A call on scholars to be more attentive and dedicated to their professional endeavour was the thrust of a presentation at a mentorship and collaboration forum organised by The Green Institute for its Green Fellowship Programme on 29ᵗʰ September 2024.
Delivering the keynote address with the theme ‘Accessing and Sustaining Global Scholarly Opportunities: Focus on Mentorship & Collaboration’ the Founding Chair, DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre (DIaDeRC) and Professor of Economics at Covenant University, Professor Evans Osabuohien, reiterated the importance of young scholars focusing on their task with a view to becoming the focus of all in their field of expertise.
Professor Osabuohien noted the importance of leading a lifestyle that is rooted in principle and self-discipline, commitment to one’s assignment, maintain a drive for excellence and be unselfish by constantly seeking opportunities to invest in others.
According to him, it was important that conscious efforts be made to avoid tempting distractions with the capacity to derail them from career paths. “Seek avenues for continuous improvement, let the quest for pecuniary gains take the back seat, don’t be afraid of failure, rejection as many before you went through the same route and ensure your time is budgeted for profitable engagement,” he advised.
Professor Osabuohien, while positing the importance of continuous self-improvement as a requisite attribute of a great scholar in the making, advised the gathering to learn to trust in the process of rising and growing. In his words, “While trusting in divine guidance for open doors, be sure you are not the one closing those doors by inaction. Take advantage of every opportunity to showcase your work,” he enthused.
He tasked participants at the forum to do well in attending seminars, conferences, and symposia, leveraging the opportunities to network and evolve collaborative relationships with other professionals. “When you attend conferences, connect with people beyond your immediate circle or institution, consciously build your profile on platforms like Google Scholar and ResearchGate to enhance your visibility in the scholarly community,” he counselled.
Professor Osabuohien took the opportunity to introduce participants to the DIaDeRC’s flagship training programme, the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN), designed to help build a critical mass of African scholars with the prerequisite skillset to enhance grant-writing capabilities, connecting with a network of global scholars with mentorship opportunity, and avenue to expand professional network towards gaining access to numerous opportunities.
In addition, the ASMN training platform avails young and established scholars the wherewithal to access the opportunity to work on concept notes with others and, at the same time, earn the privilege to collaborate with the DIaDeRC Team on joint projects.
The 4th edition of the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN 4.0) gets underway from October 27th to November 24th, 2024.
