20 women scientists receive the Makutano and Investing in People Asbl scholarships

Thanks to a first fundraising campaign launched in January 2020, the Investing in People non-profit and Makutano awarded, in mid-May, 20 scholarships to Congolese female students excelling in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

At the end of a rigorous selection process, 20 laureates were chosen by the scientific jury from among the 530 candidates studying in the country or abroad.

They come from Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani, Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Grenoble, Munich and even Medford, in the USA. The youngest is 18 and the oldest, 44.

The jury noted the “impressive and moving” journey of each of these women, “young, ambitious, committed, and unafraid to envision a different Congo, a different Africa”.

These scholarships, spanning nine scientific fields, cover, depending on the case, conferences, research, Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programmes, and are spread across several Congolese universities or abroad (Germany, Côte d’Ivoire and the USA).

To date in the DRC, only around sixty women hold a Doctorate in Science, and there are fewer than 11 researchers paid as such per million inhabitants, while Japan, the world champion, has 5,100, Senegal 564 and Egypt 689.

By supporting our talents in the scientific fields and contributing to their success, we enrich our research laboratories, both public and private, we strengthen the diversification of our economy and thus invest for tomorrow.