A Journey of Hope and Science — SWIS Africa Founder Visits New England Biolabs

This month, something truly special happened for the SWIS Africa team.

Our Co-founder, Samuel Ogunsola, visited the headquarters of New England Biolabs (NEB) in Ipswich, Massachusetts—an experience filled with emotion, gratitude, and purpose. The visit came after Samuel was named one of NEB’s 2024 Passion in Science Award recipients in recognition of the work SWIS Africa is doing to empower young African women in STEM.

But this trip wasn’t just about receiving an award. For Samuel, it felt deeply personal.

Years ago, during his PhD research, Samuel spent over two frustrating years trying to create minigenes for his study on splicing mechanisms. Nothing worked. Protocols failed. Progress was slow. Just when he was about to give up, two mentors, Dr. Seun Oladipupo and Dr. Chidozie Ojobor, encouraged him to try the NEB Gibson Assembly Cloning Kit. NEB was offering a giveaway at the time, and he received a free kit.

With just five reactions, he got his first successful clones. That one moment changed everything. Today, those minigenes form the foundation of his research.

So, standing inside NEB’s facility and being warmly welcomed by people like Kari Goodwin and guided through the labs by Andy Bertera was a full-circle moment. It wasn’t just a tour. It was a thank you, a celebration of resilience, and a reminder that behind every scientific breakthrough, there are people and organizations who make the journey a little easier.

Samuel presenting at the NEB Headquaters in Ipswich

And in many ways, that’s exactly what we try to do at SWIS Africa.

When SWIS Africa launched in Nigeria in 2020, the mission was clear: inspire and equip young African women to thrive in STEM. Within months, the team ran workshops, launched virtual hubs, and began telling the stories of women across the continent. But in 2021, when Samuel moved to Canada for graduate school, it became hard to keep the momentum going. At one point, he considered stepping away entirely.

Then in 2023, Abosede Salami reached out. She believed in the mission and offered to help bring it back to life. Since then, SWIS Africa has grown stronger than ever. We are now a fully registered organization, have reached hundreds of women through our programs, and have partnered with initiatives like HortiNigeria.

Being recognized by NEB felt like a powerful nod that we are on the right path.

Samuel’s visit reminded all of us why we started and why we keep going. It is a story of holding on when things get hard, of finding support in unexpected places, and of how one small act of kindness, like sending a free cloning kit, can ripple into something far bigger than anyone imagined.

Thank you, NEB, for believing in science and the people behind it. And thank you to every supporter of SWIS Africa. You are part of this journey too.