Africa Research Fellowship - Nigeria at Search For Common Ground’s International

Location: Middlebelt, Nigeria

The Project

• Search secured a grant from Carnegie Corporation entitled “Amplifying the Expertise of African Peacebuilding Practitioners and Scholars”
• This grant aims to increase knowledge-sharing between African peacebuilding scholars and practitioners with policy makers in the Global North
• The overall goal of this project is to translate existing evidence from peacebuilding scholarship and practice into programmatic and policy influence, bringing credible, relevant, and timely insights to the pressing challenges facing Africa.

Forum on Farmer - Herder Relations in Nigeria

• The Forum on Farmer-Herder Relations (FFARN) is the learning exchange platform of the project. It  is a network of academics and practitioners from both governmental and non-governmental institutions
• The purpose of the Forum is to bridge the gap between peace practitioners and researchers, share views and experiences and discuss the dynamics of farmer-herder relations with a view to seeking sustainable solutions
• The Forum also examines areas of policy research, advocacy and mobilization and provides a platform for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas that generate evidence for multilevel policy influencing farmer-herder relations in Nigeria.

Summary of Africa Research Fellowship

• Program participants have the opportunity to contribute directly to Search’s programming on farmer-herder relations while also pursuing their own research
• Candidates will be expected to develop and pursue an original research topic, culminating in the production of one or more policy brief(s).The program is ideal for candidates seeking to deepen their professional exposure and build their experience in research
• The Fellow will both help strengthen Search’s programming and knowledge base about Nigeria, while also gaining experience in an array of relevant research methodologies for peacebuilding programming and how to translate programmatic results and knowledge into policy recommendations
• Fellows should expect to spend approximately 40% of their time directly supporting Search for Common Ground activities, and 60% pursuing independent research
• Stipend: Applicants will receive a generous stipend to defray travel and living expenses.
• Location: Fellows should plan to be based in Middle Belt, Nigeria with frequent travel to project communities.
• Time: November 2019 - September 1, 2020. We anticipate that the fellowship will be a part-time commitment  (20 hrs/week).

Major Duties and Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Produce a well-researched paper on a pre-agreed topic, based on the Fellow’s independent research
• Work with a Search team developing conflict analyses and research on farmer-herder conflict in the middle belt region of Nigeria and support documentation and learning across the objectives of the program.
• Contribute to ongoing discussions and advocacy efforts on the farmer-herder issue at policy makers at local to global level.
• Provide input and technical support for the activities developed under the objective of this program.
• Participate and provide technical support for the FFARN policy advocacy at the state and national level in Nigeria, including participating in briefings with policymakers.
• Provide technical support and guidance to graduate student mentees who are working on their own independent analysis of farmer-herder relations.
• Represent FFARN at selected domestic or international events or conferences, as necessary.

Qualifications
Educational Background

• Nigerian citizen with current doctoral or professional programs at an African university and intend to pursue a career in peace and conflict on the continent.
• University Degree is required; University Degree in International Development, Peace Studies, Social Science, or related field is desired.

Experience:

• Basic experience in field research, evaluation design, empirical and statistical analysis, and information management design is required;

Important Requirements

• Proficiency at using Microsoft Office software is required;
• Appreciable analytic, writing, and presentation skills;
• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace;
• Ability to organize workflow around tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks, and be flexible with changing priorities;
• Attention to detail and ability to follow up on tasks to completion is required,
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency at least one of the local languages spoken in the area of research interest is desired.
• Preference for applicants with the ability to work in the Middle Belt or Niger delta.

The Mentee is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Mentee should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Mentees should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: Mentees should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Mentees should be transparent with any contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Mentees should respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Mentees have the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

In addition, the mentee will respect SFCG’s evaluations standards, to be found in SFCG’s evaluation guidelines: https://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SFCG-External-Evaluation-Guidelines-FINAL.pdf