Capacity Strengthening activities in Africa

IMI engagement across Africa

Members of the Institute for Mathematical Innovation continue to build strong partnerships across Africa through visits to universities, collaborative project development, and hosting academic visitors in Bath. These activities deepen research connections, support capacity strengthening, and shape future joint initiatives.

EMBU 2026 Jane White and Marilyn Ronoh

University of Embu, Kenya

Professor Jane White from IMI , University of Bath, was hosted by Dr Marilyn Ronoh, Lecturer in Applied Mathematics and Director of Careers and Enterprise, University of Embu. The visit to the focused on exploring opportunities for future research collaboration.

Discussions centred on developing joint research activity, including potential projects on donkey‑related modelling and water pollution using the River Wye and River Nairobi as comparative case studies. They also explored ways to support PhD training and supervision, strengthen engagement with industry through research partnerships and student placements, and contribute ideas for the forthcoming revision of the undergraduate mathematics curriculum following national changes.

Prof White’s visit was hosted by both the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Vice‑Chancellor’s Office at Embu.

Global Meeting, South Africa

Capacity Strengthening co‑leads joined a London Mathematical Society (LMS) delegation in Johannesburg for the inaugural Global Meeting, a partnership between the LMS, the South African Mathematical Society, and the Mathematical Sciences Association South Africa.

Professors Gregory Sankaran and Jane White represented the Institute for Mathematical Innovation at the week‑long meeting, held in early September 2025. The event formed part of the LMS Global Affairs Committee’s commitment to supporting the international mathematical community.

Mathematical research discussions were interwoven with strategic sessions aimed at developing impactful activities and strengthening collaboration between mathematicians in the UK and Southern Africa. The IMI model of industrial consultancy and the MIRA role attracted particular interest from colleagues across the region. A full report will be published by the LMS later this year.

University of Malawi (UNIMA), Malawi

In 2024, Prof White delivered the inaugural Applied Mathematics Research School (AMRS) in Malawi. Planning is now underway for the third school, scheduled for January 2027 at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  Since it’s inception in 2024, which included Jane White’s involvement, it has been organised entirely by colleagues from Southern Africa, with committee members from Malawi, South Africa, and Namibia.

The 2026 AMRS was the third annual meeting, and Dr Fillipe Georgiou from IMI joined the school to deliver a series of introductory Python sessions. For the January 2027 school, which Fillipe hopes to attend again, it is anticipated that IMI will provide a small funding contribution to support travel and accommodation for PhD students from Tanzania and Zambia.

Following the meeting in South Africa in September 2025, Prof Sankaran also travelled to the University of Malawi (UNIMA) in Zomba to deliver a series of lectures to graduate students and faculty members. This visit followed an earlier visit to IMI by Dr Mwawi Nyrienda‑Kayuni, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at UNIMA, reflecting a growing commitment to supporting mathematics research and teaching in Malawi.

AMRS workshop 2026 Irrigation working group

AMRS workshop 2026 – Jane on a trip onto the Zomba plateau

Summer 2026: IMI hosts Professor Loyiso G Nongxa and Dr Elias Mwakilama

In June 2026, following the Global Meeting, IMI hosted Professor Loyiso G Nongxa, a Rhodes Scholar and leading South African mathematician. Professor Nongxa has served as Vice‑President of the International Mathematical Union (2019–2022), liaising with UNESCO and the International Science Council. A former Vice‑Chancellor of Witwatersrand University and now Emeritus Professor, he has contributed research in Group Theory and the mathematical foundations of data science, chaired South Africa’s National Research Foundation, and championed the National Graduate Academy for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.

Professor Loyiso G Nongxa

In July 2026, following IMI’s visit to UNIMA, we hosted Dr Elias Mwakilama, Associate Professor in Mathematical Sciences at the University of Malawi and a data scientist whose research spans Computational Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics. His visit focused on advancing the irrigation project initiated with IMI MIRA Dr Fillipe Georgiou at AMRS 2026, and on planning the next AMRS meeting in January 2027.

We also took a short trip to Glastonbury Tor—a lovely moment of downtime during a productive visit.