Call for Applications: Shaping Futures Academy 2024

What is the Shaping Futures Academy?

• The Shaping Futures: African-European Network on Development and Sustainability Academy (Shaping Futures Academy), formerly known as the BMZ African-German Leadership Academy (African Academy) is a dialogue and training programme targeting at early to mid-career professionals from participating African Countries.
• The Shaping Futures Academy aims to empower future leaders on both continents by bringing together like-minded peers to reflect on their roles in their respective communities and institutions, and to develop strategies on how they can induce or support change processes for a transformation to sustainability in the present and future contexts.
• By creating a space where diverse perspectives and expertise converge, the Shaping Futures Academy presents a unique opportunity for participants to learn from each other and identify good practices and principles, jointly develop insights on global sustainability change and share common but differing values and rich experiences. At the same time, participants can enhance their leadership abilities through peer-driven learning to achieve development and sustainability principles. Furthermore, the Shaping Futures Academy allows for the collaborative creation of new knowledge, fosters mutual understanding and establishes trustful cooperation. It thus lays the foundation for a thriving network characterised by long-term collaboration and partnership between institutions and champions of sustainability across sectors, countries and continents.
• The Shaping Futures Academy is hosted by the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The programme is conducted in English.

Format and Content

The Shaping Futures Academy is grounded on three essential elements that contribute to capacity development: knowledge, action and leadership.

• Knowledge
  • The knowledge element offers participants the space to exchange and jointly learn about the themes of governance and sustainability, on both a global and local level. In the academic modules, participants strengthen their analytical capabilities through engagement with different concepts and the direct interaction with diverse scientific and practice-oriented stakeholders.
• Action
  • The action elements offer participants the opportunity to combine and expand their knowledge and skills as well as to put them into practice. Working independently in small and changing group constellations, participants collectively develop mini-projects and assignments that allow them to connect their various expertise in diverse learning formats.
• Leadership
  • The leadership element focusses on developing individual and collective competencies, including strengthening dialogue skills, problem solving, exchanging perspectives, teamwork, reflecting on one’s values, and building strong and trustful relationships, which will also benefit the participants’ home institutions.

Benefits for

• Participants
  • Participation in an innovative academic and practice-oriented international dialogue format
  • Capacity development on governance and sustainable development
  • Strengthened leadership skills through collective peer learning, complemented by individual coaching
  • Opportunity to become part of an international network of like-minded professionals
  • Exchange and development of new ideas with peers from partner countries
  • Work on innovative solutions for real-life sustainability challenges
  • Engagement in different learning formats
  • Enhanced cultural exchange in the form of trips to Germany and Ghana
• Sending Institution
  • The Shaping Futures Academy offers a broad range of benefits for sending institutions:
  • Capacity development of staff in the areas of leadership, governance and sustainability. The knowledge and skills acquired can be directly applied within the participants’ home-institutions.
  • Become part of a growing cross-sectoral network of institutions working towards sustainable development in the seven partner countries and Germany/Europe, opening up new and continued opportunities for cooperation in the future.
  • Opportunity to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the African Agenda 2063.

Scholarship/Financial Assistance

• In order to facilitate participation, successful applicants to the Shaping Futures Academy will be awarded a scholarship, covering the following:
  • Travel to and from Germany and Ghana
  • Accommodation for the duration of the in-person phases
  • A monthly living allowance to cover living costs in Germany and Ghana for the duration of the in-person phases
  • Health, accident and personal liability insurance for the duration of their stay in Germany and Ghana
  • Subsidy to help meet technical requirements of the online phases of the programme

Who is the programme for?

• The Shaping Futures Academy targets early to mid-career professionals from participating African (Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Togo and Zambia) and European (EU, EEA and UK) countries.
• Potential participants of the shaping futures academy should:
  • be a national or permanent resident of one of the participating countries
  • be 25-40 years of age
  • work on issues relevant for sustainable development and governance
  • have at least three years’ work experience (non-remunerated experience is also recognised)
  • have the support of their employer (written support required as part of the application)
  • have a very good command of the English language (equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
  • be respectful of other cultures
  • be open to teamwork, reflection and a wide variety of working methods
  • be committed to attend and participate fully in both the online and in-person phases of the Academy
  • have a valid passport (at the time of travel)

For more information, visit German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).