2018 World Bank Group (WBG) Africa Fellowship Program for Sub-Saharan Africans in USA
The Africa Region of the World Bank Group (WBG) is now accepting applications for WBG Africa Fellowship Program for PhD students and recent graduates who are Sub-Saharan nationals. Fellows will spend a minimum of six months at the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. or in field offices, getting hands-on experience in development work.
Started in 2013 by World Bank Africa Vice President Makhtar Diop, the World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program aims to build a pipeline of Sub-Saharan African researchers and professionals, particularly women, who are interested in working in the development field at home or abroad, and in starting careers with the WBG.
The World Bank Group has set two goals for the world to achieve by 2030: End extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.90 a day to no more than 3% and Promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40% for every country.
Fellows are expected to work in English, so the ability to speak and write fluently is a requirement.
Course Level: This is a six months fellowship programme. Fellows will spend a minimum of six months at the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. or in field offices, getting hands-on experience in development work.
Study Subject: Fellows will work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the World Bank goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity.
Scholarship Award: Specifically, selected participants will:
- 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
Number of Scholarships: Up to 20 fellowships are available.
Scholarship can be taken at World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C., or country offices
Eligibility: The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for the scholarship:
Sub-Saharan nationals who are recent PhD graduates or current doctoral students within a year of completing or graduating from a PhD program in the following fields: economics, applied statistics and econometrics, impact evaluation, education, health, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, demography, forced displacement, and all relevant development fields.
Candidates must:
- be a recent PhD graduate or be enrolled in an academic institution as a PhD student and returning to university after the fellowship
- have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal
- possess strong quantitative and analytical skills
- Be born on or after October 1, 1986
The following additional attributes are highly desirable:
- a command of an additional World Bank official language
- national from fragile and conflict-affected countries
- candidates from refugee and internally displaced communities and/or with proven experience on forced displacement
Nationality: Students from Sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) are eligible to apply for this scholarship programme.
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must be a recent PhD graduate or be enrolled in an academic institution as aPh.DD. student and returning to university after the fellowship.
English Language Requirements: Applicants must have a command of an additional World Bank official language.
How to Apply: The mode of application is online. After applying online, the most suitable candidates will be identified, and their application packages forwarded to World Bank Africa Region managers and participating departments for consideration. Departments and managers will then indicate their preferences, as well as the project to be undertaken.
Selected candidates will then be notified and, upon acceptance, will be hired as short-term consultants for a minimum of six months. Fellows will receive consultant fees, round-trip economy class air travel to Washington, D.C. or a WBG country office from their university, and worker’s compensation insurance.
The deadline for applications for the 2018 Africa Fellowship Program is November 19, 2017.