Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 30 July 2024 (ECA) - 20 young African professionals from 17 countries of the 2024 cohort of the “ECA Fellowships for Young African Professionals” have completed their programme.
The program, which is supervised by the Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Results Division (SPORD), is designed to improve the skills and capacity of the fellows to address development issues affecting Africa, including Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063.
The fellows are under 35 years old, graduates with a Master's Degree, or PhD candidates. They attend six to 12 months of training in various thematic development areas relevant to the continent’s development.
The fellowship offers mentorship and a unique hands-on experience and equips the fellows to conduct research aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063. They then present their findings for expert review at the ECA's Programme Policy and Dialogue Meetings.
Mr Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the ECA, presented certificates to each fellow at a brief ceremony after the Programme and Policy Dialogue session on Wednesday at UNCC.
Mr. Gatete lauded the fellows for their commitment to Africa's development, considering their extensive research on various development issues in Africa.
He indicated that the ECA would continue to cooperate with them and promised that some of the research work would be further reviewed and developed into policy briefs.
Two Fellows shared their thoughts about the fellowship:
”The fellowship program has greatly enhanced my skills in economic research, policy formulation, and public communication while reinforcing values such as integrity and teamwork. I aim to utilise this knowledge to support the 2030 sustainable development agenda within my community and actively participate in initiatives related to the 2030 and 2063 agendas in Africa within the framework of the United Nations.” : Deborah Umba Ngoyi, a PhD candidate at the University of Mons and a fellow at the ECA Central Africa Sub-Regional Office.
According to Queen Esther Oye, PhD, from Nigeria, and a fellow at the Macroeconomic and Governance Division (MGD); "The fellowship has provided an environment for collaborative research and enriched my understanding of developmental issues. It has broadened my professional network and enhanced my prospects in international development. I aim to further explore green-based macroeconomic policies and engage in research collaborations within the established ECA network."
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org