Shaping Futures Academy 2024 for future leaders (Fully Funded to Germany)

Deadline:15th November 2023

The Shaping Futures: African-European Network on Development and Sustainability Academy (Shaping Futures Academy), formerly known as the BMZ African-German Leadership Academy (African Academy) is a dialogue and training programme targeted at early to mid-career professionals from participating African, (Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Togo, and Zambia) and European (EU, EEA, and UK) countries. The Shaping Futures Academy aims to empower future leaders on both continents by bringing together like- minded peers to reflect on their roles in their respective communities and institutions and develop strategies on how they can induce or support change processes for a transformation to sustainability in the present and future contexts.

With diversity at its the core, the Shaping Futures Academy welcomes participants from a various sectors (civil society, academia and think tanks, public administration, business and media) to encourage transdisciplinarity and to promote networking and knowledge exchange.

The Shaping Futures Academy is hosted by the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The programme is conducted in English.

Format and Content

The Shaping Futures Academy is grounded on three essential elements that contribute to capacity development: knowledge, action and leadership.

• The knowledge element offers participants the space to exchange and jointly learn about the themes of governance and sustainability, on both a global and local level. In the academic modules, participants strengthen their analytical capabilities through engagement with different concepts and the direct interaction with diverse scientific and practice-oriented stakeholders. This includes encounters in discussions, workshops and site-visits to selected institutions.
• The action elements offer participants the opportunity to combine and expand their knowledge and skills as well as to put them into practice. Working independently in small and changing group constellations, participants collectively develop mini-projects and assignments that allow them to connect their various expertise in diverse learning formats.
• The leadership element focusses on developing individual and collective competencies, including strengthening dialogue skills, problem solving, exchanging perspectives, teamwork, reflecting on one’s values, and building strong and trustful relationships, which will also benefit the participants’ home institutions.

Benefits

1. Participants

Participation in an innovative academic and practice-oriented international
dialogue format
• Capacity development on governance and sustainable development
• Strengthened leadership skills through collective peer learning, complemented by
individual coaching
• Opportunity to become part of an international network of like-minded
professionals
• Exchange and development of new ideas with peers from partner countries
• Work on innovative solutions for real-life sustainability challenges
• Engagement in different learning formats
• Enhanced cultural exchange in the form of trips to Germany and Ghana

2. Sending Institutions

The Shaping Futures Academy offers a broad range of benefits for sending institutions:
• Capacity development of staff in the areas of leadership, governance and
sustainability. The knowledge and skills acquired can be directly applied within
the participants’ home-institutions
• Become part of a growing cross-sectoral network of institutions working towards
sustainable development in the seven partner countries and Germany/Europe,
opening up new and continued opportunities for cooperation in the future
• Opportunity to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the
African Agenda 2063

Eligibility

The Shaping Futures Academy targets early to mid-career professionals from participating African (Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Togo and Zambia) and European (EU, EEA and UK) countries.

• be a national or permanent resident of one of the participating countries
• be 25 – 40 years old*
• work on issues relevant for sustainable development and governance
• have at least three years’ work experience (non-remunerated experience is also recognised)
• have the support of their employer (written support required as part of application)
• have a very good command of the English language (equivalent to B2 level of the CEFR)
• be respectful of other cultures
• be open to teamwork, reflection and a broad variety of working methods
• have a valid passport (at the time of travel)

*older applicants, who have taken longer periods of parental leave, may be considered.

Application Process

For full information about the Shaping Futures Academy 2024 please refer to the Academy Brochure.

To apply to become a participant, you will need to submit the following documents in pdf format, via the application portal:

• Application Form Part I: Applicant’s statement – To be completed and signed by the applicant.
• Application Form Part II: Employer statement of support –To be completed, signed and stamped by the employer.

• Diploma – Copy of diploma or certificate (in English, French or English translation) of the highest professional qualification and/or university degree

Please make sure to read the Conditions for Participation before you apply. Only complete applications will be considered.

The application portal will be available shortly. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

For any questions concerning the application process, please contact: shapingfutures@idos-research.de