AFRISNET INC
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Mission Statement
Afrisnet's mission is to increase the contribution of Africans to global and competent research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). There is a grave imbalance between population growth and research development in Africa. Currently, Africa comprises 16% of the total world population, while contributing less than 2% of the global research output. This means that competent Africans lack access to cutting-edge research, and that the contribution of Africans to the global research enterprise is severely limited. The limited contribution of Africans to competent research means that, as humanity, we are missing the potentially talented minds that might contribute to the cure of cancer, the invention of next generation technologies, the solutions to climate change, the alleviation of antibiotic resistance, and so forth. Following a people-centered philosophy and with a focus on college students, Afrisnet strives to educate and mentor Africans in research and help them attain competent research practice through internships and research-based graduate programs in STEM fields at advanced institutions in the world. We particularly leverage the fully funded graduate programs in the United States. Our goal is to provide holistic research and professional training to young Africans to maximize their contribution to the global research in STEM and to enhance their integration into the global research community.
About This Cause
Afrisnet Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered the State of Georgia in the United States. The organization is managed by experienced research professors and professional engineers based in the United States and Africa. In August, 2013, Dr. Gabriel Gihana enrolled in Ph.D. program in Biology at Indiana University Bloomington, and he quickly realized that he was the only African graduate student in the entire Biology Department, which included many international students. Dr. Gihana then reached out to Vincent Mwumvaneza, his colleague who was pursuing a funded master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Mwumvaneza had also observed that there were fewer African students in his program compared to other international students. When they contacted their respective graduate programs, Dr. Gihana and Mr. Mwumvaneza learned that very few African students applied to those programs, and those who did apply were severely unprepared. Many institutions in the United States, including Indiana University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, waive tuition and provide financial assistance to competent graduate students. This is in addition to the fact that these institutions host world-renown research faculty and facilities, leading to strong research performance and output. As a consequence, US universities have attracted large numbers of students from all over the world, but Africans remain severely underrepresented. Dr. Gihana and Mr. Mwumvaneza wanted to increase the participation of African students in research-based graduate programs in the United States, specifically in STEM fields. In 2015, Dr. Gihana and Mr. Mwumvaneza started reaching out to college students in Africa via social media to inform them about the opportunities provided by graduate schools in the US. As they interacted with African college students, they realized that these students were academically competent but lacked critical information and exposure to attain the standards of graduate programs at leading universities. In an effort to expand their outreach to and impact on African students around the globe, Dr. Gihana and Mr. Mwumvaneza decided to establish a nonprofit organization. In May 2019, Afrisnet was incorporated. As an organization, Afrisnet continues to make efforts to increase the exposure of Africans to modern research. The activities of Afrisnet include: 1) Graduate Application Mentorship: We mentor African students who are applying to research-focused graduate programs anywhere in the world but primarily in the United States. 169 students have been mentored through this program, and 70 of them have secured admission into graduate programs. 2) Summer Research Internships: Afrisnet negotiates and organize summer research internships for African college students. The students are selected and brought to the United States where they spend 8-10 weeks doing research in laboratories at American universities. At the same time, the students receive professional training to prepare them for graduate school applications. Since 2018, eight interns have been mentored through this program, three of whom are currently PhD students in the United States, and other three are preparing their PhD applications. Afrisnet is seeking capacity to scale this program up to fifteen interns per year by 2025, and to train at least 200 interns by 2035. Six research professors based at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Indiana University have committed to host African interns in their laboratories through Afrisnet's summer internship program. 3) Afrisnet Graduate Community (AGC): This is a global community of all African graduate students in STEM field, through which Afrisnet offers mentorship to enhance the academic and professional success of the students. Through AGC, students are also able to support each other mutually by sharing research and professional opportunities available to them. 4) Global Research Webinars (GREW): We host virtual research presentation where we invite globally renowned researchers to present their research findings to African students and researchers. Through GREW, Afrisnet informs and inspires the research endeavors of Africans. Although targeted primarily to Africans, anybody anywhere in the world can tune into these webinars. 5) Afrisnet Honors Scholar Academy (HSA): We have established an honors academy that brings together brilliant undergraduate and masters students from across Africa who have interest in research. Through HSA, Afrisnet puts a spotlight on competent African students and makes them visible to graduate programs in the world. HSA also provides a platform for Afrisnet to promote a culture of scholarship and exchange among African students who have a desire to do research. The scholars within HSA learn how to find, read, and present research findings, and they exposed to early interactions with prominent research professors from around the world through our virtual coffee chats (VCC) program. We are always seeking individuals that are willing and capable of helping us fulfill our mission. If you have any questions about our organization or would like to get involved, and support us in any capacity, please contact us at info@afrisnet.org. We welcome financial gifts to Afrisnet, and we are always looking for volunteers who can help drive our mission. Thank you for your interest and consideration. Gabriel Muhire Gihana, PhD President Afrisnet