Apply for World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program 2021 for Ph.D. students & recent graduates

The Africa Region of the World Bank Group (WBG) announces the opening of the application for the 2021 WBG-Africa Fellowship Program for PhD. candidates and recent Ph.D. graduates who are Sub-Saharan Africa nationals. Women are encouraged to apply

Those eligible to apply are:

Ph.D. candidates and recent graduates (within three years of Ph.D. completion) from Sub-Saharan Africa, are eligible to apply for the World Bank Group-Africa Fellowship Program
World Bank Group-Africa Fellows are eligible to spend six months getting hands-on experience at World Bank Group headquarters in Washington D.C. or country offices
Fellows will work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the World Bank Group goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity.

The World Bank Group (WBG) Africa Fellowship Program targets young, talented African nationals who are completing, or have recently completed their Ph.D. in an area relevant to the World Bank’s work. The fellowship program has been very successful since its inception, building a strong pipeline of young African talent interested in a career in development, international institutions, African governments, think tanks, and academia.

Benefits

The program offers chosen fellows a six-month assignment at World Bank Group (WBG) offices in Washington D.C. or in country offices to gain hands-on experience in the operations of the WBG. This includes knowledge generation and dissemination, design of global and country policies, and the building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries.

Selected candidates will then be notified and, upon acceptance, will be hired as short-term consultants for six months starting January 2021. Fellows are eligible to receive consultant fees, round-trip economy class air travel to Washington, D.C. or a WBG country office from their university or institution, and worker’s compensation insurance.

While benefitting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, fellows will also work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the World Bank’s goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Through the fellowship, we aim to build the capacity of the next generation of African change makers in development research, policymaking and promote the goals of reducing poverty in the region.

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The WBG Africa Fellows have proven to be valuable resources for their hiring units. They contribute to the work program of their respective units and to the World Bank’s mission. In the process, they:

Gain a better understanding of the World Bank Group’s mission and operations
Access quality data for their research work
Interact with seasoned experts in the field of development
Contribute to the World Bank Group’s mission

MAIN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Be a recent Ph.D. graduate (within three years of completion) or be enrolled in the last year of the Ph.D. program.
Have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal
Possess strong quantitative and analytical skills
Be under the age of 32 by the closing of the application period

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process consists of two phases:

In the first phase, a short-list of candidates will be made available for hire for the different units of the WBG depending on applicants’ specialization. Applicants will be notified of about the status of their application or whether they have been shortlisted or not.

In the second phase, the final list of fellows will be selected in consultation with the various units of the WBG. When the selection is complete, all shortlisted candidates will be informed of their selection status.