Managing African Research Network Mran

mRAN is a new kid on the block of International Research Networks after commencing activities in 2014. It was born of a vision by Professor Emeritus John Kuada, from the 5th Aalborg University Conference with the theme of Finding Solutions to the New Challenges of Internationalization held at Comwell Rebild Bakker, Aalborg-Denmark on 4-6 June 2014. The inaugural group consented on lack of research on Africa by African researchers and the clarion call to bridge the gap. There was further agreement on strengthening of North-South Partnerships. mRAN's mission is to creatively develop innovative solutions to address African challenges and strategically advance Africa to be a global power whilst tenaciously providing a conducive space for seasoned researchers to mentor aspiring young researchers by attracting funding, conducting and publishing research relevant to the African context. mRAN is both a virtual and multiple location network. Although it has a geographic location in terms of a headquarters in Botswana, its members are spread across countries in Africa, including Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe. In the diaspora, Scholars are spread across countries in Europe, including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland. Research projects are in the fields of economics, management, entrepreneurship, small and medium-sized enterprise development, information technology, international business, marketing, development studies, linguistics, gender studies and philosophy or related areas. From January 2022, mRAN will begin mentoring African PhD students whose research topics are in these fields. The mentorship would help them publish their articles in international journals. mRAN also runs an Entrepreneurship Diagnostic Centre which partners with entrepreneurs to provide business solutions to the challenges they face through the network’s applied analytical expertise.