Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme 2020-2021- Applications Now Closed

News

23 July 2019

The Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme is a global programme offering fully-funded scholarships for future leaders and influencers to study in Ireland. If successful, you will live and study in Ireland, during which time you will develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience Irish culture, and build lasting positive relationships with Ireland.

The scholarship award covers course fees, required flights, accommodation, monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses. Eligible Masters programmes in Ireland commence in the period August to September each year and, depending on the course, scholarships will run for between 10 and 16 months.

Applications are by invitation only to persons that are currently employed in the institutions/organisations listed below:

State Institutions

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of National Development Planning

Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry

Ministry of Agriculture

Ministry of Finance

Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries

Ministry of Higher Education

Cabinet Office

Chief Justice Office

Office of the Auditor General

Zambia Environmental Management Agency

Zambian Development Agency (ZDA)

Bank of Zambia

National Food and Nutrition Commission

Zambia Bureau of Standards

Non State Actors

Sun Business Network

MUSIKA

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection

Economics Association of Zambia

Campaign for Female Education

Zambia Open Community Schools

Food technology and Food Production professionals

Before starting your Scholarship application, you may wish to familiarize yourself with the following requirements:

In order to be eligible for an Irish Aid fellowship applicants must:

Be a citizen of Zambia and be residing in Zambia.
Hold a bachelor's degree in a related discipline with Merit or higher from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution.
Not already hold a qualification at master's level or higher

Be applying to commence a new course at master's level in Ireland no sooner than August/September 2020.
Have identified and selected two relevant courses from the Irish Aid Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses, available at www.irishaidfellowships.ie and www.dfa.ie/zambia
Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for both courses chosen.
Must not have applied for an Ireland Fellowship on more than one previous occasion.
Have a minimum of three years' relevant work experience.
Be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of Zambia.
Meet any relevant procedural requirements of the Government of Zambia.
Be applying to commence a new qualification and not be seeking funding for a course they have already commenced or which will begin before fellowship awards have been notified.

Application Process

The application process consists of three stages:

Stage 1 Preliminary Application;
Stage 2 Detailed Application;
Stage 3 Interviews.

All applicants who are selected to go forward to second stage will be required to sit an IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is dated 2018 or later at the time of application which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course they intend to apply to. Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.