Africa Oxford Initiative

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Africa Oxford Initiative

AfOx is a platform for academic and research collaborations between University of Oxford and Africa

The Africa Oxford Initiative supports equitable and sustainable collaborations between academics and researchers in African countries and their counterparts in the University of Oxford. At a time when several countries on the African continent are poised for decades of strong economic and demographic growth, we see huge potential both for African universities and for Oxford in strengthening existing partnerships and collaborations as well as forging new ones.

11/03/2026

Join us for the AfOx Visiting Fellowship Programme (AVFP) Information Session on 13 March 2026!

Are you an African researcher looking to connect with Oxford academics and advance your work with international support?
The AfOx Visiting Fellowship Programme offers a unique hybrid fellowship — including ten months of virtual engagement and a fully funded two month visit to Oxford.

During the session, you’ll learn:
How the programme works
Who can apply
Tips for identifying an Oxford collaborator
Success stories from past fellows

🗓 13 March 2026
🕒 4:30-6:30 PM UK Time
🔗 Register here:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_phXy7WpORTiH7hcV1ygd7A

Help us spread the word — tag a colleague who should join!

04/03/2026

Meet Dr Frederick Murunga Wekesah, Afox Fellow 2025

Dr. Frederick Murunga Wekesah is based at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a chronic disease epidemiologist whose current research focuses on mental health and neurological disorders in children and adolescents. Since 2008, he has conducted research on non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiometabolic diseases, within the slums of Nairobi. His prior work includes studying the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and childhood malnutrition.

More information about Dr Wekesah is available here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/frederick-murunga-wekesah

Applications for the AfOx Visiting Fellowship Program(AVFP) are currently open. More information is available here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/research/afox_visiting_fellowship_programme

03/03/2026

Meet Professor Clement Masakure, AfOx Fellow 2025

Clement Masakure is a historian of health histories, whose research interests are on the histories of hospitals and their workers, histories of diseases, health and healing, and humanitarian work in southern Africa. He is an Associate Professor of History and currently serves as the Academic Head of the Department of History at the University of the Free State.

Read more about Prof. Masakure here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/clement-masakure

Application for the visiting fellowship program are currently open. More information is available here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/clement-masakure

02/03/2026

Meet Karifa Kourouma Afox Fellow 2025/2026

Karifa Kourouma, is a physician and public health researcher with over a decade of experience in tropical medicine, clinical research, and epidemic preparedness. Based at the Centre National de Formation et de Recherche en Santé Rurale de Maferinyah and the Public Health Department at Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Guinea, he leads research projects on epidemic-prone diseases, AMR, and outbreak response, ensuring findings directly inform national health policies.

More information about Karifa is available here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/karifa-kourouma

Applications for the AfOx Visiting Fellowship Program(AVFP) are currently open. More information is available here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/research/afox_visiting_fellowship_programme

27/02/2026

AfOx Visiting Fellowship 2026/27 applications now open

Are you an African researcher looking to build transformative global partnerships and advance impactful research? The Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship Programme is now open for applications.

Selected Fellows will be affiliated with the University of Oxford for 12 months, including:
✨ 10 months of virtual engagement
📍 2 months in Oxford (April–June, Trinity Term)

Fellows are hosted by both an Oxford Department and College, working closely with an Oxford-based collaborator (required at application stage).

AfOx Fellowships are delivered through a range of partnerships, and applicants should carefully align their proposals with the relevant partner priorities. Applicants may work with collaborators in any Oxford department but must propose a project focused on improving equitable access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries.

AfOx strongly encourages applications from female and underrepresented researchers.

Over the years, AfOx Fellows have built lasting collaborations that have resulted in:

* Joint publications
* New international research projects
* Meaningful engagement with African policy-makers
* Significant research funding awards

Beyond research outputs, Fellows contribute richly to Oxford’s intellectual and social life — while gaining access to world-class expertise, networks, and resources.

Apply here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/research/afox_visiting_fellowship_programme

25/02/2026

Meet Peter Kojo Quashie Afox Fellow 2025

Dr. Peter Kojo Quashie is a virologist and Senior Research Fellow at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, where he is also Deputy Director (Research). He researches RNA viruses including focusing on viral evolution, immunopathology, and vaccine/therapeutics discovery.

Read more: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/peter-kojo-quashie

Applications for the visiting fellowship program are currently open. More information here: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/research/afox_visiting_fellowship_programme

23/02/2026

Meet Associate Professor Mary Kawonga Afox fellow 2025

Mary Kawonga is a Public Health Physician and Associate Professor in Community Health at the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She is an implementation researcher, lecturer, postgraduate research supervisor, and service delivery partner who is passionate about finding approaches to enhance women’s health service delivery and outcomes.

https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/mary-kawonga

19/02/2026

Sarah Karanja, Afox Fellow 2025

Sarah Karanja is a social scientist and public health researcher committed to implementation science and health equity. Her research focuses on identifying and addressing barriers to healthcare access.

Over the past four years, Sarah has collaborated with https://iceh.lshtm.ac.uk/ and https://peekvision.org/ to develop the Improvement Studies for Equitable and Evidence-Based Innovation model. This model aims to identify and test solutions for improving access to eye healthcare through adaptive randomised controlled trials. The interventions developed using this model increased young adults' attendance at eye clinics from 32% to 39%, leading to the conclusion that there was a 98.6% probability that the intervention was more effective than the standard care, triggering early trial completion.

More: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/sarah-karanja

18/02/2026

Meet Dawit Getachew Assefa Afox Fellow 2025

Dawit Getachew Assefa is an Ethiopian clinical research specialist and academic with over a decade of experience in infectious diseases, clinical trials, and evidence synthesis. He is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trials and Clinical Trials Specialist at Dilla University, Ethiopia, where he pioneered participant-centered active surveillance of vaccine safety and has trained academic and research staff in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. His career also includes roles as a Clinical Trial Monitor at CDT-Africa, Research Nurse at KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, and frontline nurse in Ethiopia’s public health system.

Read more: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/dawit-getachew-assefa

17/02/2026

Meet Dr Ann George AfOx and Female Academic Leaders Fellow (FALF)

Dr Ann George is a Senior Lecturer: Curriculum and Faculty Development in the Centre for Health Science Education at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ann holds a PhD in Science Education and is a C2-rated researcher [South African National Research Foundation (NRF), 2024], indicating an established researcher with a sustained record of productivity. She has been the recipient of several NRF grants and current base funding from the African Engineering and Technology Network (AFRETECH) for the multidisciplinary project, Systematic inquiry into learning design and technology-enhanced learning in health sciences education: Building communities of practice.

Read more: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/ann-zeta-george

16/02/2026

Meet Associate Professor Palesa Mamoseki Violet (Motshabi) Chakane, AfOx and Female Academic Leaders Fellow (FALF)

Palesa Motshabi Chakane is an Associate Professor and academic Head of Department of Anaesthesia at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand. She holds a PhD in Cardiac Anaesthesia, is the Past President of the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anaesthesia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA), A committee member of the IACA- International Academy of Cardiac Anaesthesiologists, member of the International Committee of the Society of Cardiovascular Anaesthesiologists (SCA). She is the Founder of the Joint Perioperative Cardiothoracic and Vascular Congress (JPC Congress).

Read more: https://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/about/people/palesa-mamoseki-violet-motshabi-chakane

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The Peter Medawar Building For Pathogen Research
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Website

http://www.afox.ox.ac.uk/

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