The scholarship option is open to PhD students from countries classified by the OECD/DAC as low and lower-middle income countries in Africa whose studies, irrespective of sectoral discipline, focus on the relationship between innovation and economic, social or and environmentally sustainable development. Female PhD students and students from low-income countries are particularly encouraged to apply as AfricaLics endeavours to contribute to increasing the currently low number of female scholars and low-income countries scholars in Innovation and Development research studies in Africa. The programme gives priority to students working on topics related to the research themes identified by the AfricaLics network as important to the future of Africa.
About the programme
The aim of the AfricaLics Visiting Fellowship Programme is to help African PhD students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).
The AfricaLics Visiting PhD Fellowship programme was initiated in 2015 as a pilot programme under the AfricaLics Research Capacity Building Programme with funding from the Swedish development cooperation (Sida). During Phase I (2011-2016) and Phase II (2017-2023) 23 visiting fellows visited Aalborg University in Denmark as part of the programme. From 2022 onwards, the AfricaLics VFP will be hosted by African universities active in the field of Innovation and Development studies. Hence the six scholars from the 2022 cohort were hosted by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) in Kenya, while the 2023 cohort will be hosted by University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa.
2025 Cohort
Five PhD students were selected for the 2025 cohort. They come from Nigeria, Tanzania, Benin, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. Among them, two are female.
University of Ilorin, Nigeria
PhD Research Title
Impact of Index-Insurance and Micro-Credit on Maize Productivity among Smallholder Farmers in North Central Nigeria
Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Tanzania
PhD Research Title
Market readiness for the adoption of improved solar-Biogas hybrid dryer for post-harvest management of fruits and vegetables
National Agriculture University of Benin
PhD Research Title
Effectiveness of climate adaptation in west African Vegetables Farming Systems
University of Rwanda
PhD Research Title
Essay on multifaceted challenges for sustainable development in sub-saharan Africa
Addis Ababa University/ College of Business and Economics, Ethiopia
PhD Research Title
Effect of robotization on Employment, Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in Africa