The 12-week Global Leadership course took place at Cornell University in Ithaca New York. The Alliance for Science programme which is hosted in the University’s School of Agriculture and Life Sciences facilitated and financed this programme with assistance from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A total of 4 Malawians participated in the programme and this included, Catherine Chaweza, Communication and Yohane Chimbalanga, Research Officer (Agriculture Sciences) from NCST. The key aim of the programme was to promote science-based decision-making for the benefit of humanity, environment, and the future.
The training course presented speakers such as renowned scientists, academicians, law practitioners, and sociologists who presented and lectured on issues and contemporary topics in line with biotechnology, climate change, liability, and law issues that arise in the discussion of GE (genetically engineered) crops.
Together with 27 other professionals from all over the world, we debated, discussed, and reached conclusions around the issues concerning biotechnology research, and development. By the end of the course, we all graduated as part of the Alliance for Science, groomed to communicate and speak science, in order to promote choices not based on fear, but based on conclusive peer-reviewed scientific research and enhance access to scientific information.