We are pleased to announce the selection and admission of 40 young African women into the third cohort of the AWARD Leadership Program for Emerging African Women in Agricultural Sciences. The third cohort comprises 40 enthusiastic women under 35 years of age drawn from 37 institutions across five countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and Malawi.

Motivated by the need to address the underrepresentation of women in agricultural science leadership, this Program aims to build a pool of young women scientists motivated to stay in agricultural science careers and equipped to excel in leadership roles.

This cohort of 40 women joins a network of 74 other emerging women scientists from 19 countries who have completed their participation in the Program.

The participants commenced their immersive leadership journey on Monday, July 7^th, with a two-month virtual leadership and mentoring course together with their mentors, during which they will be supported to build mentoring partnerships and leverage the power of mentoring to unlock their leadership potential. The leadership and mentoring course is one of the training activities offered under the Program over a nine-month period.

The AWARD Leadership Program for Emerging African Women in Agricultural Sciences is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and implemented by AWARD.

Adikath Abiola is an agricultural economist who grew up in an urban area in Benin’s capital city, Cotonou. She holds the position of Officer in charge of the professionalization of cooperatives and professional organizations in Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture. She says that research exposed her to the realities of farmers in the rural areas, while working as a research assistant on a project on banana virus (BBTV-Mitigation project) and later during her PhD research on agricultural risks for banana farmers.

“It is from these surveys that I noticed that climate change is an important challenge for agricultural households especially in rural areas,” says Adikath.

She refers to a survey that demonstrated the impact of floods on banana farmers and drought on maize farmers whose yields were affected by erratic rainfall.

An AWARD Fellowship has been in her sight for a while, having applied for three years before finally getting selected after learning about the benefits from a colleague who was an AWARD Fellow.    “AWARD is a space where technical expertise and gender responsive action in the climate change field merge,” notes Adikath. Through the fellowship, Adikath hopes to gain more skills, build competencies on climate and be more involved in projects related to gender responsive actions.

“I want to build my leadership in designing policy and strategies that can help smallholder farmers as they are most affected by climate change,” says Adikath noting that women farmers are of particular interest.

She is also keen to build networks to elevate the vulnerable community voices through pushing for evidence-based policies to help policymakers build resilient rural communities. In addition, Adikath wants to strengthen her technical skills on climate change modeling to enhance her ability to find the best alternative options of climate resilience to benefit farmers.

One of Adikath’s highlights on climate change work was participating in a youth dialogue of adaptation action focusing on climate change and waste management. “It was very interesting especially as I used to do parttime work with an NGO working in rural areas, designing interventions on waste management and food security in relation to climate change issues,” explains Adikath. However, despite enjoying her work, she still experiences challenges.

“As a woman, it is difficult evolve and grow your career in a male-dominated field,” laments Adikath adding that combining professional and personal aspects of one’s life is also tricky. Adikath notes that is more challenging for women to establish visibility and build credibility.

“When they see a woman, they think she is not capable of doing some jobs.”

Funding for projects is also another challenge that she must contend with.

Through the AWARD Climate Action Fellowship, Adikath is confident that she will be able to enhance her leadership and communication skills to help counter some of the challenges aided by the support of her mentor.

“Mentorship is one of the best solutions to increase the visibility of women already on the path to access funding and gain representation in decision-making,” she adds.

Adikath Abiola is one of a growing number of Fellows in the CLARE-funded Fellowship on accelerating African women’s leadership in climate action. Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) is a flagship research programme on climate adaptation and resilience, funded mostly (about 90%) by UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and co-funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action by championing Southern leadership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the UK government, IDRC or its Board of Governors. Learn more about CLARE

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) has welcomed a new member into the Steering Committee, Dr. Bassirou Bonfoh. Dr Bonfoh is the Director of Afrique One at Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS), a leading African research capacity building program in One Health, funded under the African Institutions Initiative and DELTAS Africa.

With a keen interest in One Health and its nexus with agrifood systems, Dr. Bonfoh has vast experience in livestock and food systems, focusing on epidemiology and public health. An avid champion of research, partnerships, capacity building, and innovative collaborations, he has strategically contributed to establishing several One Health platforms and feasibility studies for new projects on pandemic prevention and public health.

I am excited to bring our One Health experience and expertise into the AWARD strategy as gender principles have always been at the heart of our Pan African program on the Climate-Agriculture-Nutrition-Health nexus! Said Dr. Bonfoh.

Dr. Bonfoh’s leadership experience spans Africa, Europe, Asia and has led several powerful development initiatives, including Afrique One, the world’s longest-running research consortium in the field of One Health research, capacity building, and operationalization, and the African Research Consortium on Health (ARCH), which comprises 14 consortia under the Africa Science Foundation initiatives.

Dr. Bonfoh holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and a PhD in epidemiology. He is also a guest lecturer on the One Health approach at several universities, including the University of Liège (Belgium), the University of Oxford, the University of Kara and Lomé (Togo), the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Benin, and the École Inter-États des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires, Senegal, where he chairs the scientific advisory board.

Jackline Makokha believes that rigorous, scientific data well analyzed and packaged is critical in highlighting the fundamental importance of gender considerations in climate action.  

