The Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellowship is a joint initiative of Chatham House and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. It gives one African professional each year ten months at Chatham House to complete an individual research project while developing leadership skills.
Fellows are based in London and work full-time, with hybrid working possible. Their time is divided among their research project, the Leadership Masterclass Programme, and contributions to Chatham House research.
Benefits & funding
- A monthly stipend of £2,565 covers London living costs, including accommodation, utilities, food and transport.
- Chatham House covers travel, accommodation support, visa fees, the UK Immigration Health Surcharge, and approved research expenses.
- The programme includes leadership workshops, coaching, media training, optional mentoring, professional networks, and five years of Chatham House membership after successful completion.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be citizens of an African country; dual citizens qualify when one nationality is from an African country.
- Applicants must have completed a BA or equivalent and have experience conducting research.
- The programme is intended for early-to-mid-career applicants from academia, NGOs, business, government, civil society or media who know their proposed field and international affairs.
- Applicants must be proficient in spoken English and able to commit full-time without concurrent work or study.
- There is no age restriction and no stated residency or gender requirement.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Republic of the Congo
+ 42 more
Côte d'Ivoire · DR Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Education required
Bachelor · Master · PhD
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Application process
- 1Review the current research priorities and choose a project topic aligned with them.
- 2Prepare the application form, CV or résumé, names of two referees, and a research proposal based on the topic guidance.
- 3Submit through the Chatham House careers application route before the cycle deadline.
- 4If shortlisted, attend a Zoom interview with Chatham House senior management and relevant programme representatives.
Program timeline
17 April 2026, 5:00 pm BST
Application deadline for the 2026–2027 cycle.
Within four weeks after the deadline
Applicants were due to receive a status update.
After shortlisting
Selected applicants attend Zoom interviews.
Fellowship starts.
October 2026
Fellowship ends.
July 2027