Application Deadline: April 2nd, 2026
Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 edition of the African Volunteers Health Corps (AVoHC) Kofi Annan Scholars Program. Established as a continent-wide initiative, AVoHC aims to swiftly mobilize skilled African public health experts to support Member States during health crises and other critical public health interventions. This initiative enhances Africa’s unified capability to detect, prevent, and respond efficiently to health threats through timely and coordinated efforts.
The Kofi Annan Scholars Program (PHSP) facilitates the engagement of seasoned African public health professionals—including those from the African Diaspora—in fixed-term, outcome-driven roles within Ministries of Health, National Public Health Institutes, and other key national or continental health agencies. These assignments focus on delivering senior-level technical support, strengthening health systems, driving institutional reforms, and producing tangible results aligned with the priorities of the Africa CDC.
Since 2012, the African Diaspora has been recognized as the sixth region of the African Union. The Scholars Program thus serves as a formal platform to tap into the expertise of diaspora professionals, thereby bolstering Africa’s health security, institutional sustainability, and the mobilization of sustainable financing for health initiatives.
Within this framework, Africa CDC is inviting applications to create a roster of qualified Strategy Development Experts under the AVoHC mechanism, as part of the Kofi Annan Scholars Program. Inclusion in this roster does not mean a permanent staff appointment but enables paid, time-limited deployments based on program needs, funding availability, and agreed deliverables. Scholars selected through this process receive compensation and benefits in line with the African Union’s policies, reflecting the level of expertise, seniority, and expected outputs of the assignment.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct comprehensive situational analyses and capacity mapping exercises to guide national or institutional strategic planning.
- Identify gaps related to policy, operations, and resources within public health systems and recommend viable solutions.
- Lead or actively participate in the development of national or institutional strategic documents aligned with African Union and country-specific priorities.
- Organize and facilitate strategic planning consultations and collaborative workshops with diverse stakeholders.
- Create strategic frameworks, implementation roadmaps, monitoring tools, and evaluation mechanisms.
- Produce high-quality technical reports, policy briefs, and guidance documents.
- Assist countries in mobilizing resources, coordinating with partners, and integrating strategic initiatives seamlessly.
- Help design monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems to measure progress and assess impact.
Academic Qualifications and Experience
- Possession of a Master’s or Doctorate degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Health Systems Management, Strategic Planning, or a closely related discipline.
- A minimum of seven years’ professional experience in strategic planning, national policy formulation, or institutional reform within the public health sector.
- Proven track record in leading or contributing significantly to strategy development processes.
- In-depth knowledge of health systems and policy frameworks across Africa.
- Experience in designing and implementing national strategic plans or frameworks.
- Familiarity working with Ministries of Health, National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), development partners, and civil society groups.
- Understanding of Africa CDC’s programs and African Union strategic agendas (such as Agenda 2063) is an advantage.
- Strong skills in strategic writing and policy communication.
Essential Skills and Competencies
- Functional Skills: Expertise in policy analysis, strategic planning, and organizational development.
- Ability to convert complex technical data into practical strategy documents.
- Excellent facilitation skills and experience managing multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Competence in coordinating and managing diverse stakeholder groups and processes.
- Personal Attributes: Demonstrated resilience and adaptability, especially in dynamic or resource-limited environments.
- High emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
- Ability to work autonomously while effectively collaborating with teams.
- Strong commitment to integrity, service excellence, and making a meaningful impact.
Language Proficiency
Candidates must be proficient in at least one African Union official language—English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, or Swahili. Knowledge of two or more additional AU working languages will be considered an asset.
Additional Information
Team members will be deployed on an on-call basis depending on requests from Member States. The Africa CDC, in coordination with relevant authorities, will determine the duration of each deployment.
Terms of Appointment
Appointments under the Kofi Annan Scholars – AVoHC initiative are made on an on-call basis, triggered by member states’ needs. Deployment length will be decided jointly by Africa CDC and the requesting member state.
Benefits
- A stipend is provided for the entire deployment period.
- All travel, accommodation, and deployment-related costs are fully covered by Africa CDC.
- Opportunity to contribute to impactful assignments in collaboration with government agencies and regulatory bodies throughout Africa.
Remuneration Details
This call is for membership within the AVoHC roster. While members do not receive any remuneration during the membership period, experts deployed on assignments will be entitled to the following benefits:
- Round-trip economic class airfare and associated travel expenses.
- Health insurance coverage for the deployment duration.
- Stipends, communication allowances, incidentals, and risk allowances.
- Accommodation allowance for deployments outside the expert’s city of residence.
- A certificate recognizing their contribution upon completion of deployment.
- The professional advantages associated with being an AVoHC member.
For further details and to apply, please Visit the Official Webpage of the AVoHC Kofi Annan Scholars Program.
