African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC)
African Union Commission
Twelve-month paid volunteer deployment with the African Union for citizens of AU member states aged 18-35 with a post-secondary qualification. Monthly stipend, AU service passport and return flight. The 13th cohort closed 26 April 2026; expect the next call in 2027.
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Eligibility
- Who can apply
- African union
- Education required
- Secondary completed
- Age
- from 18 up to 35 (18-35 years, and must be under the age of 35 upon completing 12 months of service.)
- Fields
- Any field of study
- Residency
- Citizens of an AU member state living on the continent or in the diaspora; volunteers must be willing to live in another AU member state.
- Also required
- Post-secondary certified qualification (TVET, Bachelor's, or Master's) - this is the AU's stated education requirement, above secondary school but not necessarily a degree
- Relevant professional work and verifiable volunteering experience
- Available in the deployment year to dedicate 12 months to professional volunteer service
- Willing to live and serve in an AU member state other than your own
About this opportunity
The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps is the African Union Commission's continental leadership and volunteering programme, run by the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate. It recruits, trains and deploys young African professionals from AU member states for 12 months of professional volunteer service, aligned to Agenda 2063 and the 1 Million Next Level initiative. Volunteers are placed outside their own country, which makes AU-YVC one of the few structured routes for a young Ghanaian graduate to work inside a continental institution and build a pan-African professional network.
The 2026 recruitment cycle sought professionals in governance and law (international relations, law, human rights, political science), digital and systems roles (IT developers, creative audiovisual and multimedia architects, archivists), operations and finance (finance and accounting, human resources, project management) and socio-economic development (economics, agriculture, sustainable environment, communications, translation and interpreting). Volunteers receive a monthly stipend to cover living expenses, a separation allowance on successful completion, an AU service passport, an economy return ticket to the place of deployment, and access to continental policy work and mentorship.
To be eligible you must be a citizen of an AU member state living on the continent or in the diaspora, aged 18 to 35 and under 35 on completing the 12 months of service, hold a post-secondary certified qualification such as a TVET award, bachelor's or master's degree, have relevant professional work and verifiable volunteering experience, and be willing to live in another AU member state. Applications are made through the African Union recruitment portal with an updated professional CV on the official African Union CV template, passport or ID bio page, highest qualification certificate and a letter of recommendation no older than two years. The 13th cohort ran from 26 March to 26 April 2026, so watch au.int press releases in the first quarter for the next call.
- Level
- Any level
- Where
- Multiple countries
- Duration
- 12 months of professional volunteer service
- Difficulty
- Medium · about 3 weeks to prepare
Funding
Partially funded
- stipend
- travel
- training
A monthly stipend to cover living expenses and a separation allowance upon successful completion, plus an AU Service Passport and an economy return ticket to the place of deployment. The press release does not state stipend figures.
What you will need
- CV / résumé
- Passport or national ID
- Degree certificate
- Reference letters (1)
'Required documentation includes an updated professional CV (official African Union CV template), passport/ID bio page, highest qualification certificate, and a letter of recommendation (not older than 2 years).' The CV must use the official African Union template.
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