Call for Applications: Mawazo Fellowship Programme

This programme supports African women PhD students from across the continent working on emerging development issues and provides them with:

• Virtual, on-demand training hosted on the Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) e-learning platform,
• A mentorship scheme where Fellows receive guidance and support from experienced professionals, and a peer network that provides an avenue for Mawazo Fellows to encourage each other and hold each other accountable during the fellowship year,
• Access to a robust Fellows Fund that supports research activities, conference travel, research translation, and cross-sector collaborations, and
• Welfare and wellness support for the Fellows overall well-being.

Thematic Areas 

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Business, Trade, and the Economy
• Climate Change, Natural Resources, and the Environment
• Education and Pedagogy
• Energy and Engineering
• Gender, Rights, and Governance
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• Information and Technology
• Life and Health Sciences
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Benefits

• Mawazo Fellows will receive the following benefits:
  • Participation in Mawazo’s in-house virtual training and professional development programme, offered through the Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) e-learning platform
  • Connections to expert and peer mentors through a structured mentorship programme, as well as exposure to leaders from academia, industry, government and other sectors
  • Funding for research activitieswith access to grants
  • A stipend worth $500 for discretionary use
  • Data bundles worth $150 to help access the MLEx platform
  • Research and editorial support from the Mawazo team and the partners
  • Visibility via Mawazo Voices, the public policy and engagement, strategic communications, and strategic partnerships programme

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for the Mawazo Fellowship Programme, applicants must:
  • Be a woman (woman women includes cisgender women and transgender women. They also welcome Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB) non-binary, AFAB gender non-conforming, other AFAB genderqueer individuals, who have historically been excluded from decision-making spaces)
  • Be a national of an African country(Born in an African country, originates from a country located on the African continent refugee stateless person)
  • Have good command of written and spoken English. Individuals from Francophone countries are encouraged to apply with the understanding that the application process will be conducted in English.
  • Be enrolled for their PhD at an accredited university in an African country
  • Have completed their course work (if applicable) and successfully passed their departmental or graduate school proposal defence. Proof of this will be required.
  • Demonstrate that their PhD research is related to African development and is relevant to a global, regional, national or subnational policy priority
  • Demonstrate that they have a “Big Idea” to transform Africa through their research ( By ”Big Idea” we mean an innovative research-based solution to help address Africa’s emerging societal challenges)
  • Demonstrate potential for leadership both within and outside academia, and a strong passion to leverage their expertise for impact in society
  • Be available to fully participate in the programme in 2025-2026
  • Be willing to dedicate at least 5-10 hours a week to the programme once selected.
  • The Fellowship does not have an age limit. They however strongly encourage applicants under the age of 35 to apply.

Selection Criteria

• Successful applicants will demonstrate that they can do the following:
  • Meet all eligibility requirements
  • Identify a research problem which has important implications for African development and is linked to a global, regional, national or sub-national-policy priority
  • Demonstrate that their PhD research is academically rigorous and addresses a unique and important gap in the field
  • Demonstrate that their PhD research has clear objectives and is appropriately designed for the research questions being asked
  • Write a summary of their PhD research which is clear, concrete, and accessible to scholars outside their own field

Application Requirements

• Applications will be considered complete when the following are provided:
  • A completed online application form
  • A letter confirming current enrollment in an accredited PhD programme
  • A letter confirming that you have completed your course work (or equivalent) and passed your departmental defense.

For more information, visit Mawazo Institute.