The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) at the University of Ghana has held its 6th writing workshop for early-career academics, aimed at strengthening their writing skills to meet evolving standards in the contemporary academic landscape.
The week-long workshop took place at the ISSER Conference Facility from Monday, April 20 to Friday, April 24, 2026, and brought together participants from selected countries across the continent.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Univers News, the Lead Facilitator and Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana, Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, stated that the core aim of the programme, organised under the auspices of MIASA and its collaborators, is to use the one-week period to fine-tune the publishing skills of newly minted PhD holders to meet the standards required by high-impact academic journals both locally and internationally.
“The overarching aim of the annual writing workshops for early-career African researchers organised by MIASA and its partners is to further develop the writing and research skills of selected scholars—most of whom obtained their doctorates within the past five years—and to help them understand the dynamics of the academic landscape and how to publish in globally recognised journals that can enhance their visibility and recognition in their respective fields,” she said.
Prof. Darkwah added that over the past six years of running the programme, several trainees have exceeded expectations, with some of their work published in highly reputable international journals.
“Over the past six years of organising the workshop with our partners and co-facilitators from various institutions, we have achieved significant milestones, with some supervised papers from our trainees being published in globally acclaimed journals. This aligns with our goal of giving them competitive exposure in the contemporary academic landscape,” she noted.
The Co-Director of MIASA Ghana and Professor of Linguistics, Grace Diabah, stated that the institute aims to provide resources and academic mentorship to high-performing scholars across the continent to help them meet global standards of scholarship.
“At MIASA, our vision is to serve as a strong pipeline for identifying top-performing academics from across the continent—especially in the Humanities—by providing world-class training opportunities and mentorship from established scholars to elevate their work as they advance in their careers,” she said.
The workshop featured plenary sessions, one-on-one mentoring with experienced academics, and evaluations of participants’ individual research work, alongside informal sessions designed to foster networking and collaboration.
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Story by Sika Togoh | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
