One of the central pillars of ACEIR is to contribute to research and data capacity development that advances our commitment to a strong research programme on developing strategies that address inequality and poverty in Africa.
The Centre places African scholars at the forefront of this research agenda and nurtures the growth of young and emerging African researchers in this field. The ACEIR team of renowned African academics from partner universities has a strong track record of data scholarship, and of research and data capacity development.
Partnerships with other universities, international development agencies, and national statistical offices make it possible to offer different components of capacity development for postgraduate students, early career researchers, and key players from government and civil society.
Research and data capacity development undertakings
Data hubs as public goods
ACEIR undertook to support the establishment of data hubs and the provision of data infrastructure for its research networks in each of the Centre’s node countries. Leading this work is a small team from ACEIR’s central data partner – DataFirst – an internationally recognised research data service based at the University of Cape Town. DataFirst has an extensive track record on the African continent in training and capacity building in data curation and setting up dissemination portals. It is the continent’s only internationally certified data repository. Read more
Data and research skills development
Complementary to ACEIR’s aspiration to establish research-ready data hubs on African inequality and poverty are capacity development initiatives for researchers to use and interpret these datasets in studies that can benefit the policy environment. Such skills development takes place in collaboration with ACEIR’s key partners, drawing on their world-class expertise and bringing a rich diversity in data skills training on offer.
Postgraduate and policy researcher training
ACEIR offers formal research training programmes in alignment with the African Research Universities Alliance’s objective to boost research and graduate training on the African continent, especially the number and quality of African postdoctoral graduates. These programmes are facilitated through cooperation and collaboration agreements between various universities or university networks from Africa, Europe, and elsewhere.
Career pathing and capacity development for early and mid-career team members
Research production at universities in Africa needs greater support to speed up the generation of knowledge and innovation that are needed for the continent’s development and prosperity. With this goal in mind, ACEIR aligns with the African Research Universities Alliance’s strategic focus on creating post-doctoral opportunities and providing early career support through collaborative research and mentorship.
Resources for research capacity building and training
The publications listed here are the results of collaborations between ACEIR researchers and often in collaboration with researchers from partner universities and other institutions. Read more