Workshop Report: Leadership and Communication Training Concludes BNITM’s Capacity-Building Series for eWHORM and INTEGRATE Partners
On 27–28 November 2025, eWHORM and its sister project INTEGRATE jointly organized, through their common partner BNITM, a two-day online workshop titled “Leadership and Communication Skills to Enhance Participants' Ability to Write Competitive Grant Proposals.” Delivered in English and French, this event marked the third and final workshop in the joint training series—following the sessions on Scientific Writing and Grant Writing—facilitated by Dr Sylvie Kwedi and Leonard Numfor.
The workshop brought together early- to mid-career researchers and postdoctoral fellows from across the eWHORM consortium, including clinical trial sites working on onchocerciasis (INRB), loiasis (CERMEL) and mansonellosis (UB), as well as partners from the INTEGRATE consortium (ISTH and OWO – Lassa Fever). Participation was engaged and enthusiastic, reflecting growing confidence and motivation across the series.
The final session focused on building essential leadership and communication competencies to support participants’ professional development and strengthen their ability to lead research teams and communicate effectively in scientific environments.
Key objectives included:
- Discovering personal leadership styles and strengths
- Developing active listening and clear messaging techniques
- Learning how to give and receive feedback constructively
- Practicing persuasive and confident public speaking
- Building emotional intelligence for improved team engagement
- Navigating difficult conversations and managing group dynamics
This concluding session completes the BNITM–eWHORM–INTEGRATE training series, which has built important capacities in scientific writing, grant acquisition, and leadership. Together, these efforts help equip researchers for future challenges and advance healthcare preparedness in Sub-Saharan Africa.
