Leafgreen Africa Environmental Leadership Fellowship
Build the skills, experience and leadership capacity to contribute to a greener, more sustainable Africa.
LAEL Fellowship at a glance: The LAEL Fellowship (pronounced “LIL Fellowship”) is a six-month volunteer environmental leadership programme run by Leafgreen Africa. It offers two cohorts each year and provides training and practical experience across programme management, environmental research, GIS, monitoring and evaluation/MRV, communications and graphic design. Fellows typically commit 6–8 hours per week and must achieve at least 80% attendance and complete the programme's required assignments, collaborative project and capstone.
Pronunciation
LIL Fellowship
Focus
Environmental leadership and practical skill-building
Leafgreen Africa currently supports two cohorts every year. The active cohort is shown first so prospective fellows can quickly see the current application state.
Status
Apply now
Deadline
31 October 2026
Commitment
6–8 hours per week
Certificate
Awarded on successful completion
Duration
6 months
Format
Volunteer / Professional Development
Commitment
6–8 hours per week
Cohorts
2 per year
Tracks
7 specialist tracks
Completion
Certificate for successful fellows
LAEL stands for Leafgreen Africa Environmental Leadership. It is a six-month volunteer fellowship that combines professional development with practical environmental work. The programme is multidisciplinary and is designed to develop emerging environmental leaders who can learn, apply, collaborate, measure, communicate and lead.
Core framework
Learn
Apply
Collaborate
Measure
Communicate
Lead
Programme summary
Leafgreen Africa Environmental Leadership Fellowship
Duration
Six months
Format
Volunteer / professional development
Weekly commitment
6–8 hours per week
Attendance
At least 80% to complete successfully
Addressing Africa's environmental challenges requires more than environmental awareness. It requires researchers, programme managers, data specialists, GIS analysts, communicators, designers and leaders who can work together.
Climate change
Biodiversity loss
Deforestation
Land degradation
Ecosystem degradation
Climate resilience
Sustainable development
You do not need to be an environmental scientist to apply. Environmental challenges require multidisciplinary teams.
Seven specialist tracks help fellows contribute through different disciplines while building practical environmental skills.
programme-management
Designing, coordinating and implementing environmental programmes.
research-lead
Leading environmental research and evidence-generation activities.
research-associate
Supporting environmental research and evidence synthesis.
gis-analyst
Using geospatial technology to understand environmental challenges.
mrv
Measuring environmental and programme impact.
communications
Communicating environmental evidence and stories to wider audiences.
graphic-design
Using visual communication to advance environmental awareness.
The curriculum progresses from foundational context into specialist practice, applied projects and a final capstone.
Month 1
Month 1
Climate change, sustainability, biodiversity, nature-based solutions, environmental leadership and Leafgreen Africa.
Month 2
Month 2
Research skills, evidence evaluation, data literacy and evidence-based communication.
Month 3
Month 3
Track-specific development.
Month 4
Month 4
Multidisciplinary project involving fellows from different tracks.
Month 5
Month 5
Stakeholder management, grant development, environmental finance and carbon markets.
Month 6
Month 6
Final project, presentation, reflection and leadership development.
The active cohort is highlighted below.
2027 Cohort 1
2027 Cohort 2
Professional Development
Structured training in the selected track.
Practical Experience
Work on real environmental projects.
Portfolio Development
Create tangible professional outputs.
Collaboration
Work with fellows from different disciplines.
Mentorship & Feedback
Receive guidance throughout the fellowship.
Leadership Experience
Take ownership of projects.
Certificate
Successful fellows receive a LAEL Fellowship Certificate.
Successful fellows receive the LAEL Fellowship Certificate.
Leafgreen Africa's long-term focus includes nature-based solutions, carbon markets, environmental data, MRV and technology-enabled monitoring.
Leafgreen is interested in credible, measurable and community-conscious nature-based solutions that strengthen ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, biodiversity, environmental integrity and long-term measurement.
Carbon markets can mobilise environmental finance but require strong environmental integrity. Additionality, permanence, leakage, measurement, verification, community safeguards and transparency matter.
Monitoring, reporting and verification combines satellite data, GIS, field observations, community data, project activity data and environmental indicators into accountable evidence.
Leafgreen is exploring technology-enabled MRV systems that organise environmental evidence, monitor changes over time, identify anomalies, support field verification, analyse geospatial information and maintain evidence trails while keeping humans in the loop.
Leafgreen is interested in credible, measurable and community-conscious nature-based solutions that strengthen ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, biodiversity, environmental integrity and long-term measurement.
Environmental finance must be backed by environmental integrity. Additionality, permanence, leakage, measurement, verification, community safeguards and transparency matter.
Monitoring, reporting and verification combines satellite data, GIS, field observations, community data, project activity data and environmental indicators into accountable evidence.
AI should strengthen environmental accountability, not replace scientific or human verification.
The LAEL Fellowship is Leafgreen Africa’s six-month volunteer environmental leadership programme for emerging leaders who want practical experience, professional development and meaningful environmental work.
LAEL stands for Leafgreen Africa Environmental Leadership.
It is pronounced “LIL Fellowship.”
The fellowship runs for six months.
Leafgreen Africa aims to run two cohorts every calendar year.
The programme is a volunteer fellowship. It is designed for professional development rather than salary or stipend-based employment.
Fellows typically commit 6–8 hours per week.
There are seven specialist tracks: programme management, research lead, research associate, GIS analyst, monitoring/evaluation and MRV, social media and communications, and graphic design.
Students, recent graduates, early-career professionals, researchers, environmental advocates, programme managers, GIS professionals, data analysts, communications professionals, graphic designers, sustainability professionals and career-transition professionals can apply.
No. Environmental challenges need multidisciplinary teams, so applicants from many backgrounds are welcome.
Applicants are reviewed through the cohort selection process. Successful candidates receive follow-up instructions for the relevant cohort.
Successful completion requires at least 80% attendance, training completion, track assignments, collaborative project participation, a capstone and professional conduct.
Yes. Fellows who successfully complete the programme receive a LAEL Fellowship Certificate.
Join a community of emerging environmental leaders developing the skills and experience to contribute to a greener, more sustainable Africa.
Current cohort: 2027 Cohort 1. Applications open until 31 October 2026.
