Overview:
The African Region of the World Bank Group has
opened application for its fellowship program for Ph.D. students from
Sub-Saharan Africa. The program intends to increase the diverse workforce that
is a priority for the Bank and its clients. The scholarship was set up in 2013
by Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa. The 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 World Bank. From the first
class of fellows, several have joined the World Bank Group, and others have
gone on to pursue promising development careers.
About the
Fellowship:
Fellows will spend a minimum of six months at the
World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. or in a Sub-Saharan country, getting
hands-on experience in development work. This includes knowledge
generation and dissemination, design of global and country policies and the
building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries.
While benefitting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, fellows
will also work on economic policy, technical assistance, and lending for
eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Special attention will be
given to work with Fragile and Conflict-Affected States. Fellows will be
expected to complete a research project and prepare a research paper to present
to staff.
Benefits of the Fellowship:
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 their field of development
- Contribute to the World Bank Group's mission
Eligibility:
Sub-Saharan
nationals who are recent Ph.D. graduates, or current doctoral students within
one or two years of completing or graduating from a Ph.D. program in the
following fields: Economics, Demography, Applied Statistics and Econometrics,
Impact Evaluation, Education, Health, Energy, Agriculture, and Infrastructure.
Candidates must:
- Be a recent graduate or be enrolled in an academic institution and returning to university after the fellowship
- Be 32 years of age or below
- Have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal
- Possess strong quantitative and analytical skills
Selection Criteria:
After submitting an application online, the most
promising 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.
Application Deadline: The deadline for the first round
of applications is September 30, 2016.
See Application Form Link to apply.
