The African Union has advertised an exciting internship program open to eligible citizens from its 55 member states. Candidates wishing to be considered for the internships have up to 30 June 2023 to apply. The positions are available at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The African Union or AU for short, is the successor organisation to the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, first established in Addis Ababa in 1963. The OAU was disbanded in July 2002 when the AU was formally announced in Durban, South Africa. The Union has a combined population of some 1.3 billion people with a total GDP in excess of US$2.5 trillion and covers a territory of circa 30 million square kilometres.
Applying for the internship
The African Union Internship Program provides an opportunity for interns to complement their classroom education with real-life work environments to develop their professional skills and experience. The program is a full-time engagement which promotes diversity and team work, hence all qualifying individuals are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a keen interest in the work of the AU and demonstrate the ability to interact with individuals from various cultural backgrounds and beliefs.
Focus areas
In general, interns assist in providing administrative and technical support for effective implementation of African Union programs, projects and activities in its below Department/Directorates:
- Cabinet of the Deputy Chairperson
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE)
- Economic Development, Trade, Industry, Mining (ETIM)
- Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI)
- Infrastructure and Energy (IE)
- Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS)
- Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS)
- Human Resources Management (HRM)
- Operations Support Services
- Management Information Systems Division
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Conference Management and Publications (CMP)
- Office for Safety and Security Services
- Citizens and Diaspora (CIDO)
- Medical and Health Services
- Financial Control Unit
- Office of Strategic Planning and Delivery
- Office of Internal Oversight (OIO)
- Quality Assurance and Control
- Ethics, Integrity and Standards
- Office of the Secretary to the Commission
- Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC)
- Office of Protocol
- Partnership and Resource Mobilization
- Women, Gender and Youth (WGY)
- Information and Communication
- Peace Fund Secretariat
- New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Eligibility Requirements
- Actively enrolled in at least the final year of a Bachelor’s degree program OR
- Must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or an advanced/ post graduate (Masters) qualification in a related academic field;
- Be nationals of a Member State of the African Union.
- Be full time students currently enrolled in the final year of their Bachelors or graduate school program.
- Be fluent in at least one of the African Union working languages (Arabic, English, French or Portuguese).
- Be no more than thirty-two (32) years of age at the time of selection.
- Possess the highest standard of moral conduct and integrity.
- Have not been convicted of any serious criminal offence excluding minor traffic offences.
- Prior work experience is not required for the internship positions.
Terms and Conditions
- The AU will have no financial obligation towards interns – travel arrangements and cost of accommodation and living expenses will be the responsibility of the interns.
- AU will use reasonable efforts to assist the interns in obtaining their entry and residence visas.
- Interns will not be entitled to any compensation for travel.
- The internship will be authorized only once for three (3) month renewable one time for any candidate
- Interns are not entitled to medical travel or medical evacuation to and from the internship location at the expenses of the Commission. Interns shall therefore have an individual insurance coverage throughout the duration of the internship.
Required Skills
- Proficient computer skills (MS Word, Excel and Power Point)
- Proficiency with e-mail and internet applications
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to communicate both orally and in writing
- Proficiency in one of the AU officials working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Spanish, Kiswahili) and fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage
Core Competencies
- Ability to communicate clearly
- Ability to write clearly and concisely
- Be committed to work
- Ability to work harmoniously in a multi-cultural environment
- Possess the highest standard of moral conduct and integrity
Applications
Application for admission to the AU Internship Program are submitted online.
If you are a first-time user of our online registration system, you will need to register before you can log in. You are advised to provide as much relevant information as possible.
Applicants must submit the following supporting documents with their online application:
- A motivation letter indicating what they expect to gain out of the internship program
- A copy of valid passport or national identity card
- Certified copies of relevant academic certificates
- Current curriculum vitae (CV)
- Recommendation letter for internship from the institution of learning that they are attending
- Upon successful submission of their application, applicants will receive an email confirmation that their application has been successfully received.
