ARUA-CD Welcomes Visiting Fellows Through New Early-Career Research Fellowship Programme

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), with support from the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, has launched a new Early-Career Research Fellowship programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of emerging African scholars.

The programme will support up to 42 fellows across ARUA’s 13 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) between July 2025 and June 2026. Each fellowship spans six months and is designed to provide researchers with dedicated time away from teaching responsibilities at their home institutions to collaborate with senior academics at ARUA CoEs.

Through this initiative, ARUA seeks to deepen collaboration between African institutions while advancing high-quality research to address pressing developmental challenges on the continent. Each CoE is expected to host researchers from outside its home country, reinforcing cross-border partnerships and knowledge exchange.

New Fellows at ARUA-CD

The ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development (ARUA-CD), hosted at the University of Cape Town, is pleased to welcome Dr Alphonce Mollo and Dr Akwasi Adu-Poku as its first visiting fellows under the programme.

Alphonce Mollo will focus on examining how civil society, including small and medium enterprises, influences the governance of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). His work builds on his background in climate, environment, and development studies, with a particular interest in how grassroots actors shape climate governance.

Akwasi Adu-Poku is a Research Fellow at The Brew Hammond Energy Centre in Ghana and brings expertise in renewable energy systems, energy policy, and climate adaptation. His research at ARUA-CD explores climate and energy governance in Ghana, with attention to policy coherence, institutional frameworks, and inequality. His work aims to generate insights that strengthen inclusive and effective climate policies across Africa.

Building Research Capacity for Africa’s Future

The fellowship programme represents a significant investment in the next generation of African scholars. By supporting early-career researchers such as Alphonce and Akwasi, ARUA, together with its partners, is contributing to a stronger research base on the continent that can inform solutions to climate change and sustainable development challenges.