Reclaiming knowledge and reshaping impact

Africa-led science has a critical role to play in global biodiversity and sustainability conversations. A lack of structural and funding support, along with power dynamics with funders and partners, can leave African voices marginalised. Too often, the continent's ecosystems are studied without African voices at the centre, and the data and insights are frequently decoupled from the communities and contexts they come from.

But what if we flipped the script? Join our dynamic panel of researchers and thought leaders as they explore how African researchers can overcome local challenges to drive global conversations and ensure that benefits, recognition and solutions emerging from research flow back to the continent.

We’ll unpack the ethics of collaboration, the challenges of access and visibility, and the pathways to more equitable knowledge production.

Let’s ask the hard questions and find new answers.

Dr Mohammed Armani is a lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and a collaborator of the Future Ecosystems for Africa (FEFA) programme. He has a distinctive background in the ecology and conservation of tropical forest and savanna ecosystems. He leads several impactful projects focusing on transformative changes in artisanal mining and developing evidence-based approaches for nature-based solutions. He is actively involved in ecosystem restoration, conservation of threatened and endangered species and invasive alien species management. Dr Armani is particularly passionate about training the next generation of conservationists and supporting local communities to improve their livelihoods while protecting the environment.

Andrea Webster is a postdoctoral researcher with the Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria. Her research is interdisciplinary and uses non-invasive methodology to investigate the impacts of environmental pollutants on wildlife communities for translation and application into conservation management and policy frameworks.

Merlyn Nkomo is a conservation biologist and ornithologist from Zimbabwe. She is a Mawazo Institute Fellow, an OMT scholar and an alumnus of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. She is a conservation leader who aims to bridge the gap between science and different communities for the protection of biodiversity and the sustainable development of Africa. Merlyn is passionate about transformation, creating access and spaces of learning and mentorship for young people and women. She is currently pursuing a PhD in conservation biology at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town.

Professor Sally Archibald’s primary research focus is on savanna ecosystems in the context of global change as well as fire-grazer interactions; inter-continental savanna comparisons; the importance of land-atmosphere feedbacks; and pursuing a global theory of fire. She completed her MSc in botany from the University of Cape Town and her PhD in ecology from the University of the Witwatersrand. Currently a professor at Wits, she spent time as a research student at Princeton University, working as a journalist, and as a research scientist in the public sector. Her academic career has included the position of researcher at UCT, principal researcher at the CSIR and lecturer at Wits.

Join us on Thursday, 25th September 2025 at 1pm (CAT).