Application Deadline
Application Deadline: April 26, 2026 (23:59 East Africa Time – GMT+3)
Program Description
The Women in Agriculture Leadership Program Fellowship is an initiative led by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) under Africa-Australia Partnership for Climate Responsive Agriculture. Inspired by the AWARD Fellowship model, the career development fellowship seeks to strengthen the capability, confidence and influence of African women agricultural scientists to lead and participate in climate-resilient agricultural research. The Fellowship combines leadership development, mentoring partnerships and technical excellence to enhance the Fellows’ capabilities and position them as influential actors in agrifood systems.
Requirements
- The Fellowship targets women researchers from six African countries including Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Senegal.
- Two Cohorts, of 50 Fellows each, will be competitively selected through a rigorous process that will evaluate the academic qualifications of the applicants, their experience in agrifood systems and climate resilience, their leadership potential and career aspirations.
- Potential Fellows will include mid-career agricultural and climate researchers from national and international agricultural research institutes, ministries of agriculture, academic institutions, among others, ensuring strong institutional representation across the agrifood and climate research landscape.
Application Requirements
All Applicants Must:
- Be female agricultural researchers from one of the target countries.
- Reside in Africa and be actively engaged in research, policy or practice relevant to climate change and Africa’s smallholder agriculture.
- Have attained a minimum education level of a master’s degree in agriculture and climate change related fields of any relevant discipline from a recognized university (agriculture, agricultural economics, agricultural extension, natural resources, food science and nutrition, climate science, etc.)
- Have at least seven years of work experience in agriculture, agrifood systems, gender, climate, including design or implementation at institutional, national, or regional levels.
- Applicants are required to respond to the open call for applications for each Cohort as announced on the AWARD website for a specified period.
- Applications are submitted through the online application portal on the AWARD website in English or French.
Benefits
Selected fellows will participate in a comprehensive professional development program that includes:
- Leadership and negotiation training
- Mentoring partnerships with both mentors and mentees
- Training on gender integration in climate adaptation
- Science communication and publishing courses
- Networking with agricultural and climate research experts
- Collaboration with AWARD alumni and partner networks
The fellowship will engage up to 300 beneficiaries, including:
- 100 Fellows
- 100 Mentors
- 100 Mentees
Grant Atlas