Climate change disproportionately affects women due to inequalities in terms of access to productive resources, opportunities and decision-making power, amplifying existing gender inequalities in agrifood systems and deeply undermining the potential of agriculture-driven development. In sub-Saharan Africa, where agrifood systems are a major employer of women and constitute an important source of their livelihoods, women are greatly underrepresented in leadership of climate research and innovation and in climate policy decision-making.

This project seeks to grow a pool of African women climate professionals to become effective leaders and change agents. It will establish a fellowship that will support 100 African women climate change professionals working across various disciplines and organizations including government agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The fellowship will equip participants to lead the design of gender-responsive climate adaptation solutions and catalyze the development of locally relevant solutions that will enhance smallholders’ adaptive capacity to climate change, as well as communicate effectively about the impact of their work at the community, institutional and policy levels. It will also aim to equip both women and men climate change professionals with targeted training to integrate gender equality and inclusion in their technical work. Interventions will include real-time learning as well as self-study and participants will be supported to produce and transfer context-specific knowledge on climate-adaptation technologies to different stakeholders, including smallholders, extension workers and policymakers.