Africa Fellows in Education Program 2025/2026 (Funded)

The Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP) aims to address the local capacity gap and improve education decision-making across Sub-Saharan Africa. AFEP will support a network of local policy fellows with enhanced skills in evaluating existing educational research, developing and using performance data to make better decisions, and introducing rigorous evidence into the decision-making process.

Having a network of highly competent researchers across the region reinforces the value of using systematic evidence in decision-making and supports broad policy improvement. Local expert researchers will also form a constituency for expanding and improving the assessment structures in each country. The Fellows will be able to identify and produce high-quality research utilized in educational decision-making. They will also become active in outreach to policymakers and civil society actors and advocate for sound, analytically based local policies.

In sum, the objective of the AFEP is to build a group of Africa-based leaders capable of developing evidence and shaping educational policies relevant to their countries. These leaders would be part of a global network of such people and could help build local networks of strong advocates for improving schools.

Funding of  Education Program

• The funding includes a $35K research (cash) grant. The program will also directly cover up to $25K in expenses for mentorship, study visits, conference travel, and in-country workshops to share research findings and training.

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Eligibility for Education Program

To be eligible for this call, applicants must:

• Be a national of a Sub-Saharan African country;
• Have an MA or PhD degree, preferably in Economics, education policy, social/public policy, development studies or international development, with a strong focus on education. While a PhD is not mandatory, GEAI and PEP encourage fresh PhD graduates who can benefit from mentorship and additional training to become solid researchers;
• Be proficient in quantitative data analysis, with a strong knowledge of data analysis software such as R and Stata;
• Not be older than 35 years old;
• Demonstrate interest in education policy research and analysis;
• Work for the government or have an affiliation at either a research or higher education institution in a Sub-Saharan African country and intend to do so for the foreseeable future;
• Qualified females are strongly encouraged to apply.

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Application

The Africa Fellows application process is managed by GEAI in collaboration with PEP. The applications will be assessed based on several factors, including prior preparation and the quality of an essay. The expression of interest by the applicants should include:

• A two-page statement of interest;
• A two-page essay. The essay must be prepared in English. In this essay, the applicant must
  • either think and write about a specific education problem in their home country and how it could be scientifically evaluated using quantitative methods.
  • or write an essay responding to any of the questions under the five thematic areas of their partner institution, Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa. Similarly, candidates must explain how such questions could be scientifically evaluated using quantitative or mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods.
• A detailed and updated CV with at least two (2) referees the selection committee can contact.

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