Through the Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship, recipients can expect the following:

Innovative Research 

• Fellows will make progress towards completing their dissertations on peacebuilding, security, and development topics within one (1) year. Fellows develop their dissertation chapters, complete, and defend their PhDs drawing on evidence-based knowledge that will inform regional and global scholarly debates. 

Workshops 

• Fellows will participate in one mandatory APDD workshop occurring in July in an African country. The workshop will help further develop their chapters and complete the writing of their doctoral dissertations; disseminate findings; explore ways to make their work more accessible through publications, presentations, and other means to multiple scholarly and policy constituencies. 

African Scholarship and Knowledge Production 

• Fellows will contribute to the APDD program’s digital forums and social media platforms (Kujenga Amani, Facebook, and X). 

Fostering Community, Professional Development and Networking 

• Fellows will be part of a network of highly visible and active African scholars and practitioners voicing African perspectives on global discourses, as well as knowledge and practices of peacebuilding, security, and development. 
• Fellows will receive mentorship from highly experienced senior scholars in the field. There are opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. 
• Fellows will gain new knowledge and skills to advance their careers as academics or practitioners in their chosen fields.  

Eligibility

All applicants must:

• be African citizens who are residents of an African country.
• be enrolled and working towards a PhD in an accredited university, or affiliated to an institution in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• be in the final year of writing and have completed at least two doctoral dissertation chapters.