Green Leaders Fellowship 2026: Fully Funded Sustainability Leadership Programme for 37 Nigerians (Apply Now)

 Officially Green Leaders Fellowship 2026: Fully Funded Sustainability Leadership Programme for 37 Nigerians (Apply Now)

If you've been quietly doing the work — organizing clean-up drives in your community, pushing climate conversations in your state, running a green business, or just refusing to shut up about sustainability — this one is for you. The Green Institute has opened applications for the Officially Green Leaders Fellowship 2026, and it's looking for exactly one person like you from every single state in Nigeria.

What Is the Officially Green Leaders Fellowship?

Convened by The Green Institute, the fellowship is a fully funded national initiative designed to identify and train one exceptional sustainability leader from each of Nigeria's 36 states and the FCT — 37 fellows in total. It's built around an intensive, one-week residential leadership programme covering everything from climate governance to energy transition, advocacy, and state-level action planning.

But it doesn't stop at the training. Every fellow leaves the residency as an Officially Green State Lead, tasked with building a "State Sustainability Cabinet" back home and executing a 12-month sustainability action blueprint in their state. This is less "attend a workshop and go home" and more "become your state's official point person for green change."

What the Residency Covers

The one-week programme is structured around five key areas:

-Energy Transition & Green Innovation — renewable energy, circular economy models, green enterprise, climate finance

-Climate Leadership & Governance — climate science, policy frameworks, SDG localization, subnational governance

-State Green Action Blueprint Lab — building your own 12-month roadmap with KPIs, partnerships, and impact tracking

-Advocacy & Strategic Communication — policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, media positioning, public speaking

-State Sustainability Cabinet Formation — designing your team, with roles like Renewable Energy Lead, Climate Education Coordinator, and Community Engagement Director

What's Covered (It's Fully Funded)

There are no participation fees, and financial barriers are deliberately removed so selection comes down purely to merit. Fellows receive:

-Full residential accommodation for the one-week programme

-All meals and refreshments

-Transportation to and from the residency location

Who Should Apply

The fellowship is open to a wide range of backgrounds — you don't need to be a climate professional with a fancy title. The Green Institute is looking for people who show:

-A genuine commitment to sustainability, climate action, or environmental leadership

-Leadership experience or strong leadership potential

-The ability to mobilize people and stakeholders within their state

-A drive for structured, measurable impact — not just good intentions

Applicants can come from civil society, academia, government, the private sector, or grassroots community work. There's no strict age limit — the focus is on your leadership capacity and commitment, not your CV length. Note that only one fellow will ultimately be selected per state, though multiple people from the same state are welcome to apply.

Eligibility: Is Nigeria/Your State Included?

Yes — this fellowship is open exclusively to residents of all 36 Nigerian states and the FCT. In fact, that's the entire structure of the programme: one fellow is selected from every state, including the FCT, so wherever you're based in Nigeria, you're eligible to apply. This is not open to applicants outside Nigeria.

Application Deadline

August 26, 2026. Late applications will not be considered, so don't sit on this one — apply early, especially since only one person per state makes it through.

How to Apply

Apply using the link below 👇🏼 

https://forms.gle/Dh3UtLYWBM45Avdi9

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly by email, and final selection announcements follow the review process.

Worth sharing with anyone in your network doing sustainability, climate, or community work in Nigeria — one spot per state means the competition is real, but so is the opportunity.