About this opportunity
The Gates Foundation is opening the AI Fellows Program to Africa, and this is the first cohort. It is a real paid job, a 12-month limited term position, based in Abuja, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg or Nairobi, and you are embedded in the Africa team building AI tooling for global health, development and education.
The projects are operational rather than exploratory. Sample areas on the posting include decision-support tools that unify scattered financing flow systems across several African countries and run periodic bottleneck diagnostics, a solution to cut stockouts of essential medicines at district and facility level in countries facing drawdown of US Government-funded logistics support, and an AI layer that ranks health interventions against budget ceilings and follows them through procurement and cash release, with predictive forecasting for stock-out risk. Each fellow takes one or two high-priority projects like these, and may move across several concurrently.
Build on the success of the US and India cohorts, the Africa programme puts you alongside the Foundation’s Africa team, its partners and government counterparts. You get exposure to senior leadership and access to a network most technologists cannot buy their way into. The benefits are the Foundation’s standard package: full healthcare premiums covered, a retirement contribution, generous paid time off, paid family leave and regional holidays.
One line on the posting decides whether you should spend the time. You must already be able to work legally in the country where the role sits, there is no visa sponsorship, and relocation support is not provided. For a Nigerian engineer that makes Abuja the natural fit without paperwork.
The Foundation asks that you apply by 11 November to be considered for the Africa cohort. Use the apply button on the official posting below, which runs through the Foundation’s Workday portal.
What you receive
- A paid 12-month limited term position on the first Africa-based AI Fellows cohort
- One or two high-priority projects with real deployment goals rather than research for its own sake
- Direct work with the Foundation’s Africa team, partners and government counterparts
- Exposure to senior leadership and access to the Gates Foundation network
- Full healthcare premium coverage with no premiums, contribution to your retirement fund, generous paid time off, paid family leave and regional holidays
Who can apply
- You can legally work in the country where the position is based, without visa sponsorship
- You are based in or willing to work from Abuja, Nigeria, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Johannesburg, South Africa or Nairobi, Kenya
- You are a mission-aligned AI practitioner able to prototype rapidly with modern large language models and AI tools
- You are comfortable adapting your technical approach as project needs evolve, and may contribute to several AI projects concurrently
Who should not apply
- No visa sponsorship is provided
- No relocation support is provided
Documents to prepare
- A completed Workday application for the AI Fellow, Africa Regional Offices posting
- Your CV or resume
- Evidence of your right to work in your chosen duty station
How to apply
- Open the official posting and read the project areas and role description, https://gatesfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Gates/job/Nairobi-Kenya/AI-Fellow---Africa-Regional-Offices_B021830-1.
- Confirm you can legally work in Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa or Kenya without sponsorship.
- Apply through the Workday apply page, https://gatesfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Gates/job/Nairobi-Kenya/AI-Fellow---Africa-Regional-Offices_B021830-1/apply, by 11 November 2026.
- The Foundation states that you must apply by 11 November to be considered for the Africa cohort.
Selection process
- Applications are reviewed against the role requirements on the Gates Foundation careers posting
- Shortlisted candidates move through the Foundation’s standard hiring stages for limited term positions
- Each fellow is assigned one or two high-priority projects within the Africa team
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Is this a scholarship or a job?
It is a 12-month limited term employment position with a salary and the Foundation’s benefits package, not an unpaid fellowship.
Can I be sponsored for a work visa?
No. Candidates must be able to legally work in the country where the position is located, and relocation support is not provided.
What kind of projects would I work on?
Sample areas include decision-support tools across multiple African countries that unify disparate financing flow systems and run periodic bottleneck diagnostics, a predictive tool to reduce stockouts of essential medicines at district and facility level in countries facing drawdown of US Government-funded logistics support, and AI that ranks health interventions against budget ceilings and traces them through procurement and cash release.
When is the deadline?
The Foundation asks that you apply by 11 November to be considered for the Africa cohort.
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