The Significance of Doctoral Education and Training for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mentz-Coetzee, Melody; Stroebel, Aldo; Swanepoel, Frans

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-40566-3_10

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…6 Amidst the low and inconsistent PhD capacity in Africa, there has been limited analysis of the quality and socioeconomic relevance of its outputs. [7][8][9][10] Expansion is, therefore, needed not just in the quantity of PhDs but also in their quality. 11 To obtain the most value from its PhDs, there is need for appropriate and tailored training and deployment of graduates to contribute to solving the continent's problems.…”

Section: Summary Boxmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As of July 2021, 32% of the WHO Africa region’s 47 countries did not have postgraduate public health training programmes 6. Amidst the low and inconsistent PhD capacity in Africa, there has been limited analysis of the quality and socio-economic relevance of its outputs 7–10. Expansion is, therefore, needed not just in the quantity of PhDs but also in their quality 11.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Positioning Africa’s public health doctoral students to lead societal transformation and development

et al. 2022

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The public health context is becoming increasingly more complex requiring highly trained professionals equipped with knowledge, competencies and tools to address or transform current and future challenges. Doctoral degree training offers an opportunity to build the capacity to detect and respond to such dynamic health challenges. In this paper, we discuss how Africa’s public health doctoral students can be better positioned for the different career pathways to provide leadership on complex health and development challenges. Public health PhD graduates can take up careers in academia, civil service, private sector and civil society, among others. To thrive in these pathways, PhD training should equip them with knowledge, skills and competencies in leadership, creativity and social competence among others. To produce career-ready PhD graduates, there is need to rethink training curricula to build critical skills for diverse career pathways, introduce students to entrepreneurship, and enhance linkages between universities and industry. Experiential learning, exposure to networks and partnerships, postdoctoral programmes and mentorship and exchange programmes can further equip PhD students with key knowledge, skills and competencies. For students to position themselves for the different careers, they ought to plan their careers early, albeit with flexibility. Students should build their soft skills and embrace technology among other transferable competencies. By identifying potential career pathways and being positioned for these early, Africa can produce transformative PhD students on a path for success not just for themselves but for society at large, including in new environments such as that created by COVID-19.

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Section: Summary Boxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%