African Women in Agricultural Research for Development (AWARD) hosted the launch of the Virtual Mentoring Orientation Workshop (MOW) that welcomed 42 Emerging Policy Practitioners (EPPs) to the Gender Responsive Agricultural Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship.

The EPPs are nominated into the program by AWARD Policy Fellows to whom they are each paired for the mentoring journey. This Cohort of the EPPs comprises participants from seven African countries including Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.

They will participate in this unique mentoring program under the GRASP Fellowship, which is designed to cascade the Policy Fellow’s learnings while fostering mentoring partnerships.

Speaking during the launch, AWARD Director, Dr. Susan Kaaria highlighted AWARD’s continued commitment to fostering mentoring collaborations between policy practitioners at different levels to influence better, equitable agrifood systems policies.

“Our Fellows will apply all the leadership and mentoring skills that they have acquired as they have been working with their mentors, and they now take on the baton to become the mentors, “she said.

The EPPs comprise interns to mid-level professionals and policy experts working in research and academia focusing on agricultural disciplines, gender, and agri-food systems.

They are drawn from institutions across various sectors including the government, academia, national research organizations, the private sector, and civil society.

The mentoring program commenced with the four-week Mentoring Orientation Workshop (MOW), which will be followed by virtual monthly mentoring sessions between the pairs that will take place between July 2024 and June 2025.

AWARD Policy Fellows from the first cohort shared their insights with the EPPs on what to expect from the mentoring relationship. Aisha Hadeija an AWARD Policy Fellow from Nigeria attributed the mentoring journey to what she sees as her improved professional development in her daily tasks.

“A personal highlight is a training we went through on leadership skills that focused on negotiation which I use at work daily to ask for what I want assertively without sounding abrasive,” she said.

She also highlighted her excitement to work with her mentee in enhancing her Policy Innovation Project (PIP) to develop technical competencies in policy work.

“I am looking forward to working with my mentee on an interactive training manual for policy practitioners to be able to conduct Training of Trainers (ToT) and this will be done using principles and tools we Fellows have acquired through this program.”

Dr. Romana Mbinya, an AWARD Policy Fellow from Kenya, is working on her PIP to review and incorporate gender responsiveness into the Kenya agricultural extension policy. She shared her key takeaway of the mentorship program which she believes helps plug the loneliness associated with professional development.

“Professional journeys can often be lonely, and you need mentors to walk you through your professional journey,” she said.

Watch the launch event.