Africa Rice Center Masters and PhD Scholarships for African Students 2018

The World Bank through Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project has made a contribution to Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to offer Two MSc and one PhD scholarships on Irrigated rice value chain analysis and development for competitive markets in Sokoto, Nigeria

Application Deadlines:

• Masters: 5th April 2018
• PhD: 8th April 2018

To Be Taken At (Country): Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

About the Award: The project aims to evaluate rice value chain in Sokoto-Rima River Basin and to develop and validate an innovations system model that will bring about synergy among value chain actors for a sustainable development of rice value chain. Through this project, access to improved production, processing and marketing technologies and innovations will be enhanced for competitive rice markets in Sokoto, Nigeria.

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As part of its human capacity building component, the project is offering up to two (02) MSc scholarships and one (1) phd scholarship at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) for 2018 – 2019 academic year.

Areas of research: 

The Masters students will work on one of the suggested topics depending on their background:

1. Assessment of driving factors of productivity in irrigated rice farming in Goronyo;
2. Performance assessment of technologies/innovations on yield, post-harvest loss and the environment in Goronyo

The PhD candidate will:

1. perform a SWOT analysis of the rice value chain in Goronyo,
2. compose and test different technologies and innovations packages (TIPs) on rice yield, and value-addition in Goronyo.
3. study the competitiveness of each TIP in terms of return on investment, if value chain actors adopt the most efficient TIP in Goronyo

This will contribute to the design of innovative strategies that will support the TIPs scaling out and up program in irrigated systems in West Africa. The PhD student will work in close collaboration with Prof. Ala Ahmed of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, and Dr Rose Fiamohe and Dr Sali Ndindeng of Africa Rice Center to successfully complete his/her PhD thesis.

Type: Masters, PhD

Eligibility: 

Masters

• Candidates should be registered students at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS),
• Candidates should have completed their university course work and be ready to perform field research as part of their MSc dissertation.
• Ideally, candidates should have a good background in one of the following areas: agronomy, agricultural economics, rice processing & post-harvest, value chain economics or closely related fields.

PhD

• MSc degree with excellent grades in one of the following areas: agricultural economics, value chain economics, market economics or closely related fields and obtained less than 5 years ago;
• Proven qualifications in socio-economic surveying methods, stakeholder participatory approaches and the use of econometric modeling;
• Excellent analytical skills preferably demonstrated through previous research or work experience (e.g. MSc thesis, peer-reviewed papers, reports).

Number of Awards:

• Masters: 2
• PhD: 1

Value of Award: The studentship will include tuition fee, monthly stipend and research cost for a period of 1 academic year.

How to Apply: Candidates should submit the following documents compiled in one single PDF document to Mrs Lucie Dalie ([email protected]):

Masters:

– Cover letter (max 1 page);
– Curriculum Vitae;
– Degrees and certificates;
– Research proposal (two-pages maximum);
– Endorsement letter from the current academic supervisor;
– Proof of enrolment in an MSc program.

PhD:
– Motivation letter (1 page);
– Curriculum Vitae;
– Short PhD research proposal narrowing the research scope (max. 5 pages);
– Endorsement letter from the Ph D supervisor;
– Copy of MSc and BSc diplomas;
– If applicable, proof of enrolment in a PhD program;
– If applicable, transcript of PhD coursework.

In the Email subject line, please indicate 2018 MSc scholarship-TRIMING

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: World Bank