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The Mawazo Institute is seeking applications for its 2025 Mawazo Fellowship Programme. This non-residential fellowship is aimed at African women pursuing their PhD studies in any field at accredited universities in Africa. Apply now!
Opportunity Details
The goal of the programme is 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 will drive Africa’s development.
In 2025, the Mawazo Fellowship Programme will support up to forty (40) women across Africa. While all eligible PhD students are more than welcome to apply, we encourage applications from those working in the following thematic areas:
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 our partners
Visibility via Mawazo Voices, our public policy and engagement, strategic communications, and strategic partnerships programme
In order to be eligible for the Mawazo Fellowship Programme, applicants must:
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)
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 Africancountry
Have completed their course work (if applicable) and successfully passedtheir departmental or graduate school proposal defence. Proof of this will be required.
Demonstrate that their PhD researchis 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 leadershipboth 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
All applications will be reviewed by a committee of expert reviewers. 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
The Mawazo Institute is committed to non -discrimination in the application review process
Interested candidates are required to fill in and submit their applications via our online application portal. Applications will not be accepted by email or in hard copy.
Applications will be considered complete when the following are provided:
A completed online application form
A letter confirming current enrollmentin an accredited PhD programme
A letter confirming that you have completed your course work (or equivalent) and passed your departmental defense
For instructions on how to use their online platform, complete your application and meet all the requirements required for consideration, please download the application guidelines here. For additional information with regards to the programme and the application process, please download our FAQs document here
Apply for The Mawazo Institute Fellowship Program