Application Deadline: April 15, 2024
As part of its capacity-building program for African actors in the water-sanitation-Hygiene sector (Africap) with funding from USAID, the African Water and Sanitation Association is setting up research grants for Young Water and Sanitation Professionals. The target recipients of these scholarships are master’s level students and engineers at the end of their training. Each grant, with a maximum value of 1,000 (one thousand) USD, will enable research work culminated in a scientific report on a theme in the Water, Hygiene and Sanitation sector.
During the 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years, the AAEA awarded sixty (60) scholarships to students from eleven (11) countries in West and Central Africa. Other scholarships will be awarded across Africa for a period of three years (2021-2024). For the 2021-2022 academic year, fifteen (15) scholarships were awarded to students from 13 countries. For the 2022-2023 academic year, twenty (20) other scholarships from 16 countries and, among the selected scholarship holders, 15 were awarded by USAID like the usual Africap grants and 5 were awarded to young women by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through SAO CWIS to close the gender gap in water, sanitation and hygiene research. For the final academic year (2023-2024), 15 scholarships will be awarded to students across Africa.
research themes
The themes selected for this scholarship program for the 2023-2024 academic year are as follows:
- Approaches to reducing Unrevenue Water in water companies
- Improvement of Water Quality
- Water services in low-income urban areas
- Improvement of urban & peri-urban sanitation
- Use of ICT (digital tools) in water and sanitation services
- Water Resource Management
- Water, Sanitation and Gender
- Circular economy
- Climate change
Benefits
- As part of this scholarship, the maximum amount allocated per beneficiary is 1,000 US Dollars.
- Sixty percent (60%) of this amount will be paid to the beneficiary when the detailed plan of the research project is finalized, approved by the research supervisor and received by the AAEA Research and Capacity Building Program.
- The remaining forty percent (40%) is paid once the recipient submits the electronic copy of their final research report.
Application process
Candidates for a scholarship will formulate their research topics in relation to one of the themes proposed in this call for applications. To apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a citizen of a sub-Saharan African country eligible for USAID funding;
- Be in good academic standing with their institution;
- Submit an application file including:
- Copy of student card or registration receipt for the current year (Master 2)
- The Bachelor’s degree,
- The curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages),
- Three letters of recommendation (one should be from the academic supervisor) which also certifies that the student is enrolled in Master 2,
- The project sheet to download here
During selection, priority will be given to students and young water professionals who are members of the AAEA.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the USAID research grants
