She Leads African Food Futures (SHEAF) Fellowship 2026

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Applications are open for the She Leads African Food Futures (SHEAF) Fellowship 2026. The Fellowship targets applicants from Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal for an immersive career development program that will integrate leadership development, mentoring, network development, and technical excellence.

Fellows will be drawn from diverse organizations, including government ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, research, the private sector, civil society, regional and sub-regional organizations, among others. SHEAF Fellowship targets African women at different stages of their careers who are actively engaged in finding solutions that address gender inequalities in agri-food systems policies and programs.

The Fellowship will build a vibrant network of African women professionals from varied disciplines to drive policy and programmatic change for equitable agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Up to 25 Fellows will be selected, with a special focus on women working in AGRA-supported organizations and programs.

Benefits

• Successful applicants will receive customized training in leadership, gender, and agrifood systems, coupled with mentoring, coaching, and peer learning support to sharpen their skills in designing and implementing gender-responsive agrifood systems policies and programs.

Eligibility

• Open to African women professionals in agrifood systems who are citizens of Kenya, Malawi, and Senegal.
• Applicants could be working on programs or projects in agriculture and food systems at organizational, national, regional, or continental levels, and not only on policy.
• The Fellowship will be delivered exclusively in English. Applicants must demonstrate a sufficient level of English proficiency (reading, writing, and speaking) to effectively participate in the Fellowship.

Application

The call for applications closes at midnight on January 31, 2026, East Africa Time (GMT+3). Applications will NOT be accepted after this date.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit SHEAF Fellowship.