The AWARD Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development (GROW) Fellowship Program 2026 – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: July 24, 2026

Applications are actually open for the 2026 AWARD Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development program. The Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development program goals to strengthen gender-responsive breeding techniques throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Through a twin goal that responds to the low numbers of ladies breeders throughout Africa and the low uptake of breeding applied sciences amongst ladies smallholders, the Program targets ladies breeders and agricultural analysis establishments. Ultimately, the program seeks to make sure that breeding-led agriculture enchancment efforts higher replicate the wants and priorities of ladies and males smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The GROW Fellowship is an immersive non-residential program that seeks to speed up the management, visibility, and profession development of ladies breeders by strengthening their capability to steer gender-responsive breeding analysis, affect scientific and coverage agendas, and change into acknowledged leaders driving inclusive agricultural innovation and meals techniques transformation throughout Africa,

The fellowship targets two cohorts of 48 ladies breeders throughout Africa, competitively chosen by two rounds of an open Call for Applications.

The Approach

• The program focuses on bettering the management capabilities and experiences of ladies breeders whereas equipping rising and seasoned breeders with the expertise to include gender-responsive approaches into their work. Adopting a techniques method, this system additionally helps chosen analysis universities and establishments in embedding gender-responsive breeding into their packages and coaching curricula. 
• The method entails a profession growth fellowship concentrating on ladies breeders throughout Africa and an institutional strengthening bundle concentrating on nationwide agricultural analysis organizations and universities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. 

Fellowship Activities

• Women’s Leadership and Negotiation Skills Course
• A mentoring program
• Knowledge boards and peer studying

Institutional Strengthening Package

This bundle focuses on enabling nationwide agricultural analysis organizations to refine their breeding operations and develop breeding improvements that deal with the wants of various teams of ladies and males smallholders. Further, this bundle seeks to institutionalize gender within the breeding curricula of upper schooling establishments to construct a expertise pipeline for gender-responsive crop enchancment. 

Interventions goal analysis organizations and universities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. 

• Ethiopia: The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Mekelle University 
• Kenya: The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Egerton University 
• Nigeria: The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and the National Root Crops Research Institute 
• Uganda: Makerere University 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AWARD Gender-Responsive and Women-Led Research and Development program