17 female STEM Doctoral Candidates from Partner Universities in Sub-Saharan Africa of the YEMAYA Program have completed a research stay at TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) over the past three years. Three of the participants report on how they use the new skills as trainers for sustainable research and teaching at their home universities.
“The six months in Freiberg were impactful and transforming! I am now one of the very few female scientists in my field from Nigeria who have gained experience with modern research infrastructure”, Pearl Elochukwu Echezona tells us in an online interview after her return to the University of Nigeria Nsukka. At TUBAF, she developed new approaches to monitoring and rehabilitating oil-contaminated areas in her region in the summer of 2025.
“I learned how to operate modern analytical equipment and was actively involved in field operations methods like tracer or pumping tests organized by the Chair of Hydrogeology and Hydrochemistry, and got to know new software and modelling tools for hydrogeology and hydrochemistry. Even if these tools are not available at my home university, it is a great advantage to have already worked with them. This is because I can apply these skills as a member of the teaching staff at my university.” In teaching, Pearl Elochukwu Echezona can now pass on this knowledge to her students and give them a competitive edge on the job market. I recommend every fellow doctoral candidate from the target countries to apply for a place in this unique program!”
"One is not the same when she returns"
Akuba Bezeba Yalley, PhD from the University of Mines and Technology, Ghana describes her research stay as formative in many ways: "From working in the laboratory to relationship and expectation management acquired in leadership meetings with the GraFa team, I learned to always think about the next step!" For Akuba Bezeba Yalley, a particularly German characteristic: "Whether at a presentation or when planning an experiment, the colleagues in Germany have been very critically thinking. They ask themselves what happens if... and then plan their next steps accordingly."
In Freiberg Akuba Bezeba Yalley got familiar with a new technology used at a pilot plant for water purification with organic filters at artisanal and small-scale mining sites in Ghana. After her return to her home university, she is currently working as a lecturer and implementing her technology on some pilot mining sites in Tarkwa, Ghana. She is also the coordinator for a new project called ‘Artisanal Mining Hub’ that trains local miners in sustainable mining techniques. Also, joint publications with Freiberg researchers are in progress. "It makes a noticeable difference to have learned to handle the pilot plant yourself. I now have a feeling for the technology that I would never have gained in Ghana."
Growing in Research and Mindset
Another positive long-term effect of the TUBAF stay is emphasized by Vivian Isabella Seshie, PhD: "The spirit of invention and the training in entrepreneurship at TUBAF really inspired me. Now, I teach courses in entrepreneurship for students at the University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa myself. I explain how they can further develop their research work and what questions they need to ask during their projects."
Without the stay in the YEMAYA program, she would not have gained these insights: "I have not only grown in terms of the further development of my research, but also in terms of my mindset! It's not just about the modern research infrastructure. I wanted to understand how researchers handle it and what they make of it."
Samples of her research project with gold mines tailings, Vivian Isabella Seshie had brought with her to Freiberg. "Thanks to the analysis, we now know that the heavy metals contained in them are so strongly bound that they can only be released at extremely low pH values. The residues could therefore be completely harmless local building material." Now, she wants to investigate those properties further. "Thanks to my new self-confidence, I was even able to join a pilot programme on entrepreneurship – for me, another great success of the YEMAYA program!"
Über YEMAYA
In einem Train-the-Trainer-Ansatz vermittelt das im Erasmus-Mobilitätsprogramm geförderte YEMAYA-Projekt insbesondere Techniken für Biodiversitätsmanagement, sowie Wasser- und Bodenüberwachung und -reinigung. Da alle teilnehmenden Universitäten in Bergbauländern angesiedelt sind, ist der Ausbau der Kompetenzen ihrer Forschenden im Bereich der nachhaltigen Gewinnung mineralischer Rohstoffe ein zentrales Ziel. Die Forschungsinfrastruktur an der TUBAF ermöglicht den Teilnehmerinnen vertiefte Einblicke in aktuelle Technologien und Methoden.
Außerdem nehmen alle Teilnehmerinnen an der Graduierten- und Forschungsakademie (GraFa) an Trainings in Projektmanagement, Führungskompetenzen oder Entrepreneurship teil. Dieser Ansatz soll sie nicht nur als Forscherinnen, sondern auch als wirksame Führungspersönlichkeiten in ihren Institutionen und Communities stärken. Neben der TU Bergakademie Freiberg sind die Hochschulen University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Machakos University, Kenia (MU), Taita Taveta University, Kenia (TTU), University of Mines and Technology, Ghana (UMaT); und die University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana (UESD) beteiligt.
