As part of its ongoing commitment to nurture African scholarship in global knowledge production, the Re-imagining Reproduction project hosted a writing workshop titled Writing for Impact on 2 June 2025 at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The workshop brought together a vibrant mix of undergraduate and postgraduate students, early career scholars, and senior academics. A central theme of the event was that academic writing extends beyond publication and functions as a means to assert scholarly presence and create meaningful impact. Facilitated by Professor Nolwazi Mkhwanazi and Professor Deevia Bhana, participants were invited to share their personal experiences and challenges related to writing. This exercise revealed the complex terrain of academic writing: self-doubt, difficulty formulating compelling arguments, writer’s block, perfectionism, time constraints, and fear of rejection from academic journals. The facilitators shared their personal experiences of publishing to demonstrate that quality academic writing is a continuous, iterative process that demands discipline, resilience, intellectual rigour and a supportive academic community.

During parallel sessions tailored to different academic levels, participants reflected on writing as a journey shaped by institutional expectations, access to knowledge and resources, and personal aspirations. Useful strategies and links to resources were provided in each of the sessions to boost participants’ confidence in writing and publishing. Overall, the Writing for Impact workshop re-affirmed that impactful writing begins with knowing who we write for, why we write, and how our work can meaningfully contribute to the production of knowledge from the African continent.