The activities and initiatives of DePECOS Institution and Development Research Centre (DIaDeRC) particularly African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN) programme, under the leadership of Professor Evans Osabuohien, got an external validation at the recent German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Alumni Conference.
The initial endorsement of DIaDeRC’s contributions in promoting the growth of young scholars in the academic and research sphere came when a senior DAAD Desk Officer, Berrit Stoppa, served as facilitator during ASMN 3.0 bootcamp initiative that has witnessed a building of a critical mass of young academic scholars both within Nigeria, and in Africa. Ms Stoppa commended Professor Osabuohien, an alumnus of DAAD via International Deans’s Course (IDC), for turning out to become an appreciable ambassador of DAAD, by using DIaDeRC’s platform to advance the values of the DAAD. Thus, it was natural to recommend him to draw lessons from ASMN programme that could be replicated by other DAAD Alumni.
In his presentation to the Management/Social Science Working Group on the 2nd day of the conference (16th November 2024), DIaDeRC Founding Chair, Professor Evans Osabuohien, speaking on ‘Tips on Winning Together through Mentorship’ said mentorship was crucial at various stages of an evolving career if one is to gain speed of accomplishment and attainment.
Professor Osabuohien opined that it was important for young scholars and those in the academia to subscribe to a mentor-mentee relationship. According to him, honesty and integrity was paramount in developing such relationship with recognition given to the fact that the mentee will lead the charge and mentor as a support system in a bid to land the relationship on a good stead.
He identified some challenges associated with mentorship, these include, mind-setting, procrastinating to the very last moment, going into such relationship with a competition mentality instead of a collaborative one, not paying attention to details, putting reputation and pecuniary gains before contributions, and being afraid to start all in the fear of failing.
The Covenant University Professor of Economics, noted that mentorship, itself, is crucial at various stages of our careers development as it avails the opportunity to leverage on the successes of others, gain the requisite speed in one’s endeavours, escape and avoid errors of others by have access to their experiences and above all foster resourceful networks.
Professor Osabuohien noted that there was plethora of advantages in mentoring remarking that the success story of every mentee is the testimony of the mentor. According to him, in mentorship, there is room to collaborate and scaling of impact, and becoming co-creator of something bigger than one individual effort.
He concluded by tasking the audience to appreciate that the mentorship cycle thrives on getting appropriate feedbacks, constantly reflecting on performance, exploring new techniques for getting things done, setting personal/mentorship goals, not being shy to take up new assignments needed for fulfilment and accomplishment, and always being more interested in seeking knowledge than to be known.
In a show that reflects the acceptance of the presentation and the overall intent of the ASMN initiative, a DAAD Alumnus from Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria, requested to Professor Osabuohien to see how he could replicate the initiative beyond the southern states of Nigeria, noting that ASMN looks like a veritable template that could be adopted by all for mentoring and building a critical mass of young researchers and scholars.
The 2-day conference with the theme ‘Nigerian DAAD Alumni – Shaping One Nation Together, Mentoring Young Talents’ was geared towards fostering a stronger sense of unity and collaboration among members, recognizing that regional, ethnic, and linguistic differences have historically hindered effective cooperation and also helping focus on enhancing capability through mentoring systems, recognising their potential to alleviate Nigeria’s high unemployment rates, which stand at 33% overall and a staggering 53% for youth.
The event, held at the Lagos Continental Hotel between 15th and 17th November 2024, was graced by the German Consul General in Lagos. Professor Osabouhien’s invitation was to see how he could help foster a sense of community and productive collaboration among Nigerian DAAD alumni, where together they could work towards building a more connected and resilient alumni network.
