EFInA Research Fellowship
Region : Nigeria
Shaping what’s next across Financial Inclusion and Society.
About the program
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The EFInA Research Fellowship supports academic scholars (faculty, PhD students, and postdocs) in advancing open research challenges, enabling meaningful intellectual exchange, and empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.
General Eligibility
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EFInA is seeking scholars in academia who are pursuing research and instruction in academic venues across a range of disciplines.
Eligibility guidelines vary by research challenge. Some challenges accept proposals from students, others from faculty, and some from both. Please refer to the “Research Challenges” tab and the eligibility details below to understand the criteria for each challenge.
This program accepts proposals from individuals based in the following regions: Africa, Australia & New Zealand, Canada, Europe, India, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States.
Microsoft actively seeks to foster greater levels of diversity in our workforce and in our pipeline of future researchers and collaborators. We are always looking for the best and brightest talent and celebrating individuality. We invite candidates to come as they are and do what they love.
Fellows selected to be a part of the Microsoft Research Fellowship program are subject to disciplinary proceedings for inappropriate behavior, including but not limited to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), or plagiarism will forfeit their funding. If accepted, a standard background screen will be conducted. Though Microsoft is not hiring you for employment, a successful screen is required as a stipulation to transfer funds under this fellowship.
Research challenges
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Research objectives and eligibility requirements vary by challenge. Some challenges accept proposals from PhD students, others from faculty, and some from both. Review the descriptions below to understand each challenge’s research goals and specific eligibility criteria.
How to apply
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Please carefully review and consider the below as it relates to the proposal process for the program.
Proposal Criteria
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All proposals should be submitted via email.
Frequently asked questions
Proposals
2026 EFInA Research Fellows & Fellowship Advisors
Cohort 1
Abdulmumin Usman (MSc Economics Student, Nile University)
Fellow
Abdulmumin is a policy and political economy researcher whose work explores how power, institutions, and incentives shape development outcomes. With experience across Anglophone West Africa, Tanzania, and Mozambique, he has contributed to research on labour markets, climate policy, public finance, and financial inclusion. His interests lie at the intersection of finance, labour, and governance, with a strong commitment to using research and storytelling to surface the human impact of policy choices.
Abdullahi Ibrahim (LEAP Africa)
Fellow
Abdullahi is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) practitioner with over a decade of experience generating evidence to inform policy and programme design across Nigeria and Africa. His work spans economic inclusion, youth employment, livelihoods, education, and community resilience, supported by institutions such as the Mastercard Foundation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Ford Foundation. Abdullahi brings a strong focus on equity, ethical data use, and translating research into practical insights that improve outcomes for underserved populations.
Sarah Edore Edewor (Equity in Tech Group)
Fellow
Dr. Edewor is an agricultural economist and development researcher with deep expertise in women’s empowerment, financial inclusion, agriculture, land tenure, and food security. She has led interdisciplinary research projects that integrate gender perspectives, stakeholder engagement, and advanced data analysis to inform policy and practice. Her work focuses on building climate-resilient, inclusive systems that improve livelihoods, particularly for women in agricultural and rural contexts.
