Applications are now open for the Africa Centre for Energy Policy Next Generation Resource Governance Leaders Program 2026, a competitive pan-African internship designed to equip young Africans with the skills, exposure, and ethical grounding needed to shape the future of energy and extractive governance on the continent.
Why this opportunity matters
Africa’s vast natural resources can only drive inclusive development when governed transparently and responsibly. This program is intentionally designed to build a new generation of African leaders who can influence policy, strengthen institutions, and deliver evidence-based solutions in the energy and extractives sector. Participants gain hands-on experience, policy exposure, and leadership training in a real-world policy environment, positioning them for long-term impact across Africa.
Responsibilities
NextGen Leaders will deliver timely and quality evidence-based policy analysis, training, and advocacy through strong collaborations, ensuring that ACEP remains a thought-leader in Africa’s energy and extractive policy space. Specifically, the NextGen Leaders will:
- Contribute to writing research reports and policy briefs on the energy and extractives sector of Africa.
- Support stakeholder engagement activities on ACEP’s outputs and position on energy and extractive sector issues in Africa.
- Contribute to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of annual programs.
- Support organizational development activities.
- Support in resource mobilization efforts, including grants and proposal writing.
- Contribute to program management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities.
Benefits
ACEP will provide:
- Support for growth and development through:
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- Opportunities for training and development
- Coaching, mentorship, and peer support
- Creating room for creativity and innovation
- A generous stipend and lunch for the duration of the program.
- Decent accommodation for international NextGen Leaders.
- An approved return ticket from the NextGen Leader’s home country to Ghana.
Eligibility
The applicant must be a young African residing in Africa, aged not exceeding 32 years, who demonstrates a passion for ensuring the continent’s vast energy and extractive resources contribute to sustainable and inclusive development. Among other qualifications, the applicant must possess:
- Relevant academic qualifications, preferably in any or a combination of economics (including energy), engineering (petroleum/electrical), oil and gas management, public policy, law, political economy, development studies, development finance, project management, communications, statistics, mathematics, etc.
- Good writing skills with clarity and logical flow of thought
- Adequate knowledge of relevant qualitative and quantitative analytical tools (R, Stata, Eviews, NVivo, Atlas.ti etc.)
- Ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet multiple deadlines.
- Good interpersonal skills and team spirit.
- The ability to think creatively and take the initiative in solving problems.
- A good sense of ownership and responsibility for his/her decisions and actions.
- A strong sense of leadership.
Application
Applicants are required to provide answers to the questions asked in the application form and upload the required documents as one PDF file in the appropriate section. Applications close at 11:59 PM GMT on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
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