Doors Fellowship Programme (ODFP) at Ghent University, Belgium, where she conducts research on the identification and characterisation of plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes using integrative morphological and molecular techniques. Her fellowship experience strengthened her technical expertise, expanded her research collaborations, and continues to support her contributions toward sustainable crop protection and resilient food systems.
