Writing Schools: Strengthening the Academic Writing Skills of the Next Generation of African Scholars
One of MIASA’s main goals is to amplify the voices of African academics on the global academic stage. Improving the writing skills of early career researchers in Africa and developing their publication strategies is therefore key. Consequently, in 2021, MIASA established its own annual writing school for postdoctoral scholars from Africa. Since then, five writing schools have been organised in collaboration with Goethe University Frankfurt. Convened by Prof. Akosua Keseboa Darkwah of the Department of Sociology at the University of Ghana and her team of five highly experienced mentors and editors, mostly from Ghana, the writing schools have so far trained 89 early career researchers (including 39 women) from across the continent. These scholars applied with article manuscripts on MIASA-related topics that they wish to publish in peer-reviewed journals.

The fifth Writing School, entitled ‘Democracy, Conflict Resolution and Climate Change’, took place at MIASA from 28 April to 2 May 2025. Of the 99 applications received, 17 scholars from eight anglophone and francophone African countries were selected. During the workshop, problem areas in the scholars’ writing were discussed. Other topics included identifying research gaps in the literature and conceptualising one’s own contribution to filling these gaps. Different publication strategies were also addressed. The workshop was characterised by a high degree of practical relevance, offering mentees plenty of time each day for group and individual discussions with mentors and editors to improve their manuscripts. To this end, each mentor was assigned a group of mentees with similar research interests. With the help of breakout sessions, the postdocs worked specifically on their article manuscripts. On the last day of the workshop, responsibility partners were assigned to ensure that the work was completed and submitted for publication.
Despite the intensive support provided during the five-day workshop, publishing in international peer-reviewed journals remains challenging for early-career researchers in Africa. For this reason, the mentors and coordinator in Frankfurt continue to monitor the mentees’ publication efforts after the workshop, providing assistance where possible. Thirteen articles in peer-reviewed journals were published by the first three cohorts of mentees, while others were rejected or submitted to other journals. One important benefit of the writing schools, as expressed by the participants, is learning how to deal with discouragement, building resilience, and gaining the confidence needed to make yourself heard in global academia.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Marko Scholze (November 17, 2025). Writing Schools: Strengthening the Academic Writing Skills of the Next Generation of African Scholars. Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa - Blog. Retrieved December 11, 2025 from https://miasa.hypotheses.org/5421



