World Bank Group (WBG) Africa Fellowship Program

Scholarship Overview

The World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program selects Sub-Saharan nationals who are pursuing their Ph.D. or have already obtained their Ph.D. to participate in a six-month mission at the World Bank.
The candidates selected get to spend six months at the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. or country offices to get hands-on experience in the operations of the World Bank Group.
Through this fellowship, the World Bank aims to build capacity within the next generation of African change-makers in the areas of policymaking, development research, and poverty reduction in the region.

Host School(s)

Field(s) of Study

Development-related fields that contribute to the World Bank Group goal of eliminating poverty i.e. economic policy, research, lending operations, and lending assistance.

What does the scholarship cover?

This fellowship covers:

Consultant fees
A round-trip economy class air travel to Washington, D.C. or a World Bank Group country office from their university or institution
Worker’s compensation insurance

How many scholarships are given?

Which countries are targeted?

Am I Eligible to Apply?

To qualify for this scholarship, you must:

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

How do I apply – Next Steps

Fill the application form on the website indicated below.
A short-list of candidates will then be made available for the different units of the WBG depending on applicants’ specialization. At this point, applicants will be notified of the status of their application or whether they have been shortlisted or not.
In the next phase, the final list of fellows will be selected in consultation with the various units of the WBG. When this selection is complete, all the shortlisted candidates will be informed of their selection status.
All selected candidates will then be notified. Once they accept the fellowship offer, they will be hired as short-term consultants for six months starting January 2021.

Closing Date

How do I get more information?