The importance and viability of being a premium member of the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN) of the DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre (DIaDeRC) was again validated recently when 2 of the 6 fellows shortlisted for the second edition of the Non-Resident Fellowship Programme (NRFP) of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), are ASMN Premium Members (Batch 1).
The 18-month NRFP, with a focus on two thematic areas, will see Adesoji Farayibi, an ASMN Premium alumnus, participate with two others in the Economy and Trade thematic area, while Dr Aminat Olohunlana, another ASMN Alum, will be engaging in the Governance and Social Inclusion thematic area.
According to the leadership of NESG-NRFP, senior fellows are drawn from diverse academic backgrounds and they have been selected to participate in the second edition of the Non-Resident Fellowship Programme (NRFP), which will avail them the platform as selected academics and researchers to explore and shape policies impacting Nigeria’s economic development and governance
Speaking on his selection into the fellowship, Mr Farayibi said ever since joining the ASMN network of scholars, he has been able to build the requisite capacity in different areas of research, honing his skills in grant writing and collaboration as well as networking.
According to him, “I have successfully developed competencies in different aspects of the research landscape. I have had access to a large retinue of experienced faculty members like Dr Romanus Osabohien, Dr Karakara from Ghana, Dr Solomon Okunade and also the Founding Chair of DIaDeRC, Prof Evans Osabuohien, and I have successfully leveraged these networks for various applications, references and resources which they freely dole out to Premium members of ASMN.”
Mr Farayibi noted that one of the benefits of being a Premium member of ASMN is that it gives visibility, as evidenced in his selection alongside five other senior fellows into the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Non-residency Fellowship Programme. “I encourage every young researcher, faculty member and other interested individual to join the ASMN Premium network for the needed visibility to get their professional career on the upward trajectory for impact,” he enthused.
Similarly, Dr Olohunlana said her experience since joining the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN) has been very transformative, especially as touching her career growth. “I have been able to engage in hands-on experience in grant application writing, proposal defence, fellowship applications, and how to deploy cover memos and letters. I have also been able to benefit from direct and exclusive mentorship opportunities from faculty members of ASMN, Dr Judith Ani, Dr Okunade, Dr Karakara from Ghana, and the Coordinator of ASMN, Professor Evans Osabuohien,” he stated.
Dr Olohunlana said becoming a member of the ASMN network has given her exposure to academic rigours, and at the same time gaining exposure and knowledge on the use of data, and best practices in how to analyze large data.
She said the benefits of being a Premium member of ASMN are immeasurable for professionals, especially young and early-career researchers. “I would like to encourage young and early career researchers to plug in and subscribe to the ASMN network because it is a worthwhile experience and will propel your growth in academics,” she posited.
The six successful fellows of the second edition of the NESG-NRFP emerged after a highly competitive screening and selection process, meticulously distilling a large number of applications. The six Fellows are expected to work at producing impactful research outputs and engage in policy advocacy towards helping chart a pathway for Nigeria’s sustainable economic development.
Listen to them directly in this short video herein:
