The Sankore Program is the “Caravan Scholars Program", under the big umbrella of the “Caravan Africa
Project”, to provide young people the opportunity to work with African Presidents (Leaders) to
conceive ground-breaking ideas and identify viable strategies to bring them to life. Each year, a
diverse group of mid-career professionals will begin a journey to hone their leadership abilities
through interactions with presidents and key presidential staff and administration officials.
In ensuring that African leaders are conscious about creating such legacies that provide long term
benefits to young people, the AfroChampions Initiative has created a program called the “Sankore
Program”.
Sankore Program connects ambitious young leaders from various professional backgrounds with respected
African presidents, equips them with the skills and abilities to execute projects that the African
leaders will uphold and promote as essential components of their legacy. Built on the foundation of
the Caravan African model, the presidential projects will focus on areas such as, but not limited
to, agro-industrialisation, digital transformation, rural tourism, innovation and leadership, etc.
It will serve as an opportunity for young leaders to shadow iconic African presidents and learn from
their leadership skills while building their own network.
Sankore Fellowship Objectives
- To give an opportunity to ambitious young Africans to use their expertise, passion and
energy to work with and support African presidents to create customised projects capable of
creating the necessary conditions for large scale systems change in Africa.
- To promote and build a strong pan-African ecosystem of African presidents that are focused
on leading to create legacies.
- To deepen the quality of formal collaboration among effective African presidents in a manner
that transcends the short-term demands of electoral cycles and even diplomatic
treaty-making.
- To promote the conditions for the success of large-scale socio-political projects deemed
necessary for the growth of cross-border business opportunities likely to ignite the
pan-African ambitions of the emerging “indigenous multinational” sector on the continent.
- To serve as a catalyst for a diverse network of young African leaders brought together to
collaborate and make a difference on the continent as they learn about leadership through
the lens of the presidential experiences of selected African presidents.
Sankore Fellowship Overview & Benefits
Fellows will have the opportunity to work with renowned and respected African presidents in a manner
coordinated by the AfroChampions Initiative to promote synergies among the Caravan-related projects
of the selected leaders.
Selected Fellows will typically spend a year working as assistants to presidents, vice presidents,
senior government staff, cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking government officials but with an
exclusive focus on harnessing practical opportunities arising from the policy development and
national budgeting process to drive the success of field incubators for youth-led microenterprises
and grassroots interventions, particularly those sponsored through Caravan.
Fellows also will participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with
leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study government policy in action both
domestically and internationally. Fellowships are awarded on a strictly meritocratic basis. The
Sankore Fellowship activities include:
- PRESIDENTIAL INTIATIVE: Scholars will have the opportunity to work with African presidents’
staff to develop projects that will be considered legacy projects for African president to
lead after their term of office has ended. Participants will develop project concept notes,
budget and implementation strategies for identified projects.
- SHADOWING: Scholars will have the opportunity to follow and observe the selected president’s
daily activities and political trips while executing tasks such as taking briefing notes,
drafting memos for Staffing and presidential advisors, shuttling between cabinet meetings,
attending presidential briefing sessions and field excursions. This gives participants a
peep into the cockpit, of the African presidents, as a co-pilot in a real environment which
not many can experience throughout their professional life.
- VIDEO CONFERENCING: Participants shall engage in monthly videoconferencing with other
participants working in the different presidential palaces to learn from each other and
identify opportunities for collaboration on presidential projects.
- ANNUAL GATHERING: Annual in-person gatherings for fellows to learn skills building around
leadership development, communications, public policy and project management. Scholars will
have the opportunity to present project developed at the annual AfroChampions Summit.
- BLOGGING: Participants will have the opportunity to write short reflection blogposts about
their experience and leadership lessons learnt from working with the African presidents.
- EDUCATIONAL TRAINING: Scholars will take tailored online courses focused on
four core leadership skills: Vision and Communication, Decision Making, Persuasion and Influence, and
Strategic Partnerships and project management.
Eligibility Criteria
- Each successful scholar shall be between the ages of 25 and 39 at the time of applying.
- Successful scholars must have 5-15 years of working experience.
- Experience in visioning and/or the research/analytical work essential for designing,
executing and managing complex projects.
- Fluent in oral and written English. Ability to communicate in French and/or Portuguese shall
offer candidates a strong advantage.
- Fellow must be African and currently living in Africa at the time of the application or
temporarily based outside Africa for educational, business or professional reasons.
- Be willing to dedicate 12 months of his/her time to this fellowship and its activities and
commit to focus solely on fellowship activities during the fellowship duration.
Application Process
| Activity |
Date |
| Call for Application |
February 4, 2020 |
| Application Review and Selection |
May 4, 2020 |
| Orientation for Fellows |
May 18, 2020 |
| Fellowship Commences |
June 1, 2020 |
| Monitoring & Evaluation of Fellows/Fellowship |
June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2021 |
| Fellowship Completion Durbar |
June 5, 2021 |
How to Apply
To apply, click here.
Application Deadline
Please apply before June 3, 2020 11:59pm GMT.
