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As our 2025/2026 African STARS Young Professional Programme (YPP) fellows completed their journey, I found myself reflecting on what it means to watch people you’ve mentored grow into confident leaders. It felt like a parent standing before an empty nest – filled with pride, yet carrying the quiet sadness of letting go

Over the past year, our team in Stellenbosch had the privilege of working alongside ten extraordinary fellows: Joel Alukwe, Harries Molepo, Kennedy Mulungu, Kingstone Nihaka, Fezokuhle Khumalo, Celestine Nyamari, Grace Mwakinga, Francisca Adomako, Kabugo Joel, and Dr Monique Barnard-Matthee. We witnessed their transformation as scientists, innovators, and leaders, celebrating their achievements and watching them gain the confidence to pursue ambitious dreams. Seeing them leave is bittersweet, but like any family, our role isn’t to hold them back – it’s to encourage them to explore, lead, and make their mark on the world. Wherever they go, they remain part of the African STARS family.

This edition celebrates some of our fellows’ remarkable accomplishments. Kingstone turned lessons in leadership and communication into two competitive grants advancing Africanmade enzymes and gene-editing technologies. Celestine secured a partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, joining one of the world’s leading centres for biochemistry and protein design. Grace’s face lit up the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square, recognised as one of only ten entrepreneurs selected globally – her company harnesses seaweed to capture carbon dioxide far faster than land plants while creating high-value products. And when Ebola re-emerged in Uganda, Kabugo mobilised funding from the ELMA Foundation and forged industry partnerships to ensure frontline public health teams had rapid access to accurate diagnostics. Amusa Wamawobe, an ATT fellow, received the prestigious Robert Austrian Research Award, crediting the scientific writing skills he strengthened through the fellowship. These stories remind us that investing in African talent creates lasting impact – winning international awards, earning fully funded opportunities at world-leading universities, and strengthening Africa’s capacity to respond to emerging health threats.

As they say in Mozambique, “A vida segue e a luta continua” (“life goes on, and the struggle continues”). We wish our departing fellows every success as they write the next chapters of their journeys, and we welcome our new cohort: 50 fellows from 20 African countries, joining us and our partners at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar – a new generation of African leaders committed to advancing science, creating opportunities, and saving lives. The nest may never stay full for long, but that’s precisely how we know it’s fulfilling its purpose.

News date: 2026-08-02

Links:

https://ceri.africa/the-gem/