The World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program is open for 2027 — a paid 6-month placement in Washington D.C. for Sub-Saharan African PhD candidates and recent graduates. Deadline: August 25, 2026. Age 32 or under.

What Is This Fellowship?

The World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program places young Sub-Saharan African PhD researchers inside the World Bank Group headquarters in Washington, D.C.  or in WBG country offices, for six months of hands-on experience in development economics, policy design, and global poverty reduction work.

This isn’t an observational programme. Fellows are hired as Extended Term Consultants (ETCs) and work directly on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations. You contribute to real work that shapes development outcomes in Africa and beyond.

Application launch: July 15, 2026
Deadline: August 25, 2026
Fellowship start: January 2027

Who Can Apply?

• Sub-Saharan African national (citizenship, not residency)
• PhD candidate in your final year, or recent PhD graduate (within 3 years of completion)
• Strong written and verbal English
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills
• 32 years or younger as of January 1, 2027

Women are especially encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do

Once placed, fellows are matched to WBG units based on their research specialisation. Work spans:

• Development economics research and policy analysis
• Country-level economic and sector policy design
• Technical assistance to governments
• Lending operations and project design
• Knowledge generation and dissemination across the Bank’s global programmes

Fields relevant to the fellowship include economics, public policy, finance, health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, environment, and governance — broadly anything connected to international development.

Selection Process

Phase I: Shortlisting based on application materials; only shortlisted candidates are contacted

Phase II: Final selection in consultation with WBG units seeking fellows matching specific research profiles. Selected fellows are then notified and hired as ETCs

Why This Fellowship Matters

The WBG Africa Fellowship has built a strong pipeline of African development economists and researchers since its inception. Alumni have gone on to careers at the World Bank itself, the African Development Bank, the IMF, African governments, regional think tanks, and top academic institutions.

For a Sub-Saharan African PhD researcher, six months working inside the world’s largest development finance institution, with direct exposure to how global poverty policy is designed and implemented, is a credential and a network that compounds across an entire career.

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