To implement the additional funding of the Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE II), the World Bank is working with the Republics of Malawi and Mozambique. The ACE II project has significantly aided in the development of the region's capabilities across a number of important economic sectors. However, there are still substantial shortages of people with high-level (postgraduate level) capabilities, particularly in the agriculture industry, which must be filled immediately given the huge demand for highly trained labor. Additionally, there are still constraints on the ability of human resources to conduct applied research to boost regional agriculture productivity and food security. As enrollment in agricultural higher education has stagnated, With the aim of increasing demand for study spaces and graduates, the ACE II AF Project offers incentives to participating institutions to concentrate on extending outreach and information to prospective students and potential employers.
The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), which serves as the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) for the ACE II AF Project, oversees the execution of crucial Component 2 project components. The objective of Component 2 is to establish solid and long-lasting regional partnerships and collaborations in order to create qualified Masters and PhD candidates for the local market, enhance the standard of higher education teaching, and raise the standard of goods and services in both the public and private sectors. 
The IUCEA wants to develop a two-year Fellowship Program to offer competitive Masters Scholarships to academically eligible future talents to support regional female student mobility in order to boost the participation of young African female students at the postgraduate level. Women who are qualified to apply and who can demonstrate a desire to pursue postgraduate study in the fields of agriculture and closely related sciences are invited to do so for the 60 Fellowships that will be offered for the academic year 2023–2024.

Eligibility requirements

The candidate's qualifications for this Fellowship are as follows:

• Be a woman who is a citizen of one of the nations that is a part of ACE II: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia;
• being younger than 35 years of age;
• possess a bachelor's degree in agriculture or a similar discipline with upper second class honors from an accredited university and have been accepted into one of the ACEs with that specialty.
• The admission must have been granted by an ACE outside of the applicant's present country of nationality in order to encourage regional student mobility.
• Additionally, the applicant must have shown exceptional academic success as shown by their academic transcripts and, if applicable, academic awards.

THE FELLOWSHIP AWARD

The funding for each Fellowship Program will cover the following expenses:

• College tuition: Maximum of USD 5,000 per year, payable directly to the Host University as stated on an official invoice;
• Stipend: $500 per month to cover living costs such as rent or mortgage, food, utilities, local transportation, prescriptions, and moving costs;
• Research: Upon approval of a research proposal, USD 5000 will be made available to fund student research.
• allowance: a one-time payment of USD 2,000 for the cost of a visa, a laptop, and books; and
• A round-trip economy ticket for the shortest flight between the beneficiary's home country and the host university's study location is provided.

Note: Since the scholarship can only be extended for a maximum of 24 months, candidates must finish all academic work within the program's allotted time frame.

PROCESS AND PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATIONS

Candidates interested in applying for this Fellowship are asked to complete the application form located on the project websites ace2.iucea.org and www.iucea.org, attach all necessary documents, and send by email to acerfu@lucea.org with a copy to exsec@iucea.org. On or before June 15, 2023, at 5:00 PM East African Time, all applications must be submitted. An candidate should make careful to include the following as proof of eligibility:

1. A fully filled out application

2. A present-day passport-size photo

3. CV synopsis with the names and phone numbers of two references

4. Official transcripts and certificates of completion

5. National ID card or passport

6. A copy of an admissions letter from a host university (please see the table on countries, ACEs, and universities in the attachment).

For more about ACE II visit the project’s digital platforms

Website: ace2.iucea.org

Twitter: @Ace2Africa

https://www.youtube.com/@africacentersofexcellencei5081

Email: ace2rfu@iucea.org

Download Application Form

Download List of  Centers of Excellence ACEII