Call for Applications Now Open For The Second Cohort of AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship
Application Deadline: 30 June 2025
Call for Applications Now Open For The Second Cohort of AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship
Overview
The AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship seeks to achieve a twin goal of increasing the number of African women leading climate change action and catalyze production of climate solutions that work for women smallholders.
The AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship is designed to address systemic gender inequalities and build the leadership and technical capacity of African women to lead the design and implementation of inclusive climate solutions. Fellows will be drawn from diverse institutions, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, academia, civil society, and the private sector.
In this second cohort, the Fellowship targets high-potential African women from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal who are actively working in the field of climate change adaptation and are passionate about developing contextually relevant, gender-equitable interventions.
The ACA Fellowship, inspired by the AWARD Fellowship model, is a non-residential, capacity-building program. Selected candidates will undergo an intensive, one-year career acceleration process, including leadership development, gender integration training, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning. Fellows will also conceptualize and implement mini collaborative Climate Research and Innovation Projects (CRIPs) to apply their learning in real-world contexts. Successful candidates will become AWARD Climate Fellows, gaining access to a pan-African network of peers, mentors, and institutions working to catalyze gender-transformative change in climate adaptation and policy.
The Initiative
The Accelerating African Women’s Leadership in Climate Action Fellowship seeks to build a vibrant, highly connected and intergenerational network of African women equipped to lead climate solutions tailored to the needs of diverse categories of women and men smallholders. Fellows will be equipped to integrate gender and inclusion in their work; and implement gender transformative solutions that challenge discriminatory gender norms which are the root causes of gender inequality in African agri-food systems.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the ACA Fellowship, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria outlined below:
- Be a female citizen of the following countries: Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya, Ghana and Malawi at different stages of their professional careers and actively engaged in finding solutions to the effects of climate change.
- Have at least a master’s degree in a relevant discipline in gender, climate change and agrifood systems.
- Have at least two years practical fieldwork or research experience.
- Working in national and international organizations including government agencies and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
- Resident in an African country throughout the Fellowship period
- Is not a selected Fellow for any other Fellowships offered by AWARD.
Pre-conditions for Participation
Notification on the Fellowship offer to the successful applicant does not guarantee participation
in the Fellowship. Participation will be guaranteed upon the applicant’s:
- provision of details of the institution’s head or responsible supervisor that shall endorse their
participation in the Fellowship activities - submission of the required documentation (copies of passport and academic certificates) to
support information provided in the application form - acceptance of the AWARD’s code of conduct
- timely, official communication to AWARD on their participation in any other capacity building
programs
About the Fellowship
Informed by the innovative AWARD Fellowship model, the Fellowship is designed as a blended (virtual and face-to-face interventions), non-residential career accelerator under the CLARE programme. CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action by championing Southern leadership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the UK government, IDRC or its Board of Governors. The Fellowship is implemented by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).
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