Background Women are under-represented in academic careers, particularly in research. The challenges they face include difficulties in balancing family/life responsibilities and work, lack of adequate mentors, financial challenges, and bias in the provision of opportunities. In sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of women scientists is even smaller. The Capacity Building for Female Scientists in East Africa (CaFe-SEA) program is funded by EDCTP through the Partner States’ Initiated Activity. It aims to equip female scientists from under-represented countries with knowledge and skills for research in infectious diseases.

Methods The program is delivered by the Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR) through universities within the region. Scholars were selected through a competitive process, and each was attached to an EACCR partner institution. CaFe-SEA is multidisciplinary program delivered through five tracks including laboratory sciences, an interface between non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases, maternal and child health and health-behavioural sciences. The scholars receive training in cross-cutting courses like epidemiology and biostatistics, bioethics, research management, and leadership, GCP-ICH, GCLP and scientific writing.

Results The project enrolled 8 female scholars from South Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zanzibar, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. All scholars are registered at universities in their home countries except the South Sudan scholar who has registered in Uganda. All scholars have been attached to EACCR mentors working with their university supervisors. They have developed their proposals and are in the process of obtaining ethics approval before initiating field activities. The main challenges faced are managing family and PhD studies by some of the scholars and learning English for the scholars from Burundi and South Sudan.

Conclusion The early achievements the CaFe SEA project demonstrate the possibilities of supporting African female scholars to become distinguished scientists.

Funding: CaFE Sea is funded by the EDCTP through grant number PSIA2020AGDG-3318