Dr Pearl Abu, a senior lecturer and Team Lead for Maize at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana has won the prestigious UNESCO Young Women in Science Award for her work developing nutrient-rich, climate-resilient maize varieties at the University of Ghana, with the fellowship providing vital funding and opportunities to address Africa’s food security challenges and advance women in STEM.
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Reflecting on her journey in a documentary by UNESCO, she stated, “I was curious about plants, and that curiosity is what led me to study plant science.”
Her team uses cutting-edge genetic technologies to breed crops resilient to both biotic and abiotic stresses, ensuring higher yields while addressing hidden hunger, a condition where people consume enough food but lack essential nutrients.
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“We see children develop a lot of deficiency-related diseases, which affects how well they develop. So when we are developing crops, bifertification is important.
“Whilst we are increasing the yield, we have to make sure that we have nutrients available in the food so that they don’t need to rely on supplements. It is important that we also solve the problem of making crop production cheap for farmers,” she remarked.
Dr Abu also acknowledged the challenges of balancing career and family and securing funding in Africa.
“A strong support system, including my husband, children, and mentors, has been crucial to my success,” she said.
With this award, Dr Pearl Abu continues to inspire a new generation of African women scientists to pursue careers in science, technology, and agriculture.
The UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea Fellowship for Young Women Scientists is part of a new support programme instituted to recognise outstanding female researchers across Africa.
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