Ezera Research for African Students

Application Instructions and Forms (link)

ONLY UC BERKELEY PH.D. STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE

Emeka Kalu Ezera, Graduate Student Instructor and doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley, was killed tragically, July 12, 1990 in an automobile accident while traveling in Nigeria. 

Born on April 30, 1959, Emeka was the first of four sons of Professor Kalu and Mrs.Onuma Ezera, who came from Ohafia, Imo State, Nigeria. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1981 and in 1982 earned a Master's degree in International Economic Relations from the London School of Economics. At the University of California at Berkeley he earned a Masters in Political Science in 1985, followed by a Masters in Public Policy in 1987. In 1989, Emeka began work on his doctoral dissertation in Political Science at Berkeley: An Institutional Approach to the Implementation of Structural Adjustment Policies: The Nigerian Case.

He made a major contribution to many aspects of life on the Berkeley campus. He opened the "town meeting" on the University's divestment from South Africa, founded the Southern Africa Freedom Through Education Project to bring Southern African blacks to the Bay Area for college education; served on the Graduate Assembly's Recruitment Committee; taught and counseled undergraduates in the Political Science and African American Studies Departments, and devoted two intensive years to the committee which spearheaded the passage of an American Cultures requirement, under which over one hundred new courses have been developed to permit all Berkeley students to reach a fuller understanding and appreciation of this country's cultural diversity. Emeka's scholarly work at Harvard, the London School of Economics, and at the University of California at Berkeley earned for him the respect and esteem of scholars in Africa, in England, and in this country. His budding career promised to span the worlds of both academia and public service in an unusual and productive manner. 

An endowment has been established in memory of Emeka Kalu Ezera to support graduate students from African countries south of the Sahara at the University of California at Berkeley. The funds from the endowment are assigned to the Center for African Studies to aid student scholars at the graduate level concentrating in African Studies. Funds may be requested for maintenance, travel, or research costs, as appropriate to enhance pre-dissertation and dissertation research on Africa. Ezera funds may be used to supplement, but not substitute for, other grants. Students are encouraged to apply to other sources, including the Rocca grant. Currently, grants from the Ezera fund will be in the $500 to $1000 range.

The Ezera Fellowship gives priority to graduate students from West Africa who show exceptional promise of advancing scholarship in African Studies in the social sciences, humanities, and public policy and who demonstrate strong leadership potential. Students from other African regions are eligible and are encouraged to apply. Students must have been accepted for admission at the University of California at Berkeley when they apply and must be enrolled before funds may be dispersed to them. The fellowship is not available to students who are permanent residents or citizens of the United States. A total of no more than two years of support will be provided to a recipient of this fellowship; applications for the second year of support will be considered de novo along with other applications for that year. See the application for details.

For administrative purposes, the Ezera competition is combined with the Rocca Fellowship competition. Ezera recipients may also receive funds from the Rocca endowment. Only one application is necessary. If you are applying for the Emeka Kalu Ezera fellowship, indicate which African country you are from in the appropriate space on the application.

Read The Art of Writing Proposals (Pzreworski & Saloman) for tips on your application.

Emeka Kalu Ezera Fellows

  • 2001/2002, Khalid Medani (Sudan), Political Science, The Political Economy of Informal Markets: The Development of Islamic and Ethnic Politics in Egypt, Sudan and Somalia. Currently an Associate Professor of Political Science and Islamic studies at McGill University.
  • 2003/2004, Zewdineh Beyene (Ethiopia), Law/Regional Peace and Security, The New African Architecture and Capacity for Regional Peace and Security. Currently, co-founder and managing director of EMAHIZEE Global Consulting.
  • 2007/2008, Mahad Ibrahim (Somalia), Information Management and Systems, An Institutional Eye on ICT4D projects: How do institutional policies and practices reflect and affect utilization of Egyptian IT Clubs? Continuing in PhD Program.
  • 2010/2011, Allan Mugishagwe (Uganda), Music, The Cultural Work of Music in NGOs: Uganda; PhD May 2013.
  • 2011, Tendro Tondrasoa Ramaharitra (Madagascar), College of Natural Resources (ESPM), Linking rural household’s decision to land use and land cover change around Makira Protected Area, Madagascar; PhD May 2012.
  • 2015, Selina Makana (Kenya), African Diaspora Studies with Designated Emphasis in Gender and Women's Studies, The War Needed Women: Gender and Militarization in Angola, 1961-2002; PhD May 2017.
  • 2021, Mickey Boakye (Ghana), Environmental Science Policy and Management, Does transportation network architecture predict hydraulic failure in leaves in Tropical African forests? PhD Candidate.
  • 2021, Mikail Aliyu (Nigeria), School of Public Health, Exploring the impact of expanded youth contraception access on economic growth in Nigeria. PhD Candidate.
  • 2022, Mango Jane Angar (Kenya), Political Science. Investigating the Accessibility of the Electoral Process for Persons with Disabilities in Kenya. PhD Candidate.