Posted Mon, Mar 22, 2021 4:02 PM

Call for Application to NESG’s Bridge Fellowship Programme

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in conjunction with LEAP Africa is pleased to announce a call for application for the NESG Bridge Fellowship. The NESG Bridge Fellowship is a merit-based fellowship jointly designed and administered by the NESG, a private sector Think-Tank and Policy Advocacy Group, and LEAP Africa, one of the foremost youth-focused leadership development non-profit organization in Nigeria.

The NESG Bridge Fellowship was initiated in the year 2019 by the Board of Directors to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#25) with the goal to equip a new cadre of young visionary leaders with leadership, research and policy advocacy skills to contribute to policy reform in diverse policy areas.

The Bridge Fellowship Programme will admit 30 mid-level professionals between the ages 22 to 35 who have demonstrated interest in research, public policy, community development, social work, business and/or social entrepreneurship. These professionals would be drawn from the academia, private, and public development sectors and across the six (6) geopolitical zones in Nigeria. They would go through a stringent selection process with 2 levels of review where the review panelists will assess their applications, CVs and Essays written.

The NESG Bridge Fellowship is designed to inspire and equip a new generation of young visionary Nigerian leaders, with requisite skills to carry out policy-oriented research and advocacy for national transformation. Selected participants would go through a rigorous and engaging capacity development process where they will contribute to knowledge and policy at the National level. The selected Bridge Fellows will be matched to the Policy Commissions of the NESG to function in the areas of Policy, Research and Leadership and will also be required to carry out a social change project

Eligibility

The NESG Bridge Fellowship is open to all young Nigerians who meet the following criteria:

• Are between the ages of 22 to 35 on or before the application deadline 
• Are not employees or immediate family members of employees of the NESG and LEAP Africa 
• Are able to undergo rigorous research training for a period of 15 months 
• Are committed to attending online training and available for mentoring throughout the Fellowship period 
• Are currently employed or self-employed 
• Are proficient in reading, writing and speaking English (this will aid participation and help in getting the full benefits of the fellowship) in order to fully participate in and benefit from the Fellowship.) 
• Have at least a Bachelor’s degree   
• Have a minimum of 3 years post-NYSC working experience   

Application and Selection Process

Participants would be required to submit

• An Application Form
• A cover letter, stating your motivation and why you should be selected for the fellowship
• A 500-word essay sharing your thoughts on a policy issue of your choice-related to one of the 13 policy commissions of the NESG and why the issue is important to be discussed
• A two-minute video briefly describing yourself and explaining the reason for your interest in the Policy Issue written about
• Any additional document of relevance, not more than three (3) pages; to support your application e.g. an article with a policy focus or outcomes of a community project or social work etc.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be shortlisted based on the strength of their application including:

• A contemporary understanding of Youth challenges in Nigeria from a Youth perspective
• Strong social and communication skills
• An energetic and positive attitude
• Technical competence in his/her field

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) is a non-profit, non-partisan private sector organisation with a mandate to promote and champion the reform of the Nigerian economy into an open, private sector-led globally competitive economy. It was established in 1996 by a group of passionate and concerned private sector leaders as a platform for bringing together private sector leaders and senior public sector officials to discuss and dialogue on the future of the Nigerian Economy.

Over the years, the NESG has achieved significant progress in the areas of research outputs, execution of programmes, seminars, conferences and workshops aimed at facilitating the formulation and implementation of social and economic reform programmes for the growth and transformation of the Nigerian economy. The NESG has emerged as the most notable platform for public-private dialogue in Nigeria, and has also established an excellent working relationship with the Government of Nigeria, the public sector, private sector, and other stakeholders.

LEAP Africa is a youth-focused non-profit leadership development organization that is raising leaders to transform Africa. Over the past 18 years, LEAP Africa has been involved in developing and facilitating programmes centred around business leadership, institutional strengthening, entrepreneurship, youth leadership and employment. LEAP Africa provides experiential training design to meet the needs of primary and secondary beneficiaries with a strong emphasis on values-based leadership.