In 2021, we jointly launched the Mastercard Foundation – EARTH University Fellowship Program to accelerate effective transitions beyond university for young leaders focused on agriculture and rural development on the African continent. The Program matches talented young professionals with Host Partners for one-year fellowships to increase the impact of these transformative leaders on the sustainable agricultural development of Africa.
In the first three years, 36 Fellows from 12 African countries completed the program. All were EARTH University graduates. During that time, the Program has had a significant impact on Fellows and Host Partner Organizations. The Program has proven effective at enhancing Fellows’ professional growth and networks, and is frequently referred to by Fellows in program evaluations as a bridge, door, and stepping stone to their desired career paths. Similarly, host Partner Organizations have expressed their gratitude in having young, qualified agronomists on their teams, contributing to the work in their communities.
Beginning in 2024, the Program expanded to include the participation of Mastercard Foundation Scholars from four partner institutions within the Foundation’s Scholars Program network on the continent: University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), CAMFED Ghana, Makerere University (Uganda), and Africa Leadership University (Rwanda). This exciting addition of additional partner institutions and their graduates is helping us meet our goal of preparing and empowering a movement of leaders to positively transform food systems on the continent.
Fellowship Program Director Naboth Bwambale explained, “We currently operate in six countries and with more students from different regions and more institutions, so there is growing visibility for EARTH and more opportunities to scale our impact. We are in conversations and have relationships with more key partners who are driving change on the continent. Program expansion is an opportunity for the Fellows, too—they are identifying peers in their field who have status and work experience on the continent to more easily establish professional networks to adapt and integrate within the workspace.”
We are excited to expand our reach and increase our impact with these new partners. In 2024, the Program includes 20 Fellows from 6 countries. The proposal is to add more Fellows each year, with the goal of having 40 per cohort by 2026.
“We continue to have two objectives—most importantly is the transition pathway from academic training to dignified and meaningful employment as well as entrepreneurship in the agrifood systems of the continent. The Program is having an impact: 83% of Fellows who have completed the Program have secured employment, continued with their entrepreneurial endeavors, and/or commenced graduate studies focused on positively transforming agriculture and food systems in Africa. The Fellowship Program not only gives them a platform of engagement with host organizations that provide meaningful employment opportunities. It also helps Fellows get more grounded in the sector in their area of focus. For the ones moving on to graduate school, they are doing so with a more focused intent.” — Naboth Bwambale.
EARTH strives to support talented young leaders in the agricultural field to reach their full potential. These Fellows will be the drivers of food systems change, creating and innovating products and employing others in their communities. With the addition of these new partner institutions, the Mastercard Foundation – EARTH University Fellowship Program will continue to help EARTH University meet one of our main goals, to prepare, empower and connect effective food systems leaders.