Banshee Gichovi
In recent years, an increasing number of African scholars have been conducting botanical research with the support of Chinese research institutions.
Bansi Gichobi, a master’s student at the China-Africa Joint Research Center in Wuhan, Hubei province, is one of them.
Her interest in studying in China began in 2015 when she was an undergraduate at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, headquarters of the Centre for China-Africa Studies in Africa, and was fascinated by the enduring ties between China and Kenya.
In 2019, she applied for a scholarship that gave her the opportunity to further her studies in plant molecular biology at the research center.
Last November, a study co-authored by Gichowi and six other Chinese researchers was published in the journal Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. “I’m really grateful to my supervisor and classmates at the research center,” says Gichowi. “Dealing with the molecular aspects can be very challenging, but when I ask for advice, they are always willing to help.”
The China-Africa Joint Research Centre serves as a melting pot of talent, with over 300 students from 14 African countries collaborating on research in botany, animal science and microbiology.
In the center’s academic program, master’s students spend two semesters at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, while doctoral students complete one semester before furthering their research.
