ARNAA 2025: Celebrating Success & Looking Ahead

Dear ARNAA Members,

As we reach the end of another fantastic year for ARNAA, we want to say a huge thank you for your role in our continued growth. It has been inspiring to see so many of you contributing in diverse and meaningful ways. To celebrate the year’s end, we would like to highlight a few of our collective achievements:

1. Establishment of Research Themes: To foster collaboration among like-minded members, we established five (5) research themes at the start of the year and appointed dedicated leaders for each. We are delighted to observe the growing number of active collaborations taking place within these groups. We extend our sincere gratitude to the leaders who have stepped up to guide these initiatives:  Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences led by Prof Ahmed Moustafa and Dr Pascal Agbadi; Business, Economics and Management led by Dr Isaac Koomson and Dr Sarah Eyaa; Health, Medicine, and Well-being led by A/Prof Esther Adama and Dr Abdul-Aziz Seidu; and Law, Human Rights, Social Policy, Governance led by Dr Kofi Awuviry-Newton and Dr Ndungi Wa Mungai.
2. Bi-monthly regular meetings: We are pleased to report a steady increase in participation at our bi-monthly online meetings. The contributions received in these forums have directly influenced our strategic initiatives this year. We strongly encourage all members to attend in the coming year to ensure our future activities reflect the needs of our growing community.
3. ARNAA Online Research Forum: We were delighted to host the online research forum for the second consecutive year. A huge well done to all the hard-working students who took part! We are already planning for the future, intending to expand this platform and make it even more valuable for our student researchers.
4. Grant Writing Forum – It was a privilege to have Professor Kathomi Gatwiri lead our grant writing forum in October. Thank you to the many members who attended! We are committed to supporting your work, and workshops like this are a key step toward securing funding for the exciting collaborations currently underway.
5. External collaborations: Expanding our network has been a priority this year. We are proud to have signed an MOU with the Ubuntu African Australian Group, a step that opens new doors for collaboration. We are excited to engage further with them in the new year, so watch this space! We also had the privilege of hosting Professor Síona O’Connell for a vital discussion on how members in the Indigenous health space can collaborate effectively.
6. Annual Catch-ups: It was fantastic to see our community connect in person across different states this year. A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to host these gatherings—your hospitality made these connections possible!
7. Social media engagements and Website:Keep up to date with ARNAA by following us on our social media platforms: LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook (both our Page and Group). For comprehensive information on our network and activities, please visit our website.
8. Celebrating Member Achievements: We extend our warmest congratulations to all who reached significant milestones this year. Whether you secured funding, earned a promotion, completed your PhD, or published new research, we are incredibly proud of your hard-earned success.

We wish you a safe and restful holiday season. We look forward to continued collaboration and shared success in 2026.

ARNAA Interim ExCO (David, Edith, Levi and Obed)