The Young African Leadership Programme funded by the European Commission is a tailor-made fellowship and training programme aiming at catalysing and fostering changes as envisioned in the Africa Agenda 2063 and in the Africa-EU Partnership. After a pilot cohort in Autumn 2021, the second cohort of Young African Leaders is expected in Florence in September 2022.
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The Young African Leaders Programme is a fellowship scheme that provides a unique opportunity for policy experts from Africa (all regions) to further develop their policy work and professional and leadership skills amidst international experts.
Program Structure
The structure of the Programme will be as follows:
- Executive Training Seminars on thematic issues;
- Professional Development Workshops, providing a set of leadership skills, tools and concrete case studies;
- Study Visits to EU institutions, relevant academia, and international organisations;
- Final individual written assignment;
- Award of the YALP certificate of attendance;
- Connection to a network of scholars and practitioners knowledgeable in relevant transnational governance.
The three-month leadership programme takes place from 1 September 2022 to 30 November 2022. Fellowships are fully-funded with a grant of € 2,500 per month. The selected African fellows must live in the area of Florence for the duration of their stay. The language of the Programme is English. Where possible, the STG will seek to integrate French. The Programme has an intensive training schedule and is, therefore, a full-time and fully-funded fellowship scheme.
The Programme targets mid-career, high potential policy-makers, diplomats, and professionals from Africa, working in national and local authorities, regional, continental, international organisations and development partners, civil society organisations, academia, media and private sector, in Africa. More precisely, the Programme is open to professionals (M/F/X), mid-career and executives alike, who are nationals of African countries, residing in Africa and are up to the age of 35.
Required Documents
Candidates should submit the following documents in the English language and in PDF:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) in PDF.
- A short biography is requested in the application form. The bio serves the purpose of the selection process and will also be used for communications purposes if the applicant is accepted for the fellowship. It should be written in the third person singular and be a maximum of 1000 characters with spaces.
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- Statement of Purpose in PDF. The statement of purpose is where applicants can tell their story about who they are and why they deserve to be part of the Young African Leaders Programme and the EUI and STG at large. It gives the admissions committee a chance to get to know you and understand how you add value to the Programme. The statement of purpose (maximum 4 pages) should be written in the following structure:
- Introduction – brief introduction by the applicant about their background and motivation behind applying to the Young African Leaders Programme at STG-EUI.
- Body – 1) relevant experience and accomplishments that relate to the applicant’s field of work, 2) professional goals as they relate to the Africa Leadership Programme, 3) reason of interest in the Programme and 4) what value the applicant can bring to the Programme
- Conclusion – summarise the statement and add key points on why the admission committee should select the applicant.
- Short summary of the Statement of Purpose (maximum 1000 characters)
- A copy of the highest educational certificate and the medium of instruction this highest level education was offered.
- Name and contact details of one referee, preferably a person who has worked with the applicant, whom the EUI may contact. Preference should be given to non-academic referees. Referees also have the option to submit a reference letter through the application portal (deadline 1 May 2022).
Application Process
There are two distinct phases in the application process:
- Register your application through the Online Application Form
- Submit your application by 7 April 2022 (23:59 CET)
NOTE: Once you have registered your application you may continue to work on the application details and attachments until the deadline. Submit the application only when you have filled in all the information correctly and have successfully uploaded the final version of the attachments.
After submission, it will not be possible to update or modify your application. Please note that applications outside the Online Application Form will not be accepted, including hard copy or e-mail applications.
Deadline: The application deadline for the 2022/2023 fellowship is 7 April 2022 (23:59 CET).
For more information on this programme, visit: https://www.eui.eu/apply?id=africanleaders
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