ACET Young Leaders in Research (YLR) Grant 2026

The ACET Young Leaders in Research (YLR) Grant 2026 supports early-career African researchers undertaking policy-relevant research connected to Africa’s economic transformation. The 12-month programme provides research funding of up to US$15,000, mentorship, professional development, research visibility and opportunities to contribute evidence to policy discussions.

The 2026 application cycle has closed. ACET’s official information shows that applications closed on 21 November 2025, and the 2026 cohort began on 1 January 2026. ACET announced three 2026 grant recipients in March 2026.

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) Young Leaders in Research Grant is a 12-month research programme designed to support early-career African researchers working in economics and related fields.

The initiative aims to strengthen the role of young African researchers in generating evidence that can contribute to the continent’s economic transformation agenda. According to ACET, YLR grantees receive funding, mentorship, visibility and professional development support while independently producing context-driven research relevant to current policy challenges.

The programme is particularly relevant to researchers interested in African economic policy, development, regional integration, innovation, gender equality and green industrial transformation.

What the ACET YLR Grant Offers

The 2026 YLR programme provides several forms of support.

Research Funding

Successful researchers can receive up to US$15,000 to support eligible research-related expenses, including:

Research data
Analysis
Travel
Research materials
Publication
A living stipend component

ACET states that up to 20% of the funding can be used as a stipend, with a standardized budget template provided to applicants.

Mentorship

Each grantee is matched with an experienced African economist or policy adviser for one-on-one mentorship.

This provides an opportunity for researchers to receive feedback and guidance as they develop their research and engage with policy questions.

Professional Development

The programme also includes peer learning and skill-building opportunities intended to strengthen researchers’ professional capabilities.

Research Visibility

YLR researchers can present their work at ACET-hosted events and have opportunities to publish through the ACET YLR series.

2026 Research Themes

The 2026 YLR Grant focused on four thematic areas:

Gender Equality

Research under this theme addresses issues such as equal access to skills, finance and decision-making for women and girls, with the broader goal of supporting inclusive productivity and policy development.

Regional Integration

This area focuses on issues including cross-border trade, mobility and standards, with research intended to support larger markets, investment and shared prosperity across Africa.

Innovation & Digital Policy

Researchers can explore policy questions around digital public infrastructure, data governance, fair competition, inclusion and technology-enabled economic development.

Green Industrial Transformation

This theme covers climate-smart and circular production, value addition, resilient supply chains, finance, technology and skills connected to Africa’s green economic transformation.

Eligibility Requirements

According to ACET’s official YLR programme information, applicants for the 2026 cohort needed to meet the following broad requirements:

Be 35 years old or younger.
Be an early-career researcher.
Have a background in economics or a related field.
Be an African national or hold permanent residency in an African country.
Propose policy-relevant research aligned with one of the programme’s thematic areas.

Importantly, applicants did not have to be affiliated with a university. ACET states that independent researchers could apply provided they met the eligibility requirements.

Applications also had to be submitted in English.

What Type of Research Is Supported?

The YLR Grant is intended for research that is relevant to real-world policy challenges and contributes to Africa’s economic transformation.

ACET describes the programme as supporting policy-relevant, context-driven research rather than research that is purely academic or theoretical.

Proposals should therefore demonstrate how the research can contribute useful evidence to policy discussions within the selected thematic area.

ACET’s Growth with DEPTH Framework

The YLR programme is connected to ACET’s Growth with DEPTH framework.

The framework focuses on five areas:

Diversification
Export Competitiveness
Productivity
Technology
Human Well-being

Through this framework, the YLR programme seeks to ensure that supported research contributes to evidence-based and actionable approaches to Africa’s structural transformation.

2026 Application Timeline

The 2026 application process followed this schedule:

Stage	Date
Applications opened	30 September 2025
Rolling review period	30 September–21 November 2025
Final application deadline	21 November 2025
Interviews	From 8 December 2025
Cohort announced	18 December 2025
Programme start	1 January 2026

The 2026 application deadline has therefore passed.

2026 Young Leaders in Research Recipients

ACET announced three recipients for the 2026 YLR Grant in March 2026:

Diana Anne Kabiru — Kenya, Regional Integration
Dofinbo Denis Gao — Burkina Faso, Innovation & Digital Policy
Fikayo Akeredolu — Nigeria, Green Industrial Transformation

ACET stated that the grant is intended to empower the next generation of African researchers to participate in Africa’s economic transformation agenda.

How to Prepare for a Future YLR Grant Cycle

Although the 2026 application window is closed, prospective applicants can use the programme’s published requirements to prepare for a future call.

Researchers interested in applying should consider developing a strong research concept focused on an important African policy challenge. It is also useful to build experience in research methods, policy analysis, evidence generation and communicating research findings to non-academic audiences.

Because the programme is designed around policy relevance, future applicants should pay close attention to the thematic priorities announced by ACET for the applicable cohort.

Applicants should also check the official ACET YLR page when a new application cycle is announced because eligibility requirements, research themes, funding arrangements and deadlines can change.

Final Thoughts

The ACET Young Leaders in Research (YLR) Grant 2026 provides an important platform for developing the next generation of African researchers and strengthening locally generated evidence for economic transformation.

The 12-month programme combines up to US$15,000 in research funding, mentorship, peer learning, professional development and opportunities for research visibility. The programme also welcomes eligible independent researchers, meaning university affiliation is not a mandatory requirement.

The 2026 cycle is already closed, but researchers interested in future opportunities can use the published 2026 criteria and thematic areas as a useful guide while waiting for ACET to announce the next application cycle.

Official programme information: ACET Young Leaders in Research

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