“Having women in science as mentors can make a critical difference”

“Managing population health is complex, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Muswagha Katya. “In Africa, cities are growing as populations move from rural areas or are displaced forcibly due to conflict. This combination of displacement and high population density is risky for public health, creating the condition for spread of disease – whether Ebola, Influenza or COVID. To build resilient communities, epidemic preparedness is a must.”

The IDAIR Pathfinder project aims to support health systems with a proximity tracing solution that is both efficient and privacy-preserving. “While epidemiology and tracing tools are critical to public health, they can only be effective if people understand the value of them and can trust in their security when it comes to personal data,” explains Katya, who holds an MBA from Oxford Saïd Business School as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees in computer science and electrical engineering.

Katya’s work with IDAIR Pathfinder aligns with the theme of this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, sustainable and equitable development. “A research project team that includes women scientists can bring higher understanding of the multiplicity of needs within a population,” says Katya. “Thinking about all the potential users is critical in a project like this, focused on sustainable development, because any solution will not be sustained without buy-in from the population. So gender diversity and other forms of diversity need to be integrated into a project design – and the best way to do that is to have a diverse team.”

In the IDAIR Pathfinder project, Katya’s identities as a scientist, a woman and an African all come together. “I saw a potential of such innovation in my continent and country of origin,” she says. “Coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where regular severe epidemics occur, having such tools adapted to their pressing needs will definitely help save more lives. Often when scientists design a solution, they focus only on the technological innovation, putting little effort in making sure it is adapted to the context. What strikes me at EssentialTech is the fact that we bring the context knowledge at the center of the design, thus maximizing the fact that the innovation will actually work in fragile contexts. Also, we look at a solution and not a simple tool. By working with partners through the theory of change, we want to ensure the innovation will be used, supporting national health outcome targets and producing the desired impact within the population.”

As the IDAIR Pathfinder project team is now implementing a pilot study to launch this year in Kenya and Ivory Coast, Katya is joined by local Project Leads who also bring perspectives as African women in science: Georgina Angoa of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) in Ivory Coast who is a medical doctor with a Master’s in epidemiology, and Muthoni Mate of the Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD) in Kenya, who has a Master’s in epidemiology and a background in microbiology.

“There is no one single Africa – indeed Ivory Coast and Kenya were selected because they have quite different contexts. Both the differences and similarities that Muthoni, Georgina and I do share as African women can help this project have better potential to help in the context,” says Katya. “And I believe that women often have a collaborative style and resilience that help us drive transformative change, so that is also something that Georgina, Muthoni and I, as well as the other women on the team, can contribute in particular.”

The road to science for a woman in Africa is not always obvious. “In DRC, I went to a high school for science, but the only options open to girls were chemistry or biology because these lead to jobs that were considered appropriate for girls – nurse or doctor. I had to ask for an exception to study math and physics. They accepted my request and two years later they did open these fields to all girls. I am proud to have helped open that door for other girls. Things are evolving, but slowly.

“Unfortunately, there are still schools that do not open these fields to girls. And even more unfortunately, not many girls ask for them, which I believe comes from conditioning. In this chicken-and-egg situation, having women in science as mentors can make a critical difference. Seeing women who forge a path can give your confidence in your skills and courage to follow your dreams. And it is important to set an example for both girls and boys.”

In university in France, Katya experienced an awakening when she encountered the potential of the Internet. “At Uni, I was blown away when using ICQ – Skype’s ancestor. I felt the transformative potential of internet and digital solutions in our daily lives. When ICQ started, cellphones were not common and cost of phone communications, mainly overseas, were sky-rocketing. I then decided I had to focus on understanding more about this new internet’s world.”

Katya says her passion for the internet and computer science could not have blossomed in Africa, where the infrastructure was not sufficient for such communications at the time.

“This is also something that plays into how we design and implement the IDAIR Pathfinder project,” she says. “We are at an exciting time where we can help Africa experience a leapfrog in technology. But we have to design the technology that is right for the context.”