A Midlands State University Lecturer has been granted £300 000 by the African Academy of Sciences and Royal Society.
The award was granted to Dr Gift Mehlana, the chairperson of Midlands State University’s Chemical Technology Department to conduct independent research that will find solutions to global challenges affecting Zimbabwe.
Dr Mehlana was presented with the award at Naivasha in Kenya where scientists from across the African continent gathered from April 4 to 5 to celebrate the start of their two-year Future Leaders-African Independent Research (FLAIR) fellowship.
Speaking to The Herald after bagging the grant, Dr Mehlana had this to say:
This gesture comes at a good time when our nation is employing robust measures to revive the economy through industrialisation where science and research are key. Research is key to the economic development of Zimbabwe.
Therefore Zimbabwe is going to benefit from the sophisticated equipment that will allow us to carry out research which in turn will address some of the challenges that we are facing as a nation.
… The grant will give me an opportunity to network with researchers from the United Kingdom and in our region, I am looking forward to the prospects of carrying out research on carbon dioxide capture and conversion.