Professor in Social Sciences appointed to new government taskforce
Nyovani Madise, Professor of Demography and Social Statistics, has been appointed to a new government task force.
The Departments for International Development (DFID) and Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) have created the Task Force for Higher Education to assess current and projected global trends around supply and demand for higher education and skills in low income and fragile countries.
Nyovani has been appointed to the task force for a year during which time the group will identify opportunities and make recommendations on how development agencies can help countries build their tertiary and professional skills capabilities.
“I am delighted to have been selected for the role. I have previously led a project to strengthen the skills of universities in the South African Development Community region that led to improved teaching and research skills, generated demand for PhD training and increased networking between universities in the global south. This experience will prove very useful in my new role,” said Nyovani.
“My previous position as lecturer and senior research scientist in Africa have given me some insights into areas where development agencies might make the greatest difference,” she added.
Nyovani has always been passionate about building higher-level skills in low income countries as a way of helping countries out of poverty. She advocates that every poor country needs at least one strong higher education institution to train leaders in science, politics, social sciences, education, and health, to name a few.
Her research interests are in child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS, family planning and young people’s sexual behaviour in the developing world..
Nyovani is currently director of the Centre for Global Health, Population, Poverty and Policy and regularly advises development agencies and governments in the global south.