Ouagadougou: Joseph KI-Zerbo University (UJKZ) opened the 5th Doctoral Conference on Wednesday, scheduled from June 10 to 12, 2026, with the aim of offering 1,940 doctoral students a platform to present their research, exchange with their peers, and develop research perspectives to improve their work.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the event is organized under the authority of the College of Doctoral Schools. The doctoral workshops aim to offer doctoral students a platform to present their research work, compare their ideas, exchange with peers, and develop new scientific perspectives. Professor Pauline Bationo/Kando, president of the scientific committee, emphasized the importance of these workshops for young researchers to present their work, discuss ideas, and build valuable connections with other doctoral students and prominent figures in the academic community. She noted the need for innovative and interdisciplinary responses to contemporary challenges related to health, the environment, technology, and the humanities and social sciences.
Participants will focus their discussions over three days on four main thematic areas: sustainable agriculture, food and nutritional security; human and animal health; the environment, natural resources, renewable energies, and climate change; and human capital, social change, and literary and artistic practices. Professor Bationo/Kando highlighted the importance of building synergy between local knowledge and scientific research to produce knowledge adapted to national realities. Two major conferences, including an inaugural conference and a panel led by academic, hospital-university, cultural, and civil society figures, will accompany the participants’ reflections.
Professor Gabin Korb©ogo, president of the College of Doctoral Schools, emphasized the role of doctoral schools as spaces of intellectual rigor and innovation. He noted that the four doctoral schools at UJKZ currently have 1,940 doctoral students enrolled in PhD programs, training at least 150 PhDs annually and contributing to the production of approximately 200 scientific articles published in indexed journals.
Professor Jean Antoine B©r©, president of Joseph KI-Zerbo University, welcomed the consolidation of this scientific event, which has become a major event for the institution. He highlighted the importance of the doctoral workshops as a space for training, sharing experiences, confronting ideas, and promoting the research work of doctoral students. He stressed the value of local knowledge as an intellectual heritage and its recognition by science as a resource for sustainable development.
Laurent David Tiemtor©, president and CEO of Vista Bank Burkina, representing the event’s sponsor, urged doctoral students to combine scientific rigor with grounding in real-world situations. He advocated for increased research funding and pledged to strengthen ties between academia and the business sector, emphasizing that investment in doctoral students, laboratories, or research programs is an investment in the country’s sovereignty and development.
The 5th Doctoral Conference of Joseph KI-Zerbo University will be held from June 10 to 12, 2026, at Joseph KI-Zerbo University under the theme: “Local Knowledge and Scientific Research.”