Mentoring Partnerships
AWARD Mentors: creating new champions for African agriculture
Mentoring is at the heart of AWARD, whose fellows work across a wide range of disciplines in ten countries. Every woman who wins an AWARD Fellowship is matched to mentor, based on expertise, location and preference.
Hundreds of Africa’s most senior leaders in agriculture—both men and women—volunteer their time as mentors to AWARD Fellows. In exchange, mentors are offered the opportunity to participate in two of AWARD’s special events, such as courses in leadership or research proposal writing.
Professor Sanni Lateef Oladimeji, of the University of Agriculture, is Project Coordinator of the Common Fund for Commodities at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
In 2009, he volunteered to mentor AWARD Fellow Bola Petra Abdulsalam-Saghir, Lecturer at the University of Agriculture. In 2010, he is serving again as a mentor to Olapeju Onadipe, Assistant Project Coordinator/Research Associate at IITA. In this conversation with AWARD Communications Manager, Karen Homer, he shares insights on his mentoring experience.
AWARD: African men in senior positions…
Professor Oladimeji : should apply the principle of give and take. They should see African women as equal partners who are needed to contribute to Africa’s agricultural industry. They will ensure viable profitability, sustainable development, and the transfer of women-friendly technology.
AWARD: African women in agricultural science deserve…
Professor Oladimeji: support, encouragement, and space to be visible.
AWARD: Nigeria needs…
Professor Oladimeji: African women in agricultural science, because the representation of women in this sector in our country is still at the infancy stage. AWARD is serving as a driving force to help us raise more women leaders in agricultural science and development.
AWARD: Mentoring is an opportunity to…
Professor Oladimeji: train young women scientists to excel in their careers with a view to contributing to sustainable development. It’s another avenue to reproduce oneself and help create new champions for sustainable agricultural development in Africa.
AWARD: I decided to become an AWARD Mentor because…
Professor Oladimeji: I believe it’s a primary duty as an African to be engaged in productive training and mentoring of other people. It is a great opportunity to share my experiences and to learn more.
My best mentoring moment…
Professor Oladimeji: was when I heard that my mentee had won AWARD’s competition for a research attachment in Washington, D.C. My second best moment came when AWARD invited me to be a mentor again for a 2010 AWARD Fellow.
My most challenging mentoring moment …
Professor Oladimeji: was when my mentee left Nigeria to study in England. We had to devise new ways of long-distance mentoring, which meant more email and phone calls, and more of my time. But it was worth it, because AWARD created an opportunity for her to get this placement abroad and I wanted to support it.
As a mentor, I’m most proud of…
Professor Oladimeji: my mentee. She responds very fast; she’s assertive and progressive.
I decided to volunteer as a mentor again…
Professor Oladimeji: because of encouragement from my mentee and from AWARD. I’m very impressed by AWARD’s principles and its competitive application process that is very transparent. I had to make time for AWARD. If a woman from another continent [Vicki Wilde] has dedicated her life to strengthening African women scientists, and she invites you to join her in strengthening one of our daughters, wives, sisters, or aunts in your own country, you can’t say you’re not interested. It is a privilege and an opportunity.
Before I became a mentor, I thought…
Professor Oladimeji: that what I was doing was good. I was informally mentoring several people and I enjoyed it, but I made a lot of assumptions. For instance, I believed that people understand what you are trying to do. AWARD’s mentoring course helped me to learn that you need to clearly state your mission. I’ve also learned that there is no one best solution; there may be alternative solutions.
Being a mentor has helped me be more productive in my relationships with colleagues, students, smallholder farmers, and processors.
I now understand…
Professor Oladimeji: that there are so many potential champions for agricultural science in Africa who I was not aware of. I’m now convinced that Africa has the scientists and researchers it needs to solve Africa’s problems. Before, I didn’t believe they were there. But I’m seeing them in AWARD—both fellows and mentors.
My advice to a new male AWARD Mentor is…
Professor Oladimeji: that you must give a listening ear to women; let them express their viewpoints. Most men don’t take the time to listen to women. When asked, she will tell you what she wants to do, and she will tell you how you can help her.