PhD Scholars in Africa: Begin With the End in Mind, But Keep The Major PhD Milestones In View

In this reflection, Dr, Eric Ndeh, a member of our Accountability Group, shares some wisdom on project managing doctoral study.

PhD Scholars in Africa: Begin with the end in mind but do not forget the significant PhD milestones on the way.

In life, everything is a project. For every successful project, there is an expected outcome and end-product that is envisaged. The project proponent then engages in a feasibility phase, investing the time and effort to gather or ascertain what is needed from the inception of the project through the different phases of the project until the delivery of the final product. The feasibility stage helps the proponent to make decisions on whether to start the project, put it on hold to gather additional intel and resources, and be sure that the product will be usable both to the project proponent or accepted by the stakeholders that have an interest or were meant to be served by it. 

The additional demands of a PhD project

The PhD project is no different. It even demands more caution and thinking on the part of the PhD project proponent than any other project. This is because it requires a significant investment of time, and resources, enormous sacrifices on the way, and the ability to find balance with other life demands. Moreover, the project milestones along the PhD project implementation phases are equally and if not more important than the final pile of papers produced and an accolade that comes with the title of a PhD.

The list of project milestones is long – skills in networking and partnership building, project development and fundraising, communication, team work, resilience, flexibility, adaptability, confidence, feedbacking, etc etc irrespective of what field your PhD project is in.  Professor Eddy Bruno Essien summarises some of these skills in the figure below:

While it is good to begin with the end in mind, many PhD proponents have focused on the end bit of the process, forgetting the project milestones achieved on the way. Therefore,  they miss the point by thinking the pile of papers produced will be what propels them to the next stage of their careers. Arguably, some PhD holders have brandished their finished PhDs in some context and that has been the basis for getting jobs. From a personal experience, all the skills I acquired along my PhD project journey have been the critical elements that put me in good stead in the professional world. My subject matter expertise came secondary to these. 

I know many PhD project holders are doing this. But I went the extra mile to apply for grants and learn lessons after each attempt, applied for conferences, put myself up to chair sessions, kept an eye on what my friends were doing and opportunities they had in their networks, initiated and/or joined collaborative projects, kept in touch with my community and shared how important my research was to them. These skills have helped me to work with others in the community, developing impactful and rewarding relationships far more than the accolades I got from a handshake and being asked to use a title.

Learning from others

In 2019, over 120 disgruntled PhD holders went on a sit-down strike in front of the Cameroon’s ministry of Higher Education. They demanded to be recruited into the Cameroon’s public service as lecturers. This was because they had completed a PhD and were entitled to jobs from the state. This is not unique to Cameroon and is a clear demonstration of aiming for the final product and missing the learnings and empowering opportunities on the way. They had missed honing their creative skills and knowledge thus relinquishing the responsibility to others to empower them.

Fellow PhD project holders in Africa, please, start with the end in mind. However, don't wait until the end to figure out what to do next. The lessons along the way are important in setting the stage for the next career move. 

Get in touch if you are struggling!

Dr Eric Ndeh

Member, @PhDinAfrica Accountability Group