The African Union Commission launched the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Kofi Annan
Fellowship in Public Health Leadership on 25 May 2020 in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation, following its approval by the Governing Board of Africa CDC in March 2018. The Fellowship aims to support aspirational public health leaders (Fellows) in Africa in acquiring advanced skills and competencies to strategize, manage and lead public health programmes that will positively transform public health in Africa. Fellows admitted in the programme will be senior public health professionals from African Union Member States who will contribute to and lead the implementation of a new public health order for Africa, and in turn
develop the next generation of public health leaders.
Kofi Atta Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and founding chair of
the Kofi Annan Foundation, exemplified visionary and principled leadership over the course of his life and career. Of his numerous accomplishments was the establishment of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (The Global Fund), which changed the approach to preventing and managing infectious diseases and the practice of public health globally. Visionary and principled
leadership is critical for Africa to implement a new public health order that will enhance the timely detection and effective response
to public health threats, and to ensure Africa has a healthy and productive population. It is also critical for mitigating the economic
and social effects of these health threats while contributing to sustainable achievement of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the
Sustainable Development Goals.
The programme targets aspirational leaders with a background in any field of public health including, but not limited to, One Health, medicine, finance, policy, animal health, or environmental health. These are leaders who want to acquire advanced skills in leading impactful health initiatives, employing health diplomacy, as well as enhance their ability to develop bold, strategic and achievable goals to propel Africa towards achieving Agenda 2063. If this is your aspiration and you are ready to advance public health outcomes in Africa, you should apply.
Fellowship Worth
The Fellowship will support 12 months of high-level professional development in advanced public health leadership that includes
acquiring skills in health diplomacy, change management, influencing policy, among others. Fellows will be supported by experienced experts in relevant fields from Africa and the diaspora.
At the end of the programme, Fellows would have developed skills:
for competent leadership styles that influence and empower others to achieve ambitious multi-dimensional health goals;
to frame and develop a viable strategic vision for bold, yet attainable goals for positive health outcomes;
for well-rounded globally competent leadership with attributes such as vision, resilience, flexibility and efficiency
to steer the complex environment of public health practice to achieve and maintain positive impact; and
in health politics, negotiation, partnerships, and health diplomacy
Fellowship format
The Fellowship will use a hybrid learning methodology that includes self-directed learning to accomplish a Personal Development
Plan (PDP) over 12 months. Experiential learning shall take place through webinars, keynote lectures, online self-directed study with evaluations, case studies and an individual leadership challenge project.
It will include eight weeks of institutional residential placements for all Fellows as a cohort. Fellows will spend the rest of the training period in their home country, continuing with their regular work responsibilities while also completing assigned
courses and implementing the leadership challenge project. Fellows will be matched with experienced mentors and coaches
to support their continued learning experience.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants for the Fellowship must:
be citizens of an African Union Member State;
possess a postgraduate degree in a relevant field in public health;
have relevant professional experience in any field of public health, including but not limited to one health, medicine,
finance, health economics, health policy, animal health, or environmental health;
be in full-time employment in any area of public health, in a private or public institution in Africa;
have a good track record or be able to demonstrate the potential for effective public health leadership where they can positively impact the public health outcomes of populations.
Fellowship selection
– Selection to the Fellowship will be by an independent committee comprising experts from the African Union Commission and
Africa CDC, and their global partners. The selection process will emphasize an equal opportunity approach to secure the representation of women and underrepresented groups.
Financing
– Africa CDC will provide all learning and development materials and meet all costs associated with the fellowship, including travel,
daily allowance and insurance during the residential placements. Fellows will be supported to ensure that they have the relevant
software for online learning.
How to apply:
All applications must be submitted using the online application form. Incomplete applications will not be considered. All applicants must provide the following required information:
A supporting letter from the current employer to confirm employment, guaranteeing that the candidate will be allowed enough time to participate in the Fellowship programme and to attend the full eight weeks of institutional residential experience.
Letters of recommendation from two reputable professional referees.
A personal statement (maximum 500 words) providing evidence of the candidate’s commitment to public health in
Africa detailing the following:
– Their leadership experience and professional attainment
– Their vision of, and the future impact of effective public health leadership in Africa
– How they would champion public health initiatives in Africa
– How their personal and professional integrity would enable them to fully participate and benefit from the fellowship.
A leadership challenge project proposal (maximum 750 words) that outlines a potential leadership challenge project they will implement. The proposal should include a title, brief description of the challenge (the what, the who is affected, and the why), proposed strategy for a solution, and the expected outcome.
Completed applications with all supporting documents should be sent in a single email to: KofiAnnanFellowship@africa-union.org.
Incomplete applications and applications sent to other email addresses will not be considered
Important dates
Deadline for applications: 11 December 2020 at 5.00 pm Eastern Africa Time. Successful applicants will be informed by 30 December 2020. The Fellowship will start on 1 February 2021.
For more information related to the Fellowship, please contact:
Dr Raji Tajudeen: TajudeenR@africa-union.org
Faith Nekabari Nfii: Nfiif@africa-union.org
Deadline: 1 December 2020 at 5.00 pm Eastern Africa Time
Apply Here: https://africacdc.org/news-item/kofi-annan-fellowship-in-public-health-leadership-programme-application-form/