Opportunities

Apply for World Bank’s #Blog4Dev Competition

The World Bank is currently inviting applicants for its #Blog4Dev Competition. This year, for the first time, the World Bank Africa Region is hosting a regional blog competition, inviting young people from 48 countries to share their ideas for how they, and other young people, can prepare themselves for the digital economy and a technology-driven workplace.

Technological progress is constantly changing how they work, from automation to artificial intelligence. With these advancements, firms adopt of new ways of production, helping markets to expand, and societies to evolve.

While advances in technology can eliminate the need for some jobs, the World Development Report 2019 notes that it also paves the way for the creation of new jobs which will require a mix of skills – such as complex problem solving, teamwork and adaptability – to meet the increasing demand in the labor market. Skill building is particularly important in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to the world’s youngest population; every year for the next decade, as many as 11 million young people are expected to enter the labor market.

Topic

What will it take to enhance the skills needed to prepare Africa’s youth for the digital economy and the future of work?

Prizes

Winning authors are eligible for several prizes, including a chance to intern at a World Bank Africa country office, or an opportunity to have applicants blog published on the World Bank Africa blog Nasikiliza.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the #Blog4Dev contest, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen of any of the 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Be between the ages of 18 and 28 years of age
  • Currently reside in a Sub-Saharan African country

Selection Criteria

The winning submissions will be selected based on the following criteria:

  • Originality
  • Innovation and Creativity
  • Boldness
  • Clarity in Writing and Presentation
  • Convincing and Impactful
  • Ideas Must be Implementable
  • Scalability
  • Practicality and Relevance
  • Potential Impact on Development
  • Potential Impact on Jobs

How to Apply

Deadline: 30 November 2018

Applicants must submit their entries online via given website.

Eligible CountriesAngola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo DR,  Congo-Brazzaville, Cote d Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

For more information, please visit World Bank.

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