AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship Now Open for Application

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.

The 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.

About AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship Now Open for Application

AWARD Climate Action (ACA) 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 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 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.

Objectives

Strengthen the leadership, mentoring and negotiation skills of African women climate change professionals.
Enhance the capabilities of African women and men climate change professionals to incorporate gender in their research and practice.
Amplify the voices and increase visibility of African women climate change professionals in global and regional climate change dialogue.

Eligibility

The Accelerating African Women’s Leadership in Climate Action Fellowship is open to applicants who meet the criteria below:

African women from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal.
African women working various disciplines across gender and climate change.
Have at least a master’s degree in a relevant discipline in agrifood systems.
Have at least five years working experience, demonstrated interest and contribution in gender and climate change.
African women at different stages of their professional careers who are actively engaged in finding solutions to the effects of climate change.
Participants working in national and international organizations including government agencies and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Applicants must reside in an African country throughout the Fellowship period to be eligible.

AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship Application Selection process

This fellowship targets high-potential women climate professionals who will be competitively selected to participate as Climate Fellows. Upon their admission into the Fellowship, the Climate Fellows will be paired with seasoned experts working at the nexus between gender, climate change, and agrifood systems and the Climate Fellows will later select early career climate researchers.

The potential Climate Fellows will be competitively identified through a rigorous process that will include responding to an open call, followed by a review and final selection by a panel of experts.

The review will focus on applicants’

Experience,
expertise,
knowledge gaps, and
contributions to climate adaptation.

AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship Package

The Fellowship is a blended (virtual and face-to-face interventions), non-residential program that will be delivered over a period of two years and will include the following activities:

Virtual and in-person training events including training in leadership, negotiation and intergenerational mentoring. They will also attend a course on how to integrate gender in climate change interventions.
Group and individual coaching
Mentoring program
Regular peer-to-peer learning sessions
Participate in regular masterclasses
Conceptualize and lead collaborative climate projects on gender and climate adaptation known as Climate Research and Innovation Projects (CRIPs).
Exposure on emerging trends in gender, climate change and agrifood systems
Speaking opportunities to give seminars and other events
In-country role modeling events

Participants who complete all the Fellowship activities will receive a certificate of Completion and the Deadline: June 30, 2025 – 11:59 PM East Africa Time (GMT+3)

Start your application now to avoid being late for the applications. I know following these steps will help you in the journey of applying to AWARD Climate Action (ACA) Fellowship.

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