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We are glad to inform the general public and all interested candidates that the Africa Early Years Fellowship application form is out.

The World Bank Group’s Early Learning Partnership (ELP) is launching the Africa Early Years Fellowship to recruit a cadre of young African professionals to support governments and World Bank teams to scale up investments in the early years.

This new initiative is complementary to the WBG Africa Fellowship Program, which is targeting Ph.D. students from Sub-Saharan Africa who are interested in starting careers with the World Bank Group. The Africa Early Years Fellowship will recruit promising young professional who will work in their home countries to build capacity in countries to ensure Africa’s children reach their full potential. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 80 percent of children under five years of age are not enrolled in pre-primary programs and malnutrition still prevails. ELP works closely with country governments and World Bank country teams to promote investments in the early years and support early learning and early childhood development (ECD).

About the Fellowship

Approximately 10 fellows will be selected and hired as short-term consultants for one year beginning early 2017, with the possibility of being renewed for a second year.

Fellows will receive ongoing training and work experience across relevant sectors, including education, health, nutrition and social protection. The Fellowship will include a brief orientation at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and fellows will also benefit from ongoing professional development and mentoring from WBG staff. Fellows will be based in select countries in Africa, with the expectation that Fellows continue working in-country after the Fellowship conclusion.

Specific duties may include:

Support World Bank teams to design or implement operations in ECD/early learning or a related field
Support country and core teams in activities associated with the World Bank’s Investing in the Early Years initiative
Support countries’ early learning research agenda associated with the World Bank’s Early Learning Systems Research Program
Contribute to analytical work in ECD/early learning or related fields
Coordinate initiatives to strengthen the capacity of local academic institutions in early learning and ECD

Each Fellow will have a work program focused on one or two countries, and will be based in one of the following priority countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.

Eligible Candidates

Interested candidates should be based in-country, or willing to relocate with minimum or no compensation.

African nationals 25-40 years of age
Educational and professional experience in ECD/early learning
- Graduate degree in a relevant field (including education, economics, statistics, health and nutrition, and social service) AND at least 3 years of professional experience in education, health and nutrition or social protection, with preference for previous work in ECD/early learning; OR
- Undergraduate degree in a relevant field (including education, economics, statistics, health and nutrition, and social service) AND at least 5 years of professional experience in education, health and nutrition or social protection, with preference for previous work in ECD/early learning
Functional experience in economics, evaluation, project design and operations, policy dialogue, or advocacy desired
Experience in the public sector, civil society, or multilateral organization preferred
Demonstrated interest in ECD/early learning
Demonstrated high potential and commitment to ECD and/or human development in Africa
Strong analytical skills
Strong written communication skills and ability to work well in teams, including with senior officials
Ability to work effectively remotely
Fluency in English required of all candidates; fluency in French or Portuguese required of candidates interested in working in francophone/lusophone countries