Houet: The 5th edition of the Doctoral Conference of the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University concluded in Ouagadougou on a note of satisfaction, with more than 300 scientific communications presented by doctoral students from several disciplines, around the theme "Local Knowledge and Scientific Research".
According to Burkina Information Agency, the chairman of the Doctoriales steering committee, Professor Lamine Zerbo, stated that this meeting provided doctoral students with a framework for exchanges, allowing them to present the results of their research, benefit from the observations of specialists, and develop scientific collaborations. Professor Zerbo specified that the 2026 edition included 379 oral presentations and 34 poster presentations, some of which were conducted online. He expressed his delight at the enthusiasm generated by the event, noting that the various rooms were very busy throughout the proceedings.
Professor Zerbo further highlighted that the quality of the research presented was demonstrated by the evaluations of the juries, whose scores were often very close. One of the major innovations of this edition was the organization of the work around four multidisciplinary axes aimed at promoting exchanges between the different doctoral schools and strengthening the links between scientific knowledge and local knowledge.
Representing the president of Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Professor Bal© Bayala, in charge of teaching, educational innovations, and professionalization, welcomed the growing importance of the event. He indicated that more than 500 communication proposals were received this year, but due to capacity limitations, only about 300 were accepted. Professor Bayala reaffirmed the importance of the Doctoral Workshops in the doctoral students' journey, stressing that they constitute an important step by allowing them to compare their work with the analyses of researchers who are not necessarily members of their affiliated laboratories.
The closing ceremony was also marked by the recognition of several doctoral students whose work was deemed particularly relevant. Among them was R©my Parfait, a doctoral student in sociology, who presented research on the links between climate change, gender, and agroecology in the Central Plateau region. His study highlights the importance of community participation, particularly that of women, in land conservation mechanisms.
Adama Bambara, also a doctoral student in sociology, presented work on magico-religious practices as traditional mechanisms for protecting water resources in the commune of B©gu©do. Palingwend© Anne-Marie Kabor©, a doctoral candidate at the Doctoral School of Sciences and Health, won the prize for best presentation by a woman for her comparative study of two clays from Burkina Faso for use in formulating a healing ointment. She expressed her satisfaction with this distinction and hopes to complete her doctoral research soon.