Code for Africa AI Ethics Fellowship 2026 – YOA

Deadline: March 30, 2026

Applications are open for the Code for Africa AI Ethics Fellowship 2026. Code for Africa (CfA), via the Digitalise Youth consortium, is providing two fellowships to mid-profession professionals with expertise in digital governance, coverage and rights who need to make an influence in Africa’s AI panorama. They are searching for specialists primarily based within the Sahel, in addition to neighbouring international locations in West and East Africa.

Under this fellowship, chosen candidates will develop analysis and coverage suggestions for the moral adoption of AI instruments in governance and civic expertise sectors, protecting the safeguarding of people on the centre of the work. Candidates will do that by analysing regional rules (e.g., AU Cyber Security Convention, ECOWAS information legal guidelines) and international requirements (GDPR, OECD AI Principles) whereas designing methods to mitigate bias and advocate for inclusive AI insurance policies.

Fellows will produce key deliverables resembling AI office insurance policies, culturally knowledgeable influence assessments, regulatory studies, and danger evaluations. Applicants ought to, subsequently, have expertise in coverage/regulation drafting or evaluation in addition to privateness or digital legal guidelines and frameworks. Candidates with expertise in areas resembling AI ethics, expertise ethics, or the societal influence of expertise, notably regarding weak populations could have a bonus.

Selected fellows will obtain assist from CfA’s TechLab, DataLab, and AI Sandbox, alongside the Digitalise Youth consortium’s coverage advisors and international moral AI networks. Partners embody digital rights organisations, assume tanks, and democratic governance specialists. Fellows will achieve strategic sources to refine their frameworks, from technical steering to coverage advocacy platforms.

Benefits

• Stipend: $500/month
• Mentorship – Guidance from CfA’s TechLab and assist from associate establishments at Digitalise Youth consortium. 
• Training: Access to related programs and coaching on info integrity and digital safety. 
• Real world influence: OPPORTUNITY to share suggestions and interact in international discussions on AI ethics in Africa
• Networking: Collaborate with the consortium and its regional networks.
• Showcasing: Present capstone tasks to native, nationwide, continental, and international companions and at occasions.

Eligibility

They search coverage specialists and ethicists with:

• Governance Expertise – Background in coverage growth, regulatory compliance, or digital rights associated to expertise, information or innovation.
• Policy Drafting – Skill in creating tips, authorized briefs, or advisory studies.
• Global Frameworks – Knowledge of GDPR, OECD AI Principles, or UNESCO’s AI ethics suggestions.
• Privacy & Security – Familiarity with information safety legal guidelines and human rights concerns.
• Bias Mitigation – Experience conducting equity audits or moral danger assessments.
• Technical Collaboration – Ability to translate moral rules into actionable technical specs for builders.
• Advocacy Skills – Track document of influencing coverage or company AI practices.
• Cultural Sensitivity – Understanding of AI’s socio-cultural impacts on marginalised teams.
• Experience working with African civil society or multilateral establishments.
• Fluency in both English/French/Arabic (multilingual candidates most popular).
• Be from Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Guinea, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia.
• Applicants should exhibit a dedication to African communities.

Application

Eligible candidates are invited to fill the application kind by thirtieth March 2026 to affix a transformative cohort of innovators addressing the Sahel’s most urgent challenges via moral AI.

Click here to apply

For extra info, go to Code for Africa AI Ethics Fellowship.