First INSA workshop held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

After much anticipation, the first INSA workshop was held in February 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d’ivoire. The workshop was hosted by Felix Houphouët Boigny University (FHBU) and brought together research scientists, PhD students and stakeholders to share, discuss and brainstorm on the topic of nitrogen management in Africa.

In addition to presentations by both researchers and stakeholders, a World Café was organised to foster communication between stakeholders and scientists. The Association Les Petit.e.s Débrouillard.e.s d’Occitanie (APDOC) also proposed an afternoon of hands-on activities to improve communication and dissemination skills of scientists towards a non-scientific public.

During the conference, facilitators from APDOC interviewed eight women scientists (senior and junior researchers, and students). These interviews will provide role-models of women in science to school girls, allowing them to more easily identify with the profession and encourage them to embrace scientific studies. These interviews will be posted on the INSA and APDOC websites.

The workshop was an important step in the progress of the INSA project. It allowed geographically dispersed consortium members to better know each other and share results, and allowed new links to be built between scientists and stakeholders. The inclusion of stakeholders was a key component of the workshop, allowing scientists to better understand the needs and interests of stakeholders, and giving stakeholders access to current research. The INSA project will continue to nurture these new links and strengthen communication channels between the scientific community and end-users.