Sub-Saharan African Ph.D. candidates and recent doctoral graduates can apply for a six-month placement working on research, policy and development projects inside the World Bank Group. Applications close August 25.
The World Bank Group has opened applications for its 2027 Africa Fellowship Program, giving young African researchers an opportunity to spend six months working directly inside the institution.
Applications opened on July 15, 2026, and will close on August 25, 2026.
Selected fellows will begin their assignments in January 2027 and can be placed either at World Bank Group headquarters in Washington, D.C. or at one of its country offices.
The programme is designed for Sub-Saharan African Ph.D. candidates and recent doctoral graduates interested in development research, policymaking and careers in institutions working on Africa’s economic development.
What will selected fellows actually do?
This is not simply a research fellowship where participants spend six months working independently on an academic paper.
Selected fellows will work alongside World Bank teams on real projects and operations.
Depending on their expertise and placement, that could include work around:
- economic policy
- research and knowledge generation
- technical assistance
- lending operations
- policy design
- institution-building
The World Bank says fellows will gain hands-on experience with the kind of work it does with governments and other institutions across developing economies.
Selected candidates will be hired as World Bank consultants for six months, beginning in January 2027.
Who can apply?
To qualify for the 2027 programme, applicants must:
- be a national of a Sub-Saharan African country
- be in the final year of a Ph.D. programme or have completed a Ph.D. within the past three years
- be 32 years old or younger by January 1, 2027
- have an excellent command of written and spoken English
- possess strong quantitative and analytical skills
The Ph.D. should be in an area relevant to the work of the World Bank Group.
Women are especially encouraged to apply.
Where will fellows be based?
The fellowship lasts for six months.
Successful applicants may be assigned to the World Bank Group’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. or to a country office, depending on their specialisation and where suitable opportunities are available.
That means applicants are not applying for one identical role.
The eventual assignment will depend partly on the candidate’s academic background and the World Bank unit interested in their expertise.
How does selection work?
The World Bank will first create a shortlist of candidates based on their areas of specialisation.
Those applications will then be made available to different World Bank Group units looking for fellows with relevant expertise.
Final fellows will be selected in consultation with those units.
The World Bank says only shortlisted candidates will initially be contacted. Once the final selection is completed, shortlisted candidates will be informed of their status.
Successful applicants who accept their offers will then be hired as World Bank consultants for the six-month fellowship beginning in January.
Why the programme matters for African researchers
The Africa Fellowship Program is intended to help young African scholars move beyond academic research and gain experience applying their knowledge to real development problems.
Previous fellows have worked around economic policy, technical assistance, research and World Bank operations.
The programme also forms part of the World Bank’s effort to build a pipeline of African professionals interested in careers across international development institutions, African governments, think tanks and academia.
For Ph.D. candidates who want to move from studying development problems to working directly on them, that practical exposure may be the most valuable part of the programme.
How to apply
Applications for the 2027 World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program close on August 25, 2026.
Eligible candidates can apply through the official World Bank Group Africa Fellowship Program application portal.
Applicants should review the requirements on the official programme page and application portal carefully before submitting, particularly because the programme only considers candidates who meet its age, nationality and Ph.D. requirements.
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