Africa Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in collaboration with Kenyatta University (KU), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), Bahari CBO Network and C-Weed Corporation Ltd are implementing an IDRC funded Blue Empowerment Project entitled “Aquaculture of Seaweeds and Fish: Opportunities for Blue Economic Empowerment and Covid-19 Resilience of Fisher Women in Kenya”. We are pleased to announce two master’s scholarships eligible to master’s students who have completed first year course work.

About the Blue Empowerment Project

The Blue empowerment project is a low-carbon, gender transformative initiative in coastal Kenya, with the aim of contributing to tackling barriers for the empowerment of fisher women through adoption of climate-smart Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) of seaweeds and fish for improved livelihoods and resilience. Anchored in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on the crucial role of gender equality in development processes, SDG 13 on climate action for sustainability, as well as in the Kenya Vision 2030, the expected main beneficiaries of the results of this project are women. The project is running in Kwale county and will be scaled to Kilifi County.

Scope of work for the Master’s student

The student’s thesis should be aligned under work packages 2 and 3 of the Blue Empowerment Project as summarised below:

• Work package 2: Work package 2 of the Blue Empowerment Project focuses on socio-economic assessment of gaps, barriers and opportunities for women empowerment in fish-seaweed value chains. This will include baseline surveys using a gendered aquaculture value-chain analysis to generate knowledge on the baseline status on gendered empowerment challenges and opportunities in the selected fish-seaweed value chains in the target communities. Life histories methodologies will also be used for in-depth case studies of selected number of diverse fisherfolk women to document individual life histories to document knowledge of challenges and gender barriers as well as opportunities to empowerment. A rapid needs assessment among fishers in Kwale and Kilifi will be carried out to establish technical training needs and opportunities for adopting IMTA among fisher communities. The assessment will document knowledge gaps and available opportunities between men and women.
• Work package 3: Work package 3 of the Blue Empowerment Project focuses on policy and governance framework for IMTA adoption and women empowerment. A gendered policy and governance analysis of selected policies, strategies and governance structures at local, county and national level related to fisheries and aquaculture will be done to identify constraints, gaps and opportunities to support women’s economic empowerment. Stakeholders of value chains and policy processes will be mapped in order to identify key players in the seaweed-fish value chains. Other tools and approaches will be used to analyse stakeholder interests, positions and their power, auditing gender and social inclusion gaps in the processes. Key policy recommendations will be developed and validated through county and national multi-stakeholder engagement approaches.

Scholarship value and duration

Blue Empowerment Project is offering two Masters scholarships to eligible Kenyan university students to carry out their research aligned to either of the two work packages summarised above. The scholarship will cover school fees for the second year of study only, fieldwork related expenses and a stipend for a maximum of 12 months.

Supervision of students

The qualified candidates will be co-supervised by Blue Empowerment Project partners from Kenyatta University 

Duties and Responsibilities of qualified candidates

The main duties and responsibilities will include:

1. Familiarizing with the entire project with a focus on the work package the student will select.
2. Proposal development meeting the host University requirements.
3. Data collection using the tools designed and guided by the supervisors.
4. Data analysis, synthesis and writing of thesis.
5. Preparation of progress report every 3 months.
6. Prepare a manuscript targeting a peer reviewed journal.
7. Presentation of research findings during project meetings as and when required to do so.
   

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive the scholarship, the applicant should:

• Have a bachelor’s university degree or an equivalent in environmental sciences, aquatic sciences, social science, or any other relevant field.
• Have completed his/her first-year master’s course work and ready to start their research project
• Experience in working closely with the coastal communities
• Must be willing to carry out their project work in Kilifi and Kwale county.
• Excellent presentation, oral and written communications skills, problem solving abilities and great interpersonal skills.
• Ability to create and nurture effective working relationships with the project’s stakeholders.
• Knowledge of and active use of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Experience with data collection applications such as ODK etc. will be an advantage.
• Ability to understand the local dialects in Kwale/Kilifi County is an added advantage.

How to apply

Individuals who meet the above requirements should submit their:

1. One-pager motivation letter indicating their interest and suitability for the position,
2. Updated curriculum vitae (CV),
3. Bachelor’s degree certificate and transcripts, and
4. Provisional master’s degree transcript or a certified letter from the university confirming the candidate has completed coursework

All submissions should be done through this link. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. To report any challenges and inquiries, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with subject line ‘Blue Empowerment Project Master’s Scholarships’.

The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) is an equal opportunity employer and therefore encourages all interested parties to submit their applications. Women are encouraged to apply.

Applications must be submitted on or before 5PM 22^nd July 2022

Full application link: https://forms.gle/T7LrJzfieKmbGr869

 

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Implementing partners

Funded by

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