IADS-UNILAG Announces Jacob Katumusiime Wins 2024 Rahamon Bello Best Ph.D. Thesis Award in African Studies

Jacob Katumusiime of the Institute of Social Research, Makerere University, Kampala, has been named the winner of the prestigious 2024 Rahamon Bello Best Ph.D. Thesis Award in African Studies. Katumusiime, hailing from Uganda, is the first non-Nigerian recipient of the award since its establishment five years ago. His groundbreaking thesis, titled “Beyond Religio-Cultural Violence: A Historico-Political Recontextualisation of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God,” earned him the top honor.

The announcement was made by the Director of the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), Prof. Muyiwa Falaiye, on Thursday, November 28, 2024, at the J.P. Clark Building of the Institute.

The award, which recognizes outstanding Ph.D. research in African Studies, also saw Wasiu Oluwafunminiyi Raheem from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, as the 1st Runner-Up for his thesis “A History of Sacred Water Bodies (Holy Wells) in Yorubaland Up to 2016.” The 2nd Runner-Up honor went to Oshodi Kafayat Omowonuola of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, for her work on “Spousal Deployment and Perceived Perinatal Risks Experience Among Army Personnel Wives in Selected Barracks in the Southwest, Nigeria.”

A total of 58 submissions were received from universities and research institutes across Africa. After a thorough evaluation by a panel of experts—including Professors Olutayo Adesina, William Gallois, and Sarah Ssali—the top three theses were selected.

The official presentation of the 2024 Rahamon Bello Best Ph.D. Thesis Award will take place on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the IADS Gallery, J.P. Clark Building.

The award, established to foster innovative scholarship in African Studies, is named in honor of Professor Rahamon Bello, the 11th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, in recognition of his enduring contributions to the promotion of African Studies. https://unilag.edu.ng/?p=45202