Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Three 12-month fellowships a year in the executive offices of the African Development Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the International Trade Centre, with a USD 100,000 stipend. For African nationals under 40 with a master's degree and 7 years' experience.
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Eligibility
- Who can apply
- Africa
- Education required
- Masters completed
- Age
- up to 40 (Under the age of 40; or 45 for women with children.)
- Work experience
- 7+ years
- Fields
- Leadership, Public policy, Economics, International relations
- Residency
- National of an African country; the ECA terms of reference state fellows may be nationals of ECA member states residing anywhere in the world.
- Also required
- National of an African country
- Minimum 7 years of relevant work experience
- Master's degree
- Any additional criteria set by the host institution
- ECA terms of reference add: applicants must not be employees of the United Nations Secretariat or ECA, and must demonstrate experience in strategic planning and execution and knowledge of negotiating and change management
About this opportunity
The Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships were established by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in 2011 to identify and mentor the next generation of outstanding African leaders. Each year three fellows work for 12 months in the executive offices of the African Development Bank in Abidjan, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, or the International Trade Centre in Geneva, with a stipend of USD 100,000. Fellows are mentored directly by the head of the host organisation, work on strategic assignments and policy design, and join the Foundation's Now Generation Network afterwards.
Eligibility is set by the Foundation and by each host. You must be a national of an African country, hold a master's degree, have a minimum of seven years of relevant work experience, and be under the age of 40 - or under 45 for women with children - with any additional criteria the host institution sets. The ECA terms of reference for the 2026 fellowship add that the post is open to young female and male professionals, mid-career and executives alike, who are nationals of ECA member states and reside anywhere in the world, that applicants must not be employees of the UN Secretariat or ECA, and that they must demonstrate competency in professionalism, teamwork, client orientation, planning and organising, and leadership potential, with proven experience in strategic planning and execution and in negotiating and change management.
The cycle is annual and runs in the autumn: the 2026 fellowship at ECA had an application period of 22 September 2025 to 20 November 2025 with a hard deadline of 20 November 2025 at 23:59 Addis Ababa time, and ECA warned that late applications would not be reviewed. Each host institution advertises and receives its own applications - ECA applications go by email to a UN recruitment address set out in its terms of reference, and the AfDB and ITC publish their own vacancy notices - so watch all three host sites as well as the Mo Ibrahim Foundation fellowships page from September.
- Level
- Early career
- Where
- Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Switzerland
- Duration
- 12 months
- Number of awards
- Three per year - one each at the African Development Bank (Abidjan), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa) and the International Trade Centre (Geneva)
- Difficulty
- Very high · about 6 weeks to prepare
Funding
Fully funded
- stipend
- training
Stipend of USD 100,000 for the 12-month fellowship, plus direct mentorship by the head of the host organisation and membership of the Foundation's Now Generation Network.
What you will need
- CV / résumé
- Motivation letter
The Foundation's fellowships page does not publish a document checklist. Each host institution issues its own terms of reference and instructions: the ECA 2026 terms of reference direct all submissions with required attachments to a UN recruitment email address and set out the required attachments in its 'How to Apply' section.
Track this application and eStudent360 turns the list into a checklist and, with Plus, a dated plan that works back from the deadline.