Earlyface

African Development Bank is funding scholarships for international students in Maize value chain of the project “Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”. Eight MSc and four PhD scholarships are awarded at any reputable African university in one of the eligible countries (Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia) from 2013 onwards. Scholarship will include stipend, research costs, tuition, travel and insurance. Application should be submitted by 30th August 2013.

Study Subject(s): The scholarship is provided in Maize value chain of the project “Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”. Research areas include Agronomy/Natural Resource Management, Irrigation, Agricultural Economics, Crop Protection (Pathology and Entomology) and Breeding.

Course Level: This scholarship is available for pursuing PhD and MSc degree at any reputable African university.

Scholarship Provider: African Development Bank

Scholarship can be taken at: Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia

Eligibility:-Candidates must satisfy the target university’s admission requirements for MSc or PhD studies.

- Candidates must be engaged in SARD-SC Maize project activities

- Candidates must have identified a supervisory Professor at a reputable target University in one of the eligible countries, who must have agreed to the research proposal written by the applicant.

- Strong preference is given to candidates already enrolled at a University, and which have finished all or most of the coursework requirements.

- Media for the thesis research program will be English, except for candidates from Mali, where French may be used.

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: The scholarships are open to nationals from all countries.

Scholarship Description: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners, AfricaRice and the International Center for Agricultural Research for the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have received a grant of about US$ 64 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the project “Support to Agricultural Research for development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”. The strategic crops within the context of the project are cassava, maize, rice and wheat. The overall objective of SARD-SC is to enhance food and nutrition and contribute to poverty reduction in AfDB’s low-income member Countries (RMCs). Its specific objective is to enhance the productivity and income of four CAADP’s priority value chains (cassava, maize, rice and wheat) on a sustainable basis. Under this project, AfDB has made a contribution to IITA to execute a 5-year sub-project that aims to upgrade the maize and cassava value chain in Africa through the :(i) Generation of agricultural technologies and innovations;

(ii) Sustainable dissemination and adoption of agricultural technologies and innovations across the value chain; and (iii) sustainable capacity strengthening of project stakeholders. Maize, the most important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa is being supported to enhance its competitiveness in four (Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia) of its member countries. IITA and its SARD-SC project partners work to develop new maize technologies and innovations to enhance the competitiveness of the crop using the value chain approach. The overall goal is to sustainably increase maize productivity and ensure stabilization of the total maize area by reducing production losses in areas where the probability of crop failure from biotic and a biotic stresses and the predicted impact of climate change is high. Technologies will be disseminated through the Innovation Platforms, comprised of stakeholders along the value chain in each country and targeted to optimize technology uptake, improve marketing and creating enabling environment for enhanced maize trade. As part of its human capacity building component, the project is offering eight ( MSc and four (4) PhD scholarships at African universities from 2013 onwards. Scholarships will be comprehensive and include stipend, research costs, tuition, travel and insurance.

Number of award(s): The project is offering eight ( MSc and four (4) PhD scholarships at African universities from 2013 onwards

Duration of award(s): Not Known

What does it cover? Scholarships will be comprehensive and include stipend, research costs, tuition, travel and insurance.

Selection Criteria: Not Known

Notification: All applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

How to Apply: Candidates should apply by sending an email to IITA-TrainingUnit-at-cgiar.org. Please identify which SARD-SC position for which you are applying. All applicants are required to include:

(1) Bio data;

(2) BSc or MSc Certificate;

(3) A brief proposal of the research (one-page maximum);

(4) Endorsement letter by a supervisory Professor;

(5) Where applicable, proof of enrolment (Admission letter) at a reputable University;

(6) Where applicable, transcripts of MSc or PhD coursework at a reputable University.

(7) A completed version of the IITA Graduate Research Training – application form.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The deadline for applications is 30th August 2013.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application