West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) Next Generation Internship Programme (NGIP) 2016

Application Deadline: June 3rd 2016

The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) is a regional non-governmental organisation dedicated to enhancing the capacities of civil society organisations in West Africa toward greater sustainability and operational and development effectiveness.
In response to an identified need for structured practical capacity enhancement for young West Africans, WACSI introduced a Next Generation Internship Programme (NGIP) in January 2008 aimed at developing the next generation of African scholars and practitioners. The programme primarily targets young West Africans, either fresh graduates or early career professionals, seeking work experience in WACSI’s core areas of work.

Interns are expected to commit to WACSI for six months during which time they will be fully involved in all WACSI activities and enhance their knowledge and capacities for leadership, knowledge and programme management, and critical development issues for West Africa, among other areas.

WACSI is therefore seeking interns interested in gaining civil society experience in and also support WACSI in its core areas of work i.e. Capacity Development, Policy Influencing and Advocacy and Knowledge Management and who are willing to fund their internship in Ghana.

Responsibilities for Knowledge Management Intern:

• Conduct and support background research and analysis on topical issues.
• Contribute to and compile the weekly Civil Society Situation Report and the quarterly WACSeries publications.
• Compile and manage information for the Civil Society Knowledge Hub.
• Support editing and review of manuscripts for publication.
• Assist with the preparation and administration of relevant WACSI programmes and with report writing.
• Attend and represent WACSI at meetings with partner organisations.
• Any other duties that may be assigned.

Responsibilities for Capacity Development Intern:

• Collect relevant information to support training preparation;
• Contribute to and publicise the Institute’s programmes advertisements;
• Assist in the development of training materials and toolkits;
• Assist in the coordination of training programmes, including handling of logistics and report writing;
• Contribute to the design and development of concept notes, proposals and any other relevant document;
• Any other duties that may be assigned.

Responsibilities for Policy Influencing and Advocacy Intern:

• Conduct desktop research on policy and legislative issues
• Assist in gathering information and writing reports for policy meetings
• Assist in policy meetings and workshop preparation
• Assist in the development of policy advocacy training tool
• Support other administrative tasks
• Assisting with data generation, analysis and management.

Relevant skills:

• Minimum of a first degree in civil society management/nonprofit studies, international affairs, political science, public policy, law, development studies or related fields.
• Commitment to WACSI’s vision and values and demonstrated interest in civil society.
• Strong research, writing and communication (verbal and written) skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong Internet research skills.
• Fully bilingual (French and English).
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Works well under pressure with minimal supervision and in a multi-cultural environment.
• Proactive, willing to learn and take initiative.
• Works well as part of a team.

Application Procedure:
Interested applicants should send the following documents in English and French to: The Head of Administration at [email protected] by June 3rd 2016:

• Application letter.
• Comprehensive curriculum vitae
• Two references (one should be academic); and
• Letter of motivation expressing career goals and how the internship will contribute to achieving them.
• Applicants for the Knowledge Management internship must submit a writing sample (research paper, term paper, etc) of no more than 3 pages
  Please note:
•  Priority will be given to bilingual applicants.
•  The successful intern will spend a substantial part of her/his internship working at the WACSI office in Accra, Ghana.
• Internship period is from July 2016 to December 2016
• Interested candidates from outside Ghana will be required to cover their expenses during their stay in Ghana. This will include, but not limited to, aspects related to (i) the cost of their travel to and from Ghana (ii) their upkeep (daily subsistence) in Ghana, and any other expenses related to their stay in Ghana.
• WACSI will provide accommodation and lunch for the interns during the six months period.
  Due to the volume of applications, ONLY successful applicants will be contacted for phone or Skype interview.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the WACSI Next Generation Internship Programme