Six Years of the African Scholars Program: Advancing Experimental Research Capacity Across Africa

J-PAL Africa’s African Scholars Program was born out of a need to address disparities in access to research funding, mentorship, training opportunities, and global academic networks that have historically limited the participation and growth of economics researchers from low- and middle-income countries. By focusing on African researchers, the program aims to expand the pipeline of future researchers in experimental economics and to provide access to training and resources. It also aims to promote diversity in the field, not only as an ethical imperative but also to ensure that research is rooted in the local context to better inform policy.

Officially launched in 2019, the program has since expanded to seven J-PAL initiatives, or pots of research funding, supporting more researchers and projects each year. Building on the success of the first program with the Digital Identification and Finance Initiative (DigiFI), other initiatives have adopted the African Scholars model, including the Jobs and Opportunities Initiative (JOI), Digital Agricultural Innovations and Services Initiative (DAISI), Crime and Violence Initiative (CVI), Learning for All Initiative (LAI), Humanitarian Protection Initiative (HPI) and the UM6P-J-PAL Applied Lab for Agriculture (UJALA). This expansion showcases J-PAL’s long-term commitment to advancing inclusive, Africa-led research. 

In parallel, the team has also worked to strengthen collaboration through the CEGA Inclusive Development Research Working Group, launched in 2021, that brings together researchers from across the continent to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and build partnerships around inclusive development. 

Has there been an impact?

Funding and mentorship

Since its inception, the African Scholars Program has provided funding for 71 research projects ranging from proposal development and pilot grants to full randomized evaluations totalling approximately USD 2 million. To date, the program has reached 107 African researchers across fifteen countries. 

Beyond funding, the program connects scholars with mentors from J-PAL’s network of researchers. In the African Scholars Spotlight series, Dr Robertson Khataza from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi shares how the program has influenced his career:

"J-PAL's research grants and training efforts have greatly enriched my career. Their support has been pivotal in bolstering my impact evaluation expertise, securing grants, and executing research projects. I've been granted two awards: a proposal development grant in 2022, which paved the way for a pilot grant in 2023. These grants, together with being paired with my mentor and now co-author, J-PAL-affiliated professor Dean Yang at the University of Michigan, have been key points of support in capacity strengthening and smooth research implementation."

Researchers that have received funding through the African Scholars program have gone on to join J-PAL's wider researcher network as affiliates and invited researchers, including Dr Monica Lambon-Quayefio (University of Ghana) and Dr Arinze Nwokolo (Lagos Business School, Nigeria). 

To foster collaboration and continuous learning, J-PAL shares information and opportunities from organisations working in the development space with researchers in our database. Subscribe to receive updates on external funding, conferences, workshops, scholarships and training opportunities and sign up to our African Scholars database.  

Strengthening the local research ecosystem 

The African Scholars Program contributes to a broader effort to strengthen the local research ecosystem. In a recent J-PAL spotlight blog, Dr Oluwaremilekun Adebisi highlights how being part of the program supported her to conduct research and explore interesting topics in her context. She notes: 

"The support I’ve received from J-PAL has been truly transformative. It has allowed me to test ideas that otherwise would have remained on paper, provided mentorship and technical guidance, and connected me to a network of researchers who are just as passionate about development. It has also validated my research direction and encouraged me to pursue innovative approaches."

The increasing presence of African scholars at events like CEGA’s annual Africa Evidence Summit also reflects this momentum, showcasing how local researchers are driving forward development research. 

Becoming visible on the global stage

Through the African Scholars Blog Spotlight series, J-PAL Africa continues to highlight the perspectives and achievements of African economists leading randomized evaluations. This approach has been helpful in positioning African scholars more visibly within the global academic landscape. Recognising that many African researchers lack an online presence, J-PAL also hosts website design workshops to help scholars build professional sites and improve visibility in the global academic space.

African scholars have also benefited from opportunities to present their research internationally. For example, with support from CEGA, one scholar presented at the Africa Evidence Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2024) on a DAISI-funded project and later participated in J-PAL’s Evaluating Social Programs training at the Development Impact West Africa (DIWA) Center at GIMPA in Ghana. Dr Abdul-Basit Tampuli Abukari mentions that:

"Networking has been a key benefit of the program. J-PAL facilitates connections with project mentors, international academics, and practitioners during workshops, summits, and training sessions. These interactions have expanded my professional network and contributed to my confidence in grant writing, teaching, and supervising students."

Lessons and reflections?

Scholars emphasise the program’s impact on their careers, particularly in enabling them to pursue their own research interests, access mentorship, and build networks. 

Despite this, over the years of running the program we have noticed a persistent gap in the provision of and access to training on impact evaluation methods across the continent. While J-PAL offers scholarships for its Evaluating Social Programs (ESP) and Conducting Experimental Research (CER) courses, expanding these training opportunities remains a key priority to strengthen research capacity further.  

What’s next?

At J-PAL Africa, we are continually seeking ways to enhance our initiatives. The next phase of the African Scholars Program involves brainstorming and piloting new models to tailor support to different contexts. A recent example is the UJALA African Scholars Program, which offers a structured package of training, mentorship, and funding to researchers holding PhDs in economics, agricultural economics, or related empirical fields. Open to both resident and non-resident African scholars, the program focuses on advancing research aligned with UJALA’s agenda on agricultural development.

In addition, through the recently launched Alliance for Data, Evaluation, and Policy Training (ADEPT), we are working to build relationships with universities and civil servant training colleges across the continent in order to develop innovative new offers to train the next generation of researchers and decision makers in policy design and data analysis. ADEPT’s partnership with the School of Statistics and Applied Economics (ENSEA) in Cote d’Ivoire is one example of how these partnerships may unfold. 

As J-PAL looks ahead, the African Scholars Program remains an important part of our vision to strengthen African researchers’ skills and capacity, build networks, and shape the growing evidence base for development in Africa.