Hirshabelle STATE OF SOMALIA

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION (MOAI-GSS)

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 Somalia Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP)- P177816

Expression of Interest (EoI) for S-FSRP Long-Term Scholarship

INTRODUCTION

The Government of Somalia has acquired an International Development Association (IDA) credit to finance the Somalia Food Systems Resilience Project (S-FSRP). The FGS intends to utilize part of the credit proceeds to finance the cost of the PhD, MSc/MBA, and Bachelor’s Degrees for the S-FSRP Scholarships Program relevant to the project.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in the targeted project areas of Somalia. This objective will be achieved by increasing farm productivity and resilience through the development and dissemination of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and services to farmers, including climate-smart seed systems and gender- sensitive technologies. The Project activities will be implemented within six components, namely: –

1. (Re-) Building Resilient Agricultural Production Capacity
2. Supporting the Sustainable Development of Natural Resources for Resilient Agricultural Landscapes;

• Getting to Markets;

1. Promoting a Greater Focus on Food Systems Resilience in National and Regional Policy Making
2. Contingency Emergency Response Component
3. Project Coordination and

Scholarship Call

Purpose: – The purpose of the S-FSRP Scholarship Programme is to enhance human capacity for Somalia’s food and agricultural systems by offering long-term training opportunities to eligible professionals and students in the agriculture and livestock sectors at FGS and FMS levels.

Areas of focus: The S-FSRP scholarship program aims to build the capacity of the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, the Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range (MoLFR) FGS and FMS-Line Ministries (MoAI & MoLFR) and the implementing counties in areas relevant to the project.

3.2 Priority Training Areas

Scholarships will focus on fields that are critical for transforming Somalia’s food systems, including:

1. Climate-smart agriculture, climate change adaptation, and sustainable livestock systems
2. Farmers’ community engagement and technology transfer
3. Water, rangeland, and natural resource management
4. biosecurity, and veterinary public health
5. Agricultural markets and enterprise development
6. Financial inclusion and creditworthiness for farmers
7. Animal health, veterinary services, and disease surveillance
8. Food systems policy development and public expenditure analysis
9. Resilience-enhancing agricultural and livestock policies

4. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

4.1 Eligible Applicants

Eligible candidates include those from the agriculture and livestock sectors under FGS and FMS institutions who have secured admission to accredited universities. Inclusive to all staff and interns of key S-FSRP implementing agencies, Line Ministries FGS/FMS are eligible, as provided in the eligibility criteria available on the S-FSRP website.

The core requirements include:

• The candidate must be a resident Somali citizen.
• Applicants must secure admissionto an accredited university prior to applying. Scholarships cannot be awarded without proof of admission.
• Applicants must demonstrate a clear commitment to conducting research that aligns with Somalia’s food systems priorities and the thematic focus areas of the S-FSRP. This commitment should be supported by a well-developed concept note or an approved research proposal that highlights their intention to contribute to the program’s goals.
• A formal recommendation letter from the applicant’s employer, affiliated institution, or direct supervisor is required. The letter should confirm the candidate’s qualifications, professional potential and suitability for the scholarship, as well as the institution’s supporor the applicant’s participation in the programme.

4.2 Programme-Specific Eligibility

1. a) PhD Applicants

• Must be admitted to a recognized international or regional university. Scholarships cannot be awarded without proof of admission.
• Research topic must fall within S-FSRP priority areas.
• Since Somali universities currently lack PhD programmes in critical fields; therefore, PhD study is offered exclusively abroad.
• PhD Applicants Must not exceed 38 years of age.

1. b) Master’s Applicants

1. Master programs may be pursued abroad, particularly at reputable regional universities offering specialized agricultural and livestock programs, and candidates may pursue studies at regional or international universities. This approach ensures quality, equity, feasibility, and long-term sustainability of Somalia’s human capacity development agenda.
2. Applicants should already have an admission letter before submitting their scholarship application.
3. The applicants must hold at least a Second Class Upper Bachelor’s degree, or Second Class Lower plus minimum two years relevant experience.
4. Areas of study areas must align with S-FSRP technical priorities.

5. The master Applicants Must not exceed 30 years of age.
6. c) Bachelor’s Applicants

• Must have completed secondary education.
• Studies will be conducted only within Somali universities.
• Priority to applicants from FMS and public institutions.
• The upper age limit is 25 years for those applying to  undergraduate. Scholarships cannot be awarded without proof of admission

4.3 Continuing Students

The scholarship also supports ongoing Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students who:

• Have completed coursework
• Are admitted in accredited universities
• Undertake research aligned with S-FSRP priority areas

5. Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

1. Completed Application Form
2. Concept Note (aligned with S-FSRP thematic priorities)
3. Admission Letter (mandatory)
4. Passport copy
5. National ID (if available)
6. Relevant academic certificates and transcript

Development of Concept Notes for PhD and MSc Applicants

Development of Concept Notes -for PhD and MSc

All applicants will be required to submit a concept note that adheres to the project’s guidelines as described below and detailed in Annex 9. The concept note should be written in font Arial 12 with a line spacing of 1.5 as elaborated below:-

1. The title should not exceed 15 words
2. Introduction and Relevance/justification of study should not exceed one (1) page and should include the following:

• An introduction that brings into context previous related studies with references
• Relevance of the proposed research to the S-FSRP thematic areas of focus, including the needs and constraints of the targeted counties
• Problem statement (research gap) being addressed by the research
• Objectives and expected results of the research
• Value addition/ innovation, the research intends to achieve on resilient food systems resilience

3. Methodology and Outputs should not exceed two (2) pages and should contain the following;

• Outline of the conceptual and theoretical framework
• Brief description of the study activities
• Brief description of materials and methods for each activity, describing how the study will be conducted.
• Outline of the expected outputs in relation to the S-FSRP thematic area of focus
• Outline of the scope and limitations of the study
• Workplan and Budget not exceeding one (1) page and containing the following;

4. Workplan, indicating a road map to completion

• Summarized budget lines for each activity, noting that the personnel budget line, travel, and accommodation must not exceed one-third of the overall budget.
• Concept Notes that do not meet the above basic requirements will be rejected without appraisal.

5. Scholarship Application Procedure

• Interested applicants will be expected to submit the following:
  • Duly completed Scholarship Application Form
  • A relevant Concept Note in the prescribed format
  • Duly completed training Scholarship Bond Form (applicable ONLY for those awarded scholarships)
  • For the Continuing Scholarship category, a letter of admission, an Official Performance Progress report and Academic Transcripts from the University

All completed documents should be sent in both hard and soft copies to the address below:-

Submission of Application

Interested candidates should submit their application electronically to the following address before 10th  May 2026 at 5:00 PM:
ahmed.xusein@hotmail.com

In terms fo hard-copy submissions, the candidates may be delivered  their applications to the following address:

Hirshabelle State Project Coordination unit, S-FSRP Office,
Jowhar city

Hirshabelle state of Somalia