African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) > EXCEL Africa > Developing Mentorship and Capacity for Research in Climate-Resilient Crop Nutrition

Developing Mentorship and Capacity for Research in Climate-Resilient Crop Nutrition

This is a two-year capacity development and applied research project implemented by the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), with grant support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The project works with universities, national agricultural research institutions and Australian research partners in Morocco and Ghana. Through a cascading mentorship model, senior scientists will support 8 emerging supervisors, who will each lead a cohort of 4 MSc scholars. Across the two-year period, the project will support 32 MSc scholars-16 per year, with 8 students in each country. EXCEL Africa combines embedded field research, technical training, scientific writing support, knowledge exchange and institutional partnership building. It aims to strengthen a new generation of inclusive, capable research leaders while generating practical evidence on climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy, and preparing a roadmap for future Africa-Australia collaboration.
Excel Africa

Developing Mentorship and Capacity for Research in Climate-Resilient Crop Nutrition (EXCEL Africa-ACIAR)

Solution Pathway: Building Capacity in Research and Extension Systems
EXCEL AFRICA
Start Date: September 2026
Category: Ongoing
End Date: August 2028

Objectives

The project is designed around six core objectives:

  1. To strengthen mentorship, research and scientific leadership capacity among emerging researchers in climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy.
  2. To establish and strengthen partnerships among APNI, African research institutions, universities and Australian experts.
  3. To support GEDSI-responsive participation, mentorship and leadership opportunities for emerging supervisors and MSc scholars.
  4. To generate practical, field-based evidence on climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy in Morocco and Ghana.
  5. To strengthen skills in experimental design, field research, data analysis, scientific writing and student supervision.
  6. To create a Rising Researcher Network and develop an evidence-based roadmap for future Africa–Australia research collaboration.

Key Questions

EXCEL Africa addresses key questions including:

  1. How can cascading mentorship strengthen the capabilities of emerging supervisors and MSc scholars?
  2. What climate-responsive crop-nutrition and agronomic practices perform best within the project’s research platforms?
  3. How can applied field research generate relevant evidence for farmers, institutions and decision-makers?
  4. What institutional and individual barriers affect inclusive participation, research leadership and career progression?
  5. How can African and Australian partners build sustained research collaboration and future joint investment?

Approach

The project combines mentorship, capacity development, applied research and partnership building. It emphasises:

  1. Cascading mentorship between senior scientists, emerging supervisors and MSc scholars.
  2. Field-based research embedded in existing APNI research platforms in Morocco and Ghana.
  3. Training in research methods, climate-smart agronomy, GEDSI, leadership, supervision, data analysis and scientific publishing.
  4. Knowledge exchange through the Rising Researcher Network and engagement with Australian experts.
  5. Institutional assessment, partner consultation and scaling-roadmap development.

Project Model

The project will support 32 MSc scholars and 8 emerging supervisors through 8 research cohorts over two years.

Each year, 16 MSc scholars will participate: 8 in Morocco and 8 in Ghana. Each emerging supervisor will lead one cohort of four MSc scholars.

Main Institutional Partners

African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI); Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA Morocco); Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P); University Ibn Zohr; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR Ghana); University of Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); and Australian research partners.

Target Research Areas

Climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy; mentorship and research leadership; GEDSI-responsive research; and applied field research.

Target Countries

Morocco and Ghana.