08/05/2025
PhD Funding Support at University of Ghana: For students pursuing Afri-food systems related research
The Strengthening Rural Livelihoods and Resilience to Climate Change in Africa: Innovative Agroforestry Integrating People, Trees, Crops, and Livestock (GALILEO) project announces funding opportunities for qualified applicants interested in and currently enrolled in a PhD in Agri-food systems. Eligible programmes include agriculture, agricultural sciences, plant biology, insect science and related programs. This PhD funding support aims to strengthen agroforestry innovation ecosystem in the Ghana GALILEO project Living Labs (LLs) and beyond, leveraging knowledge exchange, experimentation, policy dialogues and coordination with key networks for dissemination, exploitation and replication. This implies participatory research and a co- construction procedure, in order to contribute to a better use of agroforestry within the site area, the selected Ghana LL (Suhum, Goaso and New Edubiase).
Scope of the PhD Funding Support
Funded PhD programmes under the GALILEO Project are linked to four of the workbpackages in the GALILEO project. The areas of interest are as follows:
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Co-creation and implementation of participatory methodologies for socio-institutional innovations in agroforestry: A multi-actor approach.
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Assessing the role of agro-forestry in enhancing ecosystems services, and to climate change adaptation and mitigation under diverse agroecology in Ghana.
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Intrahousehold decision making dynamics towards resilience in agroforestry systems: Gender, labour and income
Brief on the GALILEO project
The GALILEO project started in January 2025 and includes Ghana. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Union, aiming to strengthen rural livelihoods and resilience to climate change in Africa with innovative agroforestry, integrating people, trees, crops and livestock. GALILEO relies on genuine Multi-Actor to codevelop context-specific, people-centered agroforestry innovations in representative agropastoral, agroforestry, and agro-silvo-pastoral systems from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The aim is to promote agroforestry as leverage to significantly improve agricultural, household, and climate change adaptation and mitigation performances and to enhance biodiversity in SSA. Our approach will be tested in 8 agroforestry Living Labs (LLs: local scale and actors), 4 national and 1 regional Innovation Platforms (IPs), set up across 4 AU SSA countries (Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon and Kenya). GALILEO’s LLs are set in semi-arid zones of Senegal and Kenya and normally humid but drought-prone zones of Ghana and Cameroon thus comparing and covering a large range of SSA conditions.
Benefits of the PhD support
The PhD funding covers the following benefits:
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Tuition
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Accommodation on campus
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Monthly stipend to support living expenses during the programme.
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Support for research activities, including fieldwork and laboratory costs.
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Mentorship, leadership training, and career development opportunities.
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Access to the GALILEO Project’s professional network, events, workshops, and capacity-building programmes.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must:
Be enrolled in the first year of a PhD programme in sustainable agrifood systems, or a related discipline at the University of Ghana in the 2024/2025 academic year.
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Demonstrate a strong academic record.
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Conduct research focused on sustainable agrifood systems – crop/plant science, agricultural extension, agricultural economics, agribusiness, insect science
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Have a proven track record of leadership, in academics, professional, or community settings.
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Demonstrate a commitment to community service, especially in areas related to sustainable agriculture, food systems, nutrition and entrepreneurship.
Application Process
Applications should be submitted using your University of Ghana student email address. Submit your application online by uploading a single PDF file containing the following:
1. Curriculum vitae (maximum of 3 pages).
2. A personal statement (1-2 pages and maximum 600 words) highlighting your
accomplishments, goals and how the funding will support you to achieve these goals. Additionally, indicate your leadership experience and commitment to community service.
3. A research proposal (up to 1,500 words) detailing the proposed PhD project, its potential impact and how this relates to the objectives of the GALILEO initiative.
4. An admission letter from the University of Ghana for the PhD programme.
5. Academic certificates and transcripts for your master’s and bachelor’s degrees.
6. Three reference letters (two academic and one professional).
8. The single PDF file should be titled with applicant’s “Last name_First name_GALILEO2025-2028”.
Application Deadline: 28th July 2025
Additional Information
For additional information about the application, contact the Principal Investigator: Professor Irene S. Egyir (iegyir@ug,edu,gh)
For additional information about the GALILEO project visit https://galileo-project.eu/
All project activities will be published on the project’s social media accounts. Stay tuned!
