United Nations African Policy Innovation Fellowship - Application Process

Fellowship Application Process: Prospective fellows must submit a project proposal as part of a competitive selection process. Proposals shall address a national-level policy challenge related to one of the six transitions. The proposal should:

• Incorporate a data inventory outlining available sources and data gaps.
• Demonstrate how national data will be leveraged to develop an actionable policy framework.
• Include a strong financing component linked to domestic resource mobilization, fiscal policy coherence, or innovative financing mechanisms (e.g., carbon markets, remittances, SDG-aligned bonds).
• Proposals must be submitted using the template provided - submissions in any other format will not be considered.

Eligibility Requirements: Please refer to the Fellowship Terms of Reference for the full details on eligibility requirements.

• Applicants are expected to be current junior to mid-level civil servants in their home countries engaged in key ministries such as finance and planning, energy, agriculture, education, and homeland security. 
• Applicants must have demonstrated work experience in research/analytical work in socio-economic and political development, trade and investment, natural resource management/law, regional integration, infrastructure development, including transportation, logistics, energy, governance, peace, and related areas in the context of Africa.
• The fellowship programme is focused on policy research and analysis. Thus, applicants are expected to have strong analytical, research, data, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Applicants must have an advanced university degree (Master's or doctorate, or their equivalents) linked to the area of specialization contained in their project proposals. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
• The maximum age limit is 40 years at the time of application.
• Applicants must submit a supervisor’s endorsement letter confirming support and releasing the fellow for the in-person phase (see the sample letter on this page).
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English is required for the fellowship, and working knowledge of the French is an advantage.