Building Africa’s Research Future: Strathmore University Hosts a Delegation from National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF), The Gambia

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a distinguished delegation from the National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF) of The Gambia. The Gambian delegation was led by Ms. Isatou Auber, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology; Dr. Ebrima Sall, Board Chair, NRIF; Professor Momodou Sallah, Executive Director, NRIF; and Mr. Samba Bah, Director of Finance, NRIF. From Strathmore University, the team comprised Prof. Izael Da Silva, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation; Professor Joseph Onyango, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation; Dr. William Murithi, Faculty Member; Dr. Betsy Muriithi; Catherine Kiilur, Grants Administrator; and Cavin Opiyo, Associate Director, Grants.

Facilitated by Dr. William Murithi, the visit created a platform for meaningful dialogue on research, innovation, and Africa-centered solutions for sustainable development. Prof. Da Silva led discussions on building research ecosystems that translate academic work into real-world impact, while Prof. Onyango presented an overview of Strathmore’s research architecture, including its key focus areas, research centers, and their contributions to societal impact. Conversations spanned collaborative opportunities in proposal development, capacity building, student and faculty exchange, innovation commercialization, renewable energy, healthcare, AI, and multidisciplinary partnerships.

A central theme was the shared commitment to positioning African universities as drivers of transformation. As Prof. Da Silva observed, “A university is not a university without research” — a principle reflected in Strathmore’s growth in research income from 1% to nearly 25% of overall revenue over the past decade.

The delegation also gained insights into Strathmore’s research and innovation journey, including postgraduate training at the Master’s and PhD levels, international collaborations under Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and UK-funded programs, open-access publishing initiatives, industry partnerships and commercialization pathways, renewable energy and sustainability work, and innovation hubs supporting entrepreneurship and practical problem-solving.

Prof. Momodou Sallah commended Dr. Murithi as “a good ambassador for the University” and underscored the value of long-term institutional relationships between Strathmore and NRIF, as well as other Gambian universities.

The engagement concluded with a commitment to establishing a collaborative framework that strengthens research excellence and creates mutual value for both institutions, and for the broader African research community.

Article by Catherine Mukeli