The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) has announced applications for its Next Generation Internship Programme (NGIP) 2027, offering West Africans an opportunity to gain experience in civil society work, programme management and development issues.
Follow us on Google News
The six-month internship is designed for fresh graduates and early-career professionals seeking to build skills while participating in WACSI’s activities. The institute says the programme has been running since January 2008 and aims to develop the next generation of African scholars and practitioners.
WACSI is inviting applicants from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Mali, Cameroon and Chad. Interns will work in areas including capacity development, policy influencing and advocacy, knowledge management, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), and communications.
The institute describes the internship as fully funded. Support includes a flight to and from the intern’s home country, furnished accommodation, lunch on working days and a monthly stipend. However, the announcement does not specify the stipend amount.
For Nigerian applicants, there is a location requirement. The successful Nigerian intern will be based at the WACSI Node Office in Abuja, and applicants must already be based in Abuja because accommodation is not provided for the Nigerian placement. This means applicants living outside Abuja should consider the location and costs before applying.
Available roles include Capacity Development Intern, Knowledge Management Intern, Policy Influencing and Advocacy Intern, WACSI Node Nigeria Intern, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Intern, and Communications Intern.
Applicants for policy-related roles and the WACSI Node Nigeria position must hold at least a first degree in international affairs, political science, public policy, law, development studies, mass communication or a related field. The MEL role requires a first degree in statistics, data management, mathematics, data science and analytics, project management or economics. Communications applicants need a first degree in mass communications, development communication, international relations, social psychology, graphic design or marketing.
WACSI expects applicants to demonstrate an interest in civil society and non-profit organisation management, strong research and writing skills, verbal and written communication, proficiency in Microsoft Office and internet research. Bilingual ability in French and English, or English and Portuguese, is listed as a required skill. Preference will be given to candidates with proficiency in English, French or Portuguese and working knowledge of another of these languages. Interpersonal skills, initiative, willingness to learn and the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision are listed as desirable.
The internship is scheduled to run from January to July 2027. WACSI states that interns unable to complete the six-month programme will be required to refund the total cost of the internship package.
How to apply
Interested applicants should email their CV or resume and a motivation letter to recruitment@wacsi.org. The email subject must include the programme name and the role being applied for, such as “NGIP – Knowledge Management” or “NGIP – WACSI Node”.
The application deadline is November 8, 2026. WACSI says only successful applicants will be contacted for interviews.
