The Ireland Fellows Programme – Africa aims to nurture future leaders, develop in-country capacity to achieve national Sustainable Development Goals and to build positive relations with Ireland. The Programme promotes equal opportunity and welcomes diversity.
The Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme supports early to mid-career professionals from Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, to benefit from a prestigious, world class fully funded one-year master’s level programme at a higher education institution in Ireland.
The Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme aims to nurture future leaders, develop in-country capacity to achieve national Sustainable Development Goals and to build positive relations with Ireland. The Programme promotes equal opportunity and welcomes diversity.
The award covers programme fees, flights, accommodation and living costs. Eligible master’s level programmes commence in August or September each year and, depending with the programme, run for between 10 and 16 months.
Eligibility criteria differs from country to country, please read the Guidance Note carefully before you begin your application.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be a Kenyan, Somali, Sudanese or Eritrean citizen
- Be a resident in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan or Eritrea.
- Work with a partner organisation of the Embassy of Ireland or Irish Aid in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan or Eritrea.
- Have achieved the necessary academic standards to be accepted onto a Master’s degree course in a higher education institution in Ireland.
- Be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of their home country.
- Have a minimum of two or three years’ work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme(s) of study, depending on the country (see the Guidance Note for Applicants).
- Hold a bachelor’s level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted if the applicant has substantial directly relevant work experience). It must have been awarded in 2014 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
- Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher. Not currently undertaking a programme at master’s level or higher, or be due to start a programme at master’s level or higher in the academic year 2026/27.
- Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2026.
- Be able to demonstrate the following: leadership abilities and aspirations; a commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country; and a commitment to contribute to building positive relationships with Ireland.
- Have identified relevant college courses in a higher education institution in Ireland. For study in Ireland, you must select courses from the Irish Aid Fellowship Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses.
- Be applying to commence new qualification and not be seeking funding for a course they have already commenced or which will begin before the fellowship awards have been notified.
- MUST not have applied to the Ireland Fellows Programme on more than one previous occasion.
- Be in a position to take up the Fellowship in the academic year 2026/2027.
- Provide a letter of reference from their employer and a completed Employer Endorsement Form.
For study in Ireland, applicants must also:
- Be able to demonstrate skills in academic English by achieving an appropriate score on a recognised test (for example, IELTS 6.5).
- Contact the Irish Embassy (by email only) to confirm that the courses they have chosen from the Directory of Postgraduate Courses accord with the Embassy’s priorities in their country.
Application Process
Applications are by invitation only to:
- Staff of government departments
- Staff of NGOs which work in partnership with Irish Aid
- Personnel of organisations that are aligned with Irish Aid’s development strategy in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea that have been identified by the Embassy of Ireland.
NOTE: Find the comprehensive list of eligible institutions and organisations below. Applications from other individuals will not be accepted.
Application forms, as well as the Irish Aid Fellowship Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses can be found here: Ireland Fellows Programme – Africa (under the tab Application Information). Failure to use the correct form will render an application ineligible.
The application process consists of three stages:
Stage 1 – Preliminary application (expression of interest)
Stage 2 – Detailed application
Stage 3 – Interview
All applicants who are selected to progress after Stage 1 will be required to sit an online Duolingo English Test. If shortlisted after Stage 3, all applicants will be required to take another English language test, the IELTS exam, unless they are in possession of an IELTS certificate that is dated 2024 or later which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course they intend to apply. Early preparation for IELTS exam is strongly advised, including native English speakers.
Submit you applications to the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya by 25 July 2025. For more information visit: Irish Aid Fellows Programme – Africa.
For any queries, reach us on email: [email protected]
