By Peter Theuri
Half a dozen times – probably even more – Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh reminds me that she has a lot of confidence in the young people of Africa. It is not just blind hope, unfounded optimism. Throughout a long career in research and leadership, and subsequent working stints in various countries, Dr Obokoh has encountered numerous young people whose innovations – mainly scientific – have left a lasting impression.
If anything is saving Africa, she says, it is this demographic.
“Young people have shown us that they can do things without necessarily depending on the government for help, such as for subsidies. They are very innovative; they are coming up with so many things,” she beams.
Maybe her dalliance with the youth comes from the fact that she navigated her tertiary education in apartheid South Africa, even attending The University of Zululand at a time when the system was unfavorable. “I could only go to a historically disadvantaged university. That is what we called those schools in those earlier days.” Despite that, she came out successful.
Journeying on, post-independence, she joined Pretoria University and then University of Cambridge for her PhD. The career journey that followed has been nothing short of spectacular, inspiring.
Dr Obokoh is the current CEO of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). Before that, she worked at the Agricultural Research Council, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), headed Africa Bio, and was then, until a few years ago, chairperson of the board of The National Research Foundation (NRF) in her country, South Africa.
She recounts, with great pride, the countless efforts she has put in in her forays, alongside like-minded partners, to help smallholder farmers across the continent beat a plethora of challenges and turn a profit at their trade. There has not been a wasted year.
“Working in West Africa, we engaged with various stakeholders to ensure that the technologies coming up were going to reach and assist our small-scale farmers. We did the same in South Africa, ensuring farmers could be resilient amid all the challenges that they face in their farms,” she says.
She can boast about her participation in the introduction of insect-resistant cowpea and nitrogen-use and water-use efficiency rice to small scale farmers in West Africa, and her support of genetically modified soybean and maize that long got commercialized in South Africa.
One of the main reasons she appreciates the youth is their ability to identify problems and come up with solutions, through technology. When these technologies reach and help smallholder farmers, it fills her with joy. She understands the rigors of farming.
“It is not easy to farm – I have tried it myself – and I sympathize, and appreciate, that our farmers are able to still produce despite all the challenges that they face.”
Dr Obokoh is a strong believer in the power of science to transform society, and to contribute in solving problems that Africa could face in the future as the population multiplies rapidly. She says that as a member of The Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), she is part of key discussions to “transform food systems: water, environment, land, and agriculture in totality.”
“In the midst of climate change, we need science,” she says.
But while a robust crop of youth is coming up with solutions, Dr Obokoh believes that immense support will be pivotal, coming from the government, private sector, and even philanthropists. Further, a South-South collaboration could be the panacea to some of the problems encountered in Sub-Saharan Africa, with homegrown solutions necessary for the continent.
“We need to request our leaders to actually trust and invest in our capability as researchers. We need to capacitate our people with funding for research, with state-of-the-art infrastructure for research, and with collaboration with other countries so we can learn from them,” she says.
While most of Africa still struggles with maintaining a steady stream of funding for key research, South Africa has pulled ahead and has, over time, empowered its researchers, and she appreciates the political class for prioritizing this injection of funding to research.
Dr Obokoh is certain that only futuristic endeavors will help Africa beat some of its most serious problems and compete with the developed world.
“We need a system thinking approach. Also understanding where the world is going, and what skills we will need in the future to be able to respond to those challenges. We need to be competitive,” she says.
And here is precisely where the youth come in.
“Look at Silicon Valley in the US. Look at China, and look at Singapore. We need that kind of thinking, especially for our young people. They cannot be like us, going to study purely to come look for jobs. They should become job creators,” she says.
Dr. Obokoh has no doubt that Africa has the capacity to achieve all the milestones starry-eyed professionals dream of. Curricula might need readjustment to churn out young professionals who are skilled enough to tackle the continent’s key problems. Funding needs to be more deliberate, and those wells need constant replenishment. Scientists need to speak louder, to be heard above all the disinformation and misinformation that inhibits adoption of crucial scientific innovation. Collaboration in the South needs to be strengthened. Partnerships also need to be prioritized. All these were discussed in the April 2025 CGIAR Science Week in Nairobi, which she attended.
But key above all, the youth.
“Get the youth to be excited about science instead of perpetuating the old technologies that are really not saving us with a growing population. Let the youth thrive. Give the youth a chance. Empower the youth.”
The youth, she strongly believes, could be the silver bullet. Or, straight up, are the silver bullet.