Born in rural Kenya’s Western region, Jackline is the youngest of three girls. Her parents were strict disciplinarians, owing to their professions – her father was a policeman and her mother a teacher and they also farmed.

“My school fees was paid by sugarcane so it is a crop that I cherish,” shares Makokha. “As a child, I wanted to be a policewoman as my dad was my role model.”

With education and exposure, her career aspirations started changing. It was her father’s wish to see his daughter travel and be exposed to different cultures and places, thus he wanted her to be an air hostess. She studied sociology and German for her first degree at the University of Nairobi, she viewed mastering the language as an avenue for travel. “I have travelled to many places,” says Makokha, sadly her father died she was in university and never saw his dream for her come to fruition.  

Upon graduation, Makokha found work in the social sector. While working at the YMCA, her supervisor, Eric Kibinu suggested she pursue a career in community development. “You seem to like working with communities,” said Kibinu. Heeding his advice, Makokha pursued a master’s degree in gender studies, expanding her knowledge in her field of work. Makokha’s interest in climate change grew when she was assigned to the Ministry of Environment to mainstream gender. She worked closely with colleagues in the environment sector for two years and grew fond of the issues, amassing knowledge and experience.  

In 2023, Makokha was nominated as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Gender Focal Point for Kenya where she serves as Kenya’s lead negotiator on gender and climate. “I ensure that Kenya complies with UNFCCC decisions,” explains Makokha, adding that her role as liaison between the UNFCCC and the Kenyan government, includes disseminating and implementing decisions related to gender and climate change. Makokha emphasizes the importance of self-empowerment through knowledge acquisition, especially in male-dominated fields, to gain respect and confidence when engaging in climate-related discussions.   

Makokha is adamant in addressing the misconception that gender only refers to women and calls for the need to approach gender issues from a collective perspective.

“Sometimes there are pre-conceived mindsets and mind blocks about gender,”

says Makokha, adding that gender matters in every policy intervention. She highlighted the challenges of convincing colleagues about the relevance of gender in various policies and project interventions. To help address this, Makokha underlined the significance of using scientific data to support gender-related arguments.

“Gender analysis and data is very important when negotiating or convincing colleagues to consider gender. When you present it in a scientific way or using a scientific angle, it sells!”

She provided examples of gender considerations in road construction, including equitable treatment of contractors and the need for disability-friendly roads, that cater for all users.  

Makokha calls for more funding to enable actors to drive the gender agenda in climate action. She also highlighted the importance of empowering women with knowledge and information about climate change to enhance their visibility and voices in climate action conversations. She expressed her appreciation for the AWARD Climate Fellowship noting that “it has the potential to create a critical mass of women leaders in climate action.” Makokha cited the benefits of the fellowship, such as networking.

Jackline Makokha, Director and National Gender and Climate Change Focal Point at the Ministry of Gender, Culture in Kenya, is one of a growing number of Fellows in the CLARE-funded Fellowship on accelerating African women’s leadership in climate action. Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) is a flagship research programme on climate adaptation and resilience, funded mostly (about 90%) by UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and co-funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action by championing Southern leadership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the UK government, IDRC or its Board of Governors. Learn more about CLARE

Nairobi, Kenya – June 23, 2025 — African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is pleased to announce the launch of the Gender in Agrifood Systems Policies (GASP) Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting gender-responsive policies to foster equitable and resilient agrifood systems across Africa.

The inaugural cohort launch event will take place on Monday, June 23, 2025, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Holiday Inn Nairobi Two Rivers Mall, Nairobi, Kenya. The opening session will feature a high-level policy dialogue with leading experts discussing strategies to unlock the potential of gender-responsive agricultural policies to accelerate inclusive development across the continent.

The GASP Program will engage 50 mid-career African women policy professionals from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Togo, and Zambia. Over the course of the program, these participants and select institutions from these countries will enhance their capacities to design and implement gender-responsive policies and programs that drive systemic change within agrifood systems.

Women contribute significantly to agriculture employment across Africa, yet they often face barriers such as limited access to land, credit, training, and markets. Addressing these challenges through gender-responsive policies is essential to boosting productivity, enhancing food security, and supporting sustainable economic growth.

“We are honored to launch the GASP Program, which reflects our commitment to empowering women leaders in policy to transform Africa’s agrifood landscape,” said Dr. Susan Kaaria, Director of AWARD. “By placing gender at the center of agrifood systems policy, we aim to create inclusive and equitable systems that benefit communities and economies across the continent.”

Empowering women through targeted policies not only improves their livelihoods but also drives innovation and resilience in agriculture, which is critical to meeting future food demands.

“As Africa’s agriculture continues to grow, it is vital that policies reflect the needs and strengths of all people, especially women who play key roles across the food system,” added Hannah Scheuermann, Advisor on Sustainable Agricultural Policies and Systems at GIZ. “The GASP Program is an important step toward ensuring that agricultural development is inclusive, sustainable, and benefits entire communities.”

The GASP Program is an initiative of AWARD funded by GIZ on behalf of BMZ under two programs including Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys) and Women Empowerment for Resilient Rural Areas (WE4R).

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