Deadline:
May 31, 2024
Program Starts: January 01, 2025
Program Ends: January 31, 2025
Location(s)
Germany
Berlin
Overview
The German Parliament invites highly motivated young graduates from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana to participate in the annual International Parliamentary Scholarship programme for African Countries.
Details
The concept
Since 2020, the German Bundestag has offered a scholarship programme for talented young graduates from Africa. The programme is aimed at scholars who are interested in politics and who wish to make an active contribution to democracy and a vibrant civil society in their home countries after completing the programme.
In a compact four-week programme, up to 24 fellows can get to know the German parliamentary system and the political decision-making processes in the German Bundestag at first hand.
The programme
The core of the programme is a one-week placement in the office of a Member of the German Bundestag, shadowing the MP and their staff members.
The programme provides a compact introduction to parliamentary democracy and the functioning of the German Bundestag. Other topics include pluralist society, minority protection, and culture of remembrance as a political task. There will be a series of workshops on a variety of topics, including anti-corruption and intercultural training. A project management workshop will help participants develop their own project ideas to promote democracy and civil society in their home countries.
Application
Please send your completed online application documents by email as a PDF-file, with the file name consisting of your surname followed by your given name (i.e. surname-first name), to the German mission in your home country.
Your application should be submitted in German and include the following scanned documents:
- Passport photo (please attach this to the first page of the application form);
- Application form (available online at: www.bundestag.de/ips_afrikanisch);
- Evidence of very good knowledge of German;
- Personal statement of reasons for applying (maximum of two pages);
- Copy of passport or ID card;
- Certified copy of university degree certificate;
- Letter of recommendation in German or English (from a university professor or employer, assessing the applicant’s qualification for the programme).
Application deadline for IPS Africa 2025:
- For applicants from West Africa (only Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal): April 14, 2024.
- For applicants from East Africa (only Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda): May 31, 2024.
- For applicants from Southern Africa (only Botswana, Namibia, South Africa): May 31, 2024.
Parliamentary coordination
The programme is coordinated at parliamentary level by the Rapporteur Group on International Exchange Programmes.
Contact
For further information, please send an email to: ips@bundestag.de.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
The selection process
The scholarship programme is aimed at highly-qualified, open-minded, and politically interested young people from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda who wish to play an active and responsible role in shaping the democratic future of their countries.
Applicants will be invited to an interview at a German diplomatic mission, where an independent selection committee appointed by the German Bundestag will select the fellows on the basis of their professional, social, linguistic, and intercultural skills.
Eligibility criteria
- Citizenship of a participating country (dual citizenship is possible)
- Under the age of 30 at the start of the scholarship on January 1st
- University degree
- Good knowledge of German (at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
- Interest in politics, and social/political commitment
Dates
Deadline: May 31, 2024
Program starts:
January 01, 2025
Program ends:
January 31, 2025
Program Starts: January 01, 2025
Program Ends: January 31, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Participants will receive a stipend of 700 euros. The German Bundestag will also cover the cost of health, accident and personal liability insurance.
Accommodation in a shared apartment (two people sharing) will be provided free of charge. Travel costs to and from Berlin will also be covered.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
