Young Professionals Program at Africa

Young Professionals Program

Location:  Abidjan (Ivory Coast) or any other location in Africa designated by the Bank

Position Grade:  PL6

Position Number:  50067362

Posting Date:  October 31, 2025

Closing Date:  November 30, 2025

THE BANK:

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank Group is the premier pan-African development institution, dedicated to promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. The Bank has 81 member countries, including 54 African countries (the Regional Member Countries (RMCs)). The Bank’s development agenda aims to provide the necessary financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Africa.

In line with the Ten-Year Strategy (2024-2033), four cardinal points have been defined to ensure a greater impact on development and accelerate the Bank’s action in favor of Africa: i) unlocking Africa’s capital potential, ii) restoring Africa’s financial sovereignty, iii) turning demographic advantage into dividends and iv) building resilient infrastructure and delivering real added value.

The Bank Group will pursue this objective by:

1. the mobilization and allocation of resources for investment in people with reduced mobility; and
2. the provision of strategic advice and technical assistance in support of development efforts.

The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is part of a broader strategic talent management framework that helps the Bank focus on young people and implement the Ten-Year Strategy.

OBJECTIVE OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM (YPP)

The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a diversity-focused talent development program designed to cultivate a pool of future leaders and build the Bank’s workforce. It offers exceptional career opportunities to talented young professionals with the work ethic of future development specialists. This strategic talent development program is designed to:

1. develop a pool of professional staff for the future of the Bank;
2. to encourage development specialists and potential professional talent for the Bank; and
3. contribute to the achievement of the Bank’s diversity objectives.

MAIN FEATURES OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME

The program is designed for high-potential young professionals who are role models of excellence and passionate about Africa’s development and transformation. It offers exceptional career opportunities to talented young professionals with outstanding academic and professional achievements, enabling them to contribute to the development and transformation of the African continent. The Bank aims to attract highly qualified and motivated professionals from its member countries for productive and rewarding careers. Through the Young Professionals Program, the Bank ensures continuity and excellence in the management of its work programs and the provision of strategic advice and services to its regional member countries.

To facilitate their onboarding, integration and career development within the Bank, a number of tools have been put in place to support young professionals, namely:

1. Rotation
2. Capacity building
3. Mentoring and coaching programs
4. Successