Deadline: February 15, 2026
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the second cohort of the African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges (AFRIAK). This programme is offered with the support of the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundation’s commitment to advance education and skills for young people in Africa.
The programme seeks to implement an innovative approach to training a new generation of young people, especially young women, to design research projects and produce knowledge in partnership with academic mentors on the one hand and bearers of indigenous knowledge on the other. This approach will privilege local, indigenous, and endogenous knowledge as forms of knowledge or knowledge systems that are deeply embedded in communities and closely tied to their lived experiences. Although these forms of knowledge may be geographically proximate to the young people in Africa, they remain inaccessible to them partly because of the dominance of Western formats of learning in our school and university curricula. They are also restricted by the gerontocratic nature of our communities, where such knowledge is preserved for a few, predominantly male knowledge-bearers. AFRIAK’s approach is innovative because it redirects Africans to use what they have in their communities and invites them to appreciate the diverse ways in which what they have is applied, preserved and transmitted.
Programme Activities
The AFRIAK research and fellowship project will involve three related activities. These are:
- A research, training and mentorship fellowship programme for young people.
- Policy convenings.
- An alumni and community of practice in Indigenous and alternative knowledge network.
Eligibility
- Open young African nationals aged 35 and below at the time of application and who reside on the African continent.
- The targeted youth should be engaged in research and knowledge production activities that draw, or aspire to draw, on Indigenous/local knowledge perspectives.
- They should be based in formal research and knowledge institutions or Indigenous knowledge research centres in Africa.
- Practitioners aged 35 and below, with formal education qualifications and who are actively engaged in activities that draw on the application of Indigenous/local knowledge perspectives, are also encouraged to apply.
Application
Individual applicants are required to provide the following information directly in the application system:
- Curriculum Vitae details: Applicants are expected to provide key biographical and professional information.
- Concept note: Applicants will be required to complete a structured concept note with sections that identify and elaborate on a research topic, briefly assess the body of knowledge that illuminate the research topic, methodology and expected outcomes.
- Reference letters: Applicants must attach two signed reference letters, each limited to one page, from two referees familiar with the applicant’s work. Note that reference letters are also assessed and contribute a significant portion to the success of the application.
Group applications must consist of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members, with at least 70% of the group being women. Any group member who does not meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the ‘TARGET FOR THIS CALL’ will result in the disqualification of the entire group.
Group applicants are required to provide the following information directly in the application system: –
- Curriculum Vitae details: Applicants are expected to provide key biographical and professional information for each of the group members.
- Concept note: Applicants will be required to complete a structured concept note with sections that identify and elaborate on a research topic, briefly assess the body of knowledge that illuminate the research topic, methodology and expected outcomes.
- Reference letters: Group applicants will be required to attach two signed reference letters, each limited to one page, from two referees familiar with the group and who endorse the group as a whole, rather than its individual members. Note that reference letters are also assessed and contribute a significant portion to the success of the application.
For more information, visit AFRIAK.
