IITA Research Fellowship on Youth Engagement in Agribusiness and Rural Economic Activities in Africa

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is pleased to announce 30 fellowships on “Youth Engagement In Agribusiness And Rural Economic Activities In Africa” under the framework of the CARE project.

The fellowship is open for young academics and professionals, and graduate students at the post-coursework/research stage of their programs. The program seeks to contribute to policy development on youth engagement in agribusiness and rural economic activities in Africa.

IITA is an award-winning, research-for-development (R4D) organization. They are dedicated to alleviating these problems and working to transform agriculture in Africa.

Scholarship Description:

Applications Deadline: March 15, 2019
Course Level: These fellowships are open for the post-coursework/research program
Study Subject: This scholarship will be awarded in agricultural economics, agribusiness, or economics or a related social science field.
Scholarship Award: The applicants will receive:
- Awards for Research Grants are up to $10,000 (Proposals with a reasonable higher budget can also be selected depending on the quality of the research proposal).
- Grantees will be supervised by IITA’s socio-economics scientists in close collaboration with their national/university supervisors.
- Will be offered training on research methodology, data management, and scientific writing.
- Be offered training on production of research evidence for policy-making.
Nationality: Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zambia
Number of Scholarships: There are 30 fellowships available.
Scholarship can be taken in Africa

Eligibility for the Scholarship:

To be eligible, the applicants must be following all the given criteria:

Eligible Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zambia.
Entrance Requirements:
- Applicants must be young Africans.
- The research will be carried out in the following countries: Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zambia.
- Candidates must not be more than 40 years old at the time of application.
- Students must be young scholars at a research institute or university in Africa or a student registered in a Ph.D. or Master’s program in recognized universities in Africa, majoring in agricultural economics, agribusiness, or economics or a related social science field, and must have finished their university course work.
- The duration of the research should not exceed 6 months.

Application Procedure:

To apply for the Research Fellowship, applicants must submit the following:

Completed application form
Copy of the passport or another statement of citizenship.
Curriculum Vitae (CV), which includes work history and education. CVs should be no longer than two pages.
Proof of registration at an accredited university for MSc and D. programs (for students).
Proof of employment at a research institute or university in Africa (for young academics and professionals).
Research proposals should be organized in the order listed below, and page limitations for components must be observed
The Research proposal must include the following components in one PDF document.
- Proposal narrative should not be more than seven pages in length, single-spaced, in 12-point type with 1″ margins.
- Approximately three pages should be devoted to the problem statement/policy issue, theoretical framework, review of current literature, and research questions.
- The remaining four pages should include the methodology, contributions to policy, work plan, and dissemination plan.
- Applicants must present a clear and well thought out methodology and the analysis to be done.
- Brief dissemination plan should include the intended audience and relevant journals where the research findings might be submitted for publication and professional meetings where the findings might be presented (7 pages maximum).
The conceptual model(s) that outline the framework or design of the study (2 pages maximum).
Contribution to the field to briefly describe the potential contributions this research will make to the field of youth engagement in agribusiness and rural economic activities in Africa (200 words maximum).
Reference list. A list of all references included in the text or in the models. Use complete citations, including titles and all authors. (No page limit)
There is no specific template for the budget. It may be a simple 2-column format or a more complex spreadsheet.
save and send your documents in this format: LastName_FirstInitial_Document.pdf (example: Smith_K_proposal.pdf).

How to Apply: To apply for the scholarship, the applicants must download the application form and submitted electronically in English or French, by email to IITA-TrainingUnit@cgiar.org.