ANCA Nature Executive Fellowship | Helping Africa's leaders mobilise capital for nature

Job Summary

The ANCA Nature Executive Fellowship is a twelve-month programme that gives senior executives the knowledge, skills and networks to put nature at the centre of financial and strategic decision-making. It is delivered in collaboration with three leading academic institutions: the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and the London School of Economics. Together they combine African and international expertise in nature, finance and leadership, through residential modules in Cape Town, Oxford and London.

Job Details

Application deadline: 22 October 2026, applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

About the Nature Executive Fellowship

Delivered in collaboration with the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and the London School of Economics, the Fellowship combines academic excellence, leadership development and real-world application. It is designed for executives committed to advancing nature-positive economies across Africa.

Over twelve months, you will take part in three in-person residential modules, receive group coaching and expert guidance, and advance the nature-based solutions project you bring to the programme. On completing the Fellowship, you will join an active alumni community and remain connected to ANCA’s network of financial institutions, regulators, investors and technical experts.

Why Join?

As a Fellow, you will gain:

• Strategic expertise: insights from leading global institutions, applied to Africa’s most pressing nature and biodiversity challenges.
• Leadership capability: the acumen and confidence to influence and drive strategic nature-based initiatives at the highest levels of your organisation.
• A global network: lasting relationships with peers, alumni and international experts who continue to open doors for you and your project well beyond the Fellowship.
• A project that moves forward: dedicated support to advance your own real-world nature-based solutions project towards implementation and capital mobilisation, positioning you as a key voice in the continent’s nature finance ecosystem.
• A recognised credential: a certificate of completion signed by all programme partners.

Requirements

Who Should Apply

The Fellowship is designed for executives and senior leaders with a proven track record in sustainability, resilience and leadership. You are an ideal candidate if you are:

• a senior executive looking to deepen your expertise in natural capital and biodiversity finance; and
• ready to lead a real-world nature-based solutions project within your organisation or industry, which you will present in your application and advance throughout the Fellowship.
• have the nomination and support of your organisation to attend all modules and complete the course. The project should also have the support of your organisation.

A nature-based solutions project is a requirement for acceptance. Applications are assessed on the strength of the candidate, the potential of the proposed project and the support of the candidate’s institution.

The Fellowship requires a sustained commitment over twelve months, including three compulsory in-person modules. Please apply only if you can meet the programme requirements for the full period.

How to Apply

Before you submit your application we kindly ask you to thoroughly review the detailed information on the programme and modules. 

What you will need to submit

1. A curriculum vitae of no more than two pages.
2. A letter from your employer recommending you, committing to support your participation and your project, and giving permission for you to attend all three modules.
3. A motivational statement of 450 to 500 words, setting out your reasons for applying and the project you propose to advance.

The employer letter usually takes the longest to obtain, so we suggest requesting it as soon as you decide to apply.

About Company

FSD Africa

https://fsdafrica.org/

FSD Africa is a specialist development agency working to help make finance work for Africa’s future. Based in Nairobi, FSD Africa’s team of financial sector experts work alongside governments, business leaders, regulators, and policymakers to design and build ambitious programmes that make financial markets work better for everyone. FSD Africa Investments, provides early-stage, risk-bearing, catalytic and patient capital to inventive commercial organisations in order to stimulate capital flows in support of green economic growth benefiting people and planet. Established in 2012, FSD Africa is incorporated as a non-profit company limited by guarantee in Kenya. It is funded by UK aid from the UK government.