Codesria African Diaspora Support to African Universities Programme

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) seeks joint proposals for African Academic Diaspora Visiting Fellowships to African Universities from African academics in the diaspora and within African universities. This request is for African researchers in the diaspora who want to spend time at an African university doing specialized academic activities to strengthen teaching and research in the Social Sciences, Humanities, or Higher Education courses. Only universities in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa would be eligible for the fellowships. The fellowships will last from two weeks (14 days) to three months (90 days).

CODESRIA is carrying out the African Academic Diaspora Assistance to African Universities program, which is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY). The program aims to mobilize the African academic diaspora in order to assist African institutions in improving teaching, research, and knowledge production in the social sciences and humanities. Academic diaspora visiting fellows’ activities will be confined to teaching graduate level courses, mentoring and skill workshops, establishing new programs and revising current ones, and conceptualizing and participating in research partnerships. These activities represent CODESRIA’s thematic research and training priorities for the 2023-2027 program cycle. The specifics of the events and their implementation will be agreed upon by diaspora academics and host universities.

• Short-term post-graduate teaching engagements at a selected African university
• Initiating joint research activities and collaborations
• Organising the joint supervision of masters’ and doctoral students
• Facilitating the review or development of curricula in the social sciences and humanities
• Organising mentorship workshops for PhD supervision, as well as summer schools for advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students and early career academics
• Undertake other activities that would potentially contribute to strengthening the relationships and linkages between African academics in the diaspora and African universities

Mode of Application

African Academics from the diaspora who wish to be supported as visiting fellows under this programme are required to submit a joint application with a senior faculty or member of the academic division from the host institution. The application file should include:

1. A brief joint concept note highlighting the activities to be undertaken by the visiting fellow during the period of the fellowship in the African university, and the gaps in the host institutions’ academic plan that the activities will contribute to addressing. The concept should also include the duration of the fellowship and the exact timing the fellowship will be undertaken
2. Supporting documents from the host African institution indicating the nature of support the host institution will extend to the visiting fellow as part of the host institution’s subsidizing of the Fellowship
3. Budget- this should be linked to the time and activities the visiting fellow will undertake in the African host institution. For planning purposes, interested fellows should note that CODESRIA will allocate USD250 per day to successful applicants. This amount will cover the upkeep of the visiting fellow. CODESRIA will also cover the cost of a round-trip ticket from the fellows’ home institution to the host institution in Africa

Note: Fellows are free to consider undertaking some activities virtually or suggest hybrid formats where circumstances and the nature of activities to be undertaken permit.

Expected outputs

At the end of the fellowship, diaspora academics to be supported will be expected to provide the following outputs:

1. Submit to CODESRIA an exit report detailing the activities undertaken and outcomes in the medium to long-term, learning points and any proposed further engagements between the visiting academic and the host institution
2. Both the visiting fellow and the contact person at the host institution will be expected to respond to an evaluation to be undertaken by an external person evaluating the programme on behalf of CODESRIA at the end of the fellowship
3. Visiting fellows will be encouraged to share and disseminate their learnings through other publications like University World News, The Conversation Africa, or other relevant online academic publications where applicable.

Eligibility

Those eligible for support under this programme are African-born academics in the diaspora, especially in North America and Europe. African scholars based in countries other than their own in Africa but interested in being supported as visiting fellows in other African universities are encouraged to apply. Prospective visiting diaspora academics should get in touch with the host university/department to agree on details of the relevant activities they will be engaged in during the tenure of their fellowship. This information should be included as part of the application documents.

Application Deadlines: Complete application documents (Concept from diaspora academic and supporting documents from the host institution in Africa) should be submitted to CODESRIA online using the link https://submission.codesria.org/.

Apply here