Opening Date:            11^th September 2023

Closing Date:              10^th October 2023

BACKGROUND

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the Republic of Zambia and Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Ghana are participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub Saharan Africa (SGCI). The SGCI seeks to strengthen the capacities of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in supporting research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to socio-economic development of the countries. The Initiative is jointly funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the UK´s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). The SGCI works through Cooperating Technical Agencies (CTAs), among them being the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS). The ACTS is an intergovernmental research think tank focused on strengthening the capacity of African countries to harness application of science, technology and innovation policies for sustainable development in Africa.

In contributing to national research systems in the two countries, NSTC and MESTI are partnering to jointly manage a Grant from IDRC/FCDO, being disbursed by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)-led Consortium of collaborating Technical Agencies (CTAs) of the SGCI. The grant will support applied research projects in Ghana and Zambia and will encourage the participation of female researchers.

The broad thematic area of focus for this Bilateral Joint Call is Food Production and Processing / Agro-processing specifically focussing on enhancing the Tomatoe, Pineapple and Mango value chains in Ghana and Zambia. The Call will support research projects addressing one or more facets of food production and processing /Agro processing such as processing, preservation, storage, value addition and other post-harvest management of tomatoes, pineapples and mangoes.

RATIONALE OF THE BILATERAL COLLABORATIVE CALL 

Sustainable Development Goal No.2 envisages to achieve food security through improved nutrition and promotion of sustainable agriculture. It further looks to double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, through secure and equal access to land, productive resources and financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition. The goal also seeks to ensure sustainable food production systems through implementation of resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production that help maintain ecosystems.

In line with these global aspirations, Zambia in its National Agriculture Policy 2012-2023 has a vision to develop a competitive and diversified agricultural sector driven by equitable and sustainable agricultural development through promoting sustainable increase in agricultural productivity of major crops with comparative advantage. Similarly, Ghana in its Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Development Strategy (AAGDS) has an objective of accelerating agricultural growth in order to enable it contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Zambia and Ghana are endowed with a variety of agricultural produce, which sometimes goes to waste due to limited food conservation and value addition processes. Investing in applied research in food processing and value addition offers economic, social and environmental benefits. Adding value to agricultural products contributes to sustainable development, poverty reduction and improved food security while promoting innovation and economic development in the food sector. To contribute towards efforts to enhance value addition in food production in the two countries, NSTC and MESTI seek to fund collaborative research projects in the area of Food production and processing / Agro processing, specifically focussing onenhancing the Tomatoe, Pineapple and Mango value chains.

Processing tomatoes, pineapples and Mangoes will transform these raw agricultural products into high value products that would create new market opportunities and result in both economic and social benefits. It can contribute to food security by improving the shelf life and reducing post-harvest losses. Value addition to tomatoes, pineapples and mangoes can promote the coordination and integration of various players along the value chain and enable the two countries to diversify their export portfolios.

The Bilateral Collaborative Call aims at fostering international cooperation and knowledge exchange between the two countries, with the view of promoting value addition to fruits and vegetables produced in the two countries, to increase industry competitiveness, job creation and reduce poverty. The specific objectives are to:

• contribute to the development of innovative and sustainable food processing/agroprocessing products, technologies, and practices;
• address key challenges and opportunities in food processing/agroprocessing, particularly in the tomato, pineapple and mango value chains;
• promote collaborative research, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and networking among researchers in the two countries.

ELIGIBILITY

• This Call is open to Researchers in Public and private science and technology Research and Development (R&D) Institutions/Centres and Institutions of Higher Learning in Ghana and Zambia. Institutions/centres in Zambia must be registered with NSTC. Consortia of female researchers are encouraged to apply;
• Each research proposal must have two research teams in both countries, led by Principal Investigators based in Ghana and Zambia. The Principal Investigators shall be the main applicants and will bear the overall responsibility for the project including its technical and administrative co-ordination as well as the timely delivery of scientific and financial reports.
• Principal Investigators must hold a PhD degree, preferably in a related field of the proposed thematic area, must demonstrate previous research in the area of the proposed work and must have the ability to provide mentorship to research teams;
• The research team must have significant capacity, capability and leadership in the proposed field and must include early career researchers;
• The projects must have a Private Sector partner(s) in both countries and a collaboration confirmation letter from these partners must be submitted;
• Applications must be supported with a letter from the host institutions in Ghana and Zambia. Proposals without institutional letters of support will not be considered.

Note: Applicants have the responsibility to find research partners in the collaborating country.

SCOPE OF FUNDING  

i.     The maximum funding amount per research project is 550,000.00 Ghana Cedis for the research team in Ghana and not exceeding ZMW800,000.00 for the research team in Zambia.

1. Submission of Applications
   1. In Ghana:
2. Application must be uploaded to https://grants.mesti.gov.gh/

• In Zambia:
• Application must be through the NSTC Online Grants Management System (OGMS) at nstcms.nstc.org.zm. Applications that are not submitted via the online application system shall not be accepted.

A guide on how to use the OGMS is available on the NSTC website www.nstc.org.zm.

• All attachments uploaded on the Online Grants Management System must be in PDF format.

• The deadline for submission of proposals is 10^th October, 2023. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

CONTACT DETAILS:

For further information and inquiries, contact

In Ghana:

Wilfred Edem Dennis

Telephone: +233 243274389

Principal Research Officer (MESTI)

E-mail: wilfred.dennis@mesti.gov.gh

Mr. Cephas Adjei Mensah

Director, Research, Statistics and Information Management and HORC (MESTI)

Telephone: +233 244888566

E-mail: cephas.mensah@mesti.gov.gh

In Zambia:

Phica N. Jalabani

Telephone: +260-211-255854

E-mail: pnjalabani@nstc.org.zm

Atridah Mulonga

Telephone: +260-211-255854

E-mail: amulonga@nstc.org.zm

For more details, find the full call in the attachment Above.