Volkswagen Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship-Program in Sub-Sahara Africa
In February 2012, the Volkswagen Foundation initiated a three-year fellowship program for the humanities and social sciences. The ZIAF organised program started with an application conference in Bamako, Mali, and aims at substantially supporting highly qualified and motivated young African researchers in their process of further qualifications. The objective is to reach an internationally competitive level and to explicitly use this knowledge in Africa. The first eight fellows are from Ethiopia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Their topics are as diverse as the analysis of Ivorian youth militia, current developments in land reform in Zimbabwe, or sustainability of the African banking and credit sector.
ZIAF organises five training events in Germany, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana, dedicated to topics such as methodology, public relations, team work, or conflict management. All fellows will further receive individual mentoring and support in writing their theses, including support in English academic writing. The program is designed to cater for the fellows’ needs and will provide the basis for a future pan-African research network.