Apply for the United Nations ECA Fellowship Programme for Young African Professionals (multiple positions at multiple duty stations + USD 3,000 Monthly Stipend)
Application deadline: 17 August 2024
Applications are now open for the 2024 United Nations ECA Fellowship Programme for Young African Professionals ( USD 3,000 Monthly Stipend)
Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is the regional arm of the United Nations in Africa. Its mandate is to promote the economic and social development of Africa. ECA’s dual role as a regional arm of the UN, and a part of the regional institutional landscape in Africa, positions it well to make unique contributions to member States’ efforts to address their development challenges. ECA has five sub-regional offices plus African Institute for Economic Development and Planning, (IDEP) across the Continent through which it supports regional development priorities and agenda and African countries in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 of the African Union. ECA’s mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
As a foremost knowledge policy institution in Africa, ECA seeks to engage bright young Africans for skills and capacity development, training and mentorship through a fellowship programme within ECA’s work programme. This fellowship initiative is in line with the Commission’s effort to assist member States develop their capacities in economic and social policy research, development, implementation, analysis, governance, and monitoring and evaluation. The ECA Fellowship Programme aims at developing a new crop of young African intellectuals with strong policy making knowledge and capacity in supporting African countries in the process of economic and social transformation and development
ECA is hereby inviting applications from qualified young African Professionals in the following
thematic areas:
- Macroeconomic policy, Development Planning, Economic Governance & Public Finance;
- Industrialization and Economic Diversification Policies;
- Regional Integration; Infrastructure and Trade
- Private Sector Development & Finance, including Innovative Finance & Capital Markets;
- Poverty, Inequality and Social Policy;
- Food Systems and Food Security
- Gender Equality and Women Empowerment;
- Demographic Dynamics for Development
- Innovation and Technology;
- Data and Statistics Management
- Climate Change & Management of Natural Resources, including Green Economy;
- Labor Economics and Employment
- Communication, Advocacy, Media Relations
- Knowledge Management, Information Management and Librarianship
- Strategic Planning, Foresight Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation, Partnership and Resource Mobilization
- Administration, Human Resource, Budget and Financial Management
- Organizational Behavior and Change Management
- Risk Management and Corporate Policy
The ECA Fellowship programme aims to provide practical, on-the-job experience to the young African professionals in their early and middle career in the academy, public sector or international development in providing them exposure and learning in a multicultural environment of the UN and contribute to the work of ECA. It will also provide the candidates with the opportunity to familiarize with the Commission’s broad programmes and services to member States and subregional bodies in addressing economic and social dimensions of Africa’s development priorities. This should expectedly improve their skills, capacity and intellectual ability.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Fellows will be responsible for the following duties:
The Fellow(s) will agree to a work programme, either in the Programme Pillar focused on areas of economic and social development or in the Programme Support Pillar, focused on areas of communication, advocacy, knowledge/information management and administration. The work
programme will be defined mutually with the receiving/mentoring Division, Sub-Regional Office or Centre. The fellow(s) will contribute to the work of the Division, Sub-Regional Office or Centre by carrying out research, analytical studies, drafting reports and supporting other activities, as directed.
Assignments within the areas of focus may include, but are not limited to, collecting, evaluating, interpreting, and analyzing economic, social and political development issues in the focus areas. The fellow(s) will also contribute to technical and policy reports, briefing notes, and support in the
organization and servicing of expert group meetings, workshops, and seminars; and fulfil various other administrative tasks for the effective delivery of the activities. The fellow(s) will be required to prepare a research paper and make presentation on it in the course of their fellowship.
Qualifications
Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or Doctorate or their equivalents) in economics, development studies, political economy, international affairs, political and social sciences, peace and human security, public administration, law, minerals and natural resources, engineering, business administration and related field is required
Experience: Academic research or academic work related to the focus thematic areas is required. Experience in research/analytical work in socio-economic and political development, natural resource management/law, regional integration, infrastructure development, governance, peace and related areas in the context of Africa, either in the academia, private, public or civil society organizations, is an advantage.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the fellowship advertised, fluency in either language is required and working knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
