The African Arguments fellowship is a mentorship and training programme for young freelancers based on the continent. It is aimed at African journalists under the age of 30 who are committed to building the skills necessary for a sustainable career as a freelancer.

The fellowship is designed to fit into (rather than disrupt) the chosen journalists’ already busy schedules and help them develop through two key ways:

Firstly, the fellows will be guaranteed three paid commissions that they will work on with dedicated one-on-one mentoring from the African Arguments editors. With generous and experienced guidance, the journalists will be supported in producing engaging, balanced, original work of the highest quality on topics of their choice. The finished pieces will be published and heavily promoted on African Arguments (with opportunities for republication elsewhere).

Secondly, the fellows will receive a series of expert-led online trainings over the course of three months. These devoted and intimate sessions will help the freelancers learn from experienced leaders in the field, share ideas, and develop key freelancing skills such as pitching, securing funding, writing for international audiences etc. It may also include additional trainings arranged to cater to the chosen fellows’ specific needs or interests.

Students must commit to attending all online trainings and complete all commissioned pieces.

This program is entirely FREE and will be conducted in ENGLISH.

WHO: This fellowship is for freelancers under the age of 30 based in Africa. We’re looking for journalists still relatively early in their careers who are excited to learn and grow, who are able to challenge and be challenged, and who are committed to working collaboratively to produce original, rigorous and thought-provoking journalism.

WHEN: October 20th 2021 to January 21st 2022.

WHERE: Online.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 5th September 2021.

METHOD OF APPLICATION: Fill in this application form.

If you have any further questions, contact James Wan at editor@africanarguments.org.

This work was made possible through the support of #AfricaNoFilter, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Application Deadline: 5th September 2021.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage