Citizen science paves the way to policy

Africa Science Focus

Citizen science educates the public about science and enhances research for evidence-driven policies

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, our reporter Michael Kaloki speaks with African scientists who discuss the important role citizen science plays in scientific research.

Peter Elias, a geography professor in Nigeria, says communities use storytelling and folklore to document their experiences, providing valuable supplementary knowledge to scientific research.

Jaqueline Goldin, a professor of anthropology in South Africa, says a major challenge she faced in her citizen science project was gaining the trust of farmers, but she successfully addressed this by using social dialogue and partnering with education authorities.

And Doris Wangari, senior program officer at the Science for Africa Foundation, says her team engages citizens in reviewing proposals for innovative products that benefit the community.

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This podcast was supported by the Science Granting Councils Initiative which aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of 18 public science funding agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa Science Focus is produced by SciDev.Net and distributed in association with your local radio station

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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