The Mawazo Fellowship Programme is a 15-month, non-residential fellowship where Mawazo Fellows participate in a virtual training programme that features professional development courses designed by the Mawazo Institute hosted on our Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) e-learning platform. Fellows also benefit from mentorship and networking to enhance their career progression, financial support for research activities, and platforms for policy outreach and public engagement that increase their visibility and potential for impact.
This programme is designed to build a network of African women experts who are poised to influence policy and public discourse in academia and beyond, increasing the application and implementation of practical, evidence-based ideas that drive Africa’s development.
About Mawazo Institute
The Mawazo Institute is a women-led organisation supporting early-career African women researchers to contribute important evidence-based solutions and a critical perspective to pressing development needs.
Fellowship Programme
| Application Deadline | 12 Mar 2023 |
| Type | Fellowship |
| Sponsor | Mawazo Institute |
| Gender | Women |
Aim and Benefits of Fellowship Programme
Mawazo Fellows will receive the following benefits:
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Participation in Mawazo’s in-house virtual training and professional development programme, offered through the Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) e-learning platform
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Connections to expert and peer mentors through a structured mentorship programme, as well as exposure to leaders from academia, industry, government and other sectors
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Funding for research activities with access to grants worth up to US$2,500
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A stipend worth $500 for discretionary use
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Data bundles worth $150 to help access the MLEx platform
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Research and editorial support from the Mawazo team and our partners
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Visibility via Mawazo Voices, our public policy and engagement, strategic communications, and strategic partnerships programme
Requirements for Fellowship Programme Qualification
In order to be eligible for the Mawazo Fellowship Programme, applicants must:
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Be a woman (woman/women includes cisgender women and transgender women. We 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)
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Be a citizen of an African country
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Have good command of written and spoken English
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Be enrolled for their PhD at an accredited university in an African country
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Have completed their course work (if applicable) and passed their departmental or graduate school proposal defence (i.e., in the dissertation/thesis phase of their PhD)
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Demonstrate that their PhD research is related to African development and is relevant to a global, regional, national or subnational policy priority
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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)
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Demonstrate potential for leadership both within and outside academia, and a strong passion to leverage their expertise for impact in society
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Be available to fully participate in the programme in 2023-2024
Interview date, Process and Venue for Fellowship Programme
Selection
All applications will be reviewed by the Mawazo Institute staff and a committee of external expert reviewers.
Successful applicants will demonstrate that they can do the following:
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Meet all eligibility requirements
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Identify a research problem which has important implications for African development and is linked to a global, regional, national or sub-national-policy priority
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Demonstrate that their PhD research is academically rigorous and addresses a unique and important gap in the field
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Demonstrate that their PhD research has clear objectives and is appropriately designed for the research questions being asked
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Write a summary of their PhD research which is clear, concrete, and accessible to scholars outside their own field
The Mawazo Institute is committed to non -discrimination in the application review process
Application Deadline
March 12, 2023How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to Mawazo Institute on mawazofellowship.smapply.org to applyThe due date for the application is 11.59 pm EAT on 12 March 2023.
Applicants will receive a final decision on the status of their application in late April 2023 and the fellowship year will commence shortly afterwards.
For questions pertaining to the application portal, please contact our programme staff on [email protected].
For more details, visit Mawazo Institute website.
