Africa Youth Policy Research Workshop

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), a Johannesburg think tank, runs the Africa Youth Portal to publish policy research by young African scholars. Each year it picks 20 postgraduate researchers for a week of in-person training in Johannesburg, followed by mentorship. The workshop, called From Academia to the Think Tank: A Young Researcher's Journey, teaches you to turn academic research into policy writing that gets read.

What you get:

• Travel to and from Johannesburg, plus meals and accommodation during the training week, covered by the programme
• A week of in-person training in Johannesburg, planned for 22 to 26 February 2027
• Mentorship from experienced researchers after the workshop
• The chance to publish your work on the Africa Youth Portal
• Networking with peers, experts and potential employers
• Eligibility to join the Youth Advisory Committee

What you'll do:

• Train in think tank versus academic research, writing short policy pieces, research dissemination and media engagement, AI and digital tools, and personal branding and career mapping
• Take part in follow-up engagements and programmes after the workshop

• Aged between 18 and 35
• A citizen of an African country; you can currently live outside Africa
• Enrolled in, or finished within the past 12 months, a postgraduate programme (Honours, Masters or PhD)
• Studying or have studied Political Science, International Relations, Journalism, Development Studies, Sociology, Law, Economics, Foresight Studies or Public Policy
• Fluent in English
• Available for the full training week in Johannesburg in February 2027 and for later engagements
• Commit to producing a publishable 800 to 1,000 word research piece by the end of the programme