The African Continental Free Trade Area – AfCFTA Internship Program

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is the world’s biggest free trade zone, bringing together 55 African Union (AU) member nations and eight (8) Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The AfCFTA’s overarching goal is to establish a single continental market with a population of around 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of approximately US$ 3.4 trillion. The goal is to facilitate the free flow of products and services throughout the continent and to strengthen Africa’s commercial position in the global market.

The AfCFTA is one of the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want flagship initiatives. Agenda 2063 is the AU’s long-term development goal for transforming the continent into a worldwide powerhouse.

The AfCFTA would like to offer an opportunity to students who possess adequate knowledge and skills in relevant areas to work as interns (for a specified period) and gain some practical experience and international exposure.

The internship program is designed to bring highly qualified and motivated students with diverse backgrounds into the Secretariat to work on projects linked to the Strategic Orientations of the Secretariat and to support the corporate functions of the Secretariat. Its main goal is to give successful candidates the opportunity to improve their analytical and technical skills in an international environment.
The program is primarily educational and aims to expose participants (interns) to the workings of the AfCFTA at an early stage and strengthen their personal and early professional skills. It will provide an avenue for participants to gain an exposure and some hands-on experience in various applicable fields, while learning in a multi-cultural environment.

Objectives:

•  To provide students the opportunity to gain an exposure to the work done at AfCFTA
• To offer a learning platform to students who qualify to serve as interns
• To provide students, the opportunity of experiencing, first hand, the work of one of the ambitious projects of the African Union
• To promote the AfCFTA to the general public, especially the youth and encourage them to work hard towards achieving their aims of working with International Organizations

Eligibility:

•  Be nationals of a member state of the African Union and reside in Ghana.
• Final-year students who are enrolled on a full-time basis in a fully accredited degree program in a recognized public or private institution of higher learning in any of the following areas:  Finance, Accounting, Audit or related fields
•   Full availability for a minimum of three months, being the duration of the program
• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Kiswahili, and Spanish) and fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage.
• Applicants should possess a high level of quantitative and IT skills (tests will be administered)
• Must possess very good ICT skills and be familiar with Microsoft Office suite
• Applicants should be capable and willing to work in a multicultural and international team environment
• Applicants should be committed to upholding and adhering to the rules and values of the Institution for the duration of the program
• Female candidates are encouraged to apply

Selection process:

The selection process consists of four main stages:

• The application and cover letter should be addressed to the Administration and Human Resources Directorate of the Secretariat
• Pre-screening: all applications are screened, and suitable candidates placed on a shortlist made available to AfCFTA Secretariat Directorates;
• Interview and/or Written Test: hiring teams may invite candidates to complete a telephone interview and/or written test;
• Offer letter: A candidate who is selected following a telephone interview and/or written test will receive an e-mail with an internship offer letter from AHRM Directorate

Application:

• Application for admission to the AfCFTA Secretariat 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  identity card
  • A letter of motivation
  • Current curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Proof of enrolment, preferably a letter of introduction from one’s University
  • Upon successful submission of their application, applicants will receive an email confirmation that their application has been successfully received.

References:

Verifiable references will be required.

For each period, confirmation of interns will be done solely based on business needs.

The maximum duration of the internship program is 6 months.

Applications must be submitted no later than October 31, 2023 11h59 p.m. UTC.

Click here to apply