The CORAF 2025 PhD Scholarship in Food System Resilience is a prestigious and fully funded doctoral opportunity offered by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF). This scholarship is part of the broader Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), a high-impact initiative backed by investments exceeding USD 1 billion. It is designed to champion a new generation of research leaders who can address pressing challenges in agriculture, food systems, environmental sustainability, and regional market development across CORAF’s 23 member countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and others.
This doctoral scholarship supports eight (8) exceptional candidates pursuing rigorous research under one of three thematic areas with direct relevance to regional food security:
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- Digital advisory services: Scholars will design and deploy innovative, technology-driven tools—ranging from mobile apps to remote sensing platforms—to anticipate, monitor, and respond to agricultural challenges and crisis scenarios. This includes early warning systems, disease surveillance tools, digital farmer advisory platforms, and real-time crop health analytics.
- Sustainability and resilience: Focused on agro-ecological intensification, research explores sustainable land and watershed management practices, conservation agriculture, soil health interventions, agroforestry systems, integrated pest management, and climate smart agriculture aimed at building long-term productive and resilient ecosystems.
- Market integration and trade: This pillar addresses value chain dynamics, food logistics, regional trade barriers, post-harvest loss reduction, market access, pricing mechanisms, digital marketplace platforms, and policies that enable smallholder farmers to integrate into regional and cross-border markets.
Selected candidates will be hosted by universities or National Agricultural Research System (NARS) centers within CORAF’s member states and will be co-supervised by local academic faculty, NARS scientists, and CORAF experts. The scholarship includes comprehensive financial support: full tuition coverage, monthly living allowance, research budget for fieldwork expenses (travel, surveys, equipment, consumables), supervision and bench fees, and funding to attend international scientific conferences, workshops, and inter-institutional research visits. Scholars also gain access to CORAF’s network of experts, technical training modules, opportunities for scientific publication, and integration into policy dialogues through collaborative dissemination activities.
During the program, PhD candidates will benefit from hands-on mentorship, learning exchanges with peer researchers, and support in translating their scholarly outputs into policy briefs, technical reports, and dissemination to decision-makers and stakeholders. Additionally, scholars will engage in monitoring and evaluation processes integral to FSRP implementation, establishing linkages between research outcomes and real-world agricultural practices. This scholarship aims not only to advance academic excellence but also to foster sustainable transformation in regional food systems, building capacity for evidence-based decisions among research institutions and public authorities.
By awarding this doctoral opportunity, CORAF aspires to nurture thinkers and practitioners capable of steering food systems toward climate resilience, nutritional security, ecological sustainability, and inclusive economic growth. Scholars are expected to serve as resource leaders within their home institutions and beyond, catalyzing the adoption of innovative agricultural solutions, strengthening the functionality and integration of research institutions, and bridging science-policy interfaces.
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Requirement/Eligibility
To be considered for the CORAF 2025 PhD Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
1. Citizenship
Must be a national of one of CORAF’s 23 member countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape‑Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé & Príncipe, or Togo).
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2. Age Requirement
Applicants must not exceed 40 years of age at the time of application.
3. Educational Qualification
Possess a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a research-oriented discipline related to the thematic areas—such as agronomy, agricultural engineering, environmental science, food systems, natural resources management, economics, public policy, data science, or related social sciences with relevance to food systems and resilience.
4. Secured Host Institution and Supervisor
Must have obtained both admission and supervision approval from a recognized university or NARS center within the CORAF region. A formal letter of support from the supervisor or institution is required.
5. Proven Research Capacity
Demonstrated ability to conduct applied and interdisciplinary research, evidenced by academic performance, research proposals, publications, or institutional-based study.
6. Commitment to Regional Impact
Candidates must show clear commitment to contributing to food system resilience in West and Central Africa, indicating alignment between proposed research objectives and regional development priorities.
7. Language Proficiency
Fluent in English or French—both written and spoken. Knowledge of both languages is advantageous, particularly for cross-border collaboration within the region.
8. Multidisciplinary Collaboration
Ability to work effectively in multicultural, multi-institutional environments, with experience of collaborative and integrative research settings.
9. Communication and Dissemination Skills
Must demonstrate strong written and verbal communication capabilities—proposal writing, academic writing, scientific outreach, and stakeholder engagement.
10. Adherence to Ethical Standards and CORAF Mandate
Scholars must align with CORAF’s principles of research ethics, gender balance, inclusion, trust, innovation, and fostering synergies between policy and institutional mandates for research-led transformation.
Deadline
15th July, 2025
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