IGC Sierra Leone Early-career Local Researcher Fellowship 2025 (£5,000 grant) – YOA

Deadline: August 29, 2025

Applications are open for the IGC Sierra Leone Early-career Local Researcher Fellowship 2025. Under the Herbert P. M’cleod Local Researchers Programme (HPMLRP), the 2025 International Growth Centre (IGC) early-profession native researcher fellowship stands as a cornerstone initiative to domesticate Sierra Leone’s subsequent era of economists and policymakers. This fellowship equips early-profession researchers with the OPPORTUNITY to have interaction straight in excessive-impression, coverage-related work whereas addressing urgent nationwide priorities. Fellows will collaborate carefully with ministries, departments, and businesses (MDAs) to provide actionable insights that inform resolution-making and drive sustainable growth.

This yr’s competitors prioritises two key areas:

• Agricultural resilience: One fellowship slot is devoted to advancing Sierra Leone’s objective of rice self-sufficiency and meals safety, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Economic reforms: Two extra fellowships will concentrate on broader financial reform priorities, together with fiscal governance, personal-sector progress, and inclusive growth.

Priority Themes

Track 1: Rice coverage and meals safety (Ministry of Agriculture)

Sierra Leone stays closely depending on rice imports regardless of its agro-ecological potential for self-sufficiency. A lately proposed improve in rice import tariffs (from 5% to 10%) was rolled again by Cabinet as a consequence of issues over meals costs and political financial system sensitivities. This creates area for rigorous evaluation and strategic coverage growth.

Fellows below this observe will work with the Ministry of Agriculture to handle:

• What is the value elasticity of demand for imported vs. native rice, and the way do totally different shopper segments reply to cost adjustments?
• What are possible import substitution methods—by area, season, or rice selection—and the way ought to sequencing be structured?
• What are the political financial system constraints within the rice commerce ecosystem that affect tariff coverage, subsidies, and distributional outcomes?

Track 2: Broader financial coverage challenges

Aligned with the MTNDP and IGC’s thematic areas, we invite analysis proposals below the next broad areas:

• State effectiveness and public finance
  • How can public sector establishments enhance service supply and price range execution at nationwide or native ranges?
  • What improvements in taxation, procurement, or digital governance can improve home income mobilisation?
• Private sector growth and agency capabilities
  • What are the binding constraints dealing with SMEs and huge companies in Sierra Leone?
  • How do enterprise setting reforms (e.g. credit score entry, contract enforcement, or tax coverage) have an effect on agency efficiency?
• Labour markets and human capital
  • What are the challenges and alternatives in creating jobs for youth, ladies, and casual sector staff?
  • How do training and abilities growth programmes affect employment outcomes?
• Energy, setting, and local weather adaptation
  • How can Sierra Leone obtain dependable power entry whereas transitioning to sustainable power sources?
  • What are the financial prices of environmental degradation and local weather-associated dangers?

Benefits

• A analysis grant of £5,000 to help fieldwork, knowledge assortment, and residing prices
• Mentorship from IGC-affiliated teachers and the IGC Sierra Leone nation group
• Policy engagement alternatives with related authorities ministries and stakeholders

Eligibility

Applicants should:

• Be Sierra Leonean nationals or residents at the moment enrolled in a postgraduate programme (PhD or Master’s) or serving as junior researchers or school in a Sierra Leonean establishment;
• Demonstrate sturdy quantitative and analytical abilities, together with proficiency in instruments reminiscent of Stata, R, SPSS, or Python;
• Clearly articulate a analysis thought aligned with one of many thematic tracks described above;
• Be dedicated to producing work that straight informs public coverage and is accessible to non-tutorial audiences.

Desirable abilities and expertise:

• Prior publicity to coverage-engaged analysis or authorities knowledge;
• Familiarity with Sierra Leone’s financial panorama, family surveys, administrative knowledge, or sector-particular coverage debates;
• Strong tutorial writing and communication abilities.

Application

Interested candidates should submit:

• A Curriculum Vitae (max 3 pages);
• A Cover Letter (max 1,000 phrases) describing:
• Your motivation for making use of;
• Relevant analysis expertise;
• A brief define of the proposed analysis thought below one of many tracks;
• One tutorial reference (might be despatched individually by the referee);
• A writing pattern (optionally available, e.g., thesis chapter or coverage paper).

Submit all application supplies by way of e mail, utilizing the topic line: “Application – IGC SL Local Fellowship 2025 – [Track Name]”. Shortlisted candidates can be invited for an interview with the IGC group and related authorities counterparts.

Submit your application to [email protected]

For extra info, go to IGC Fellowship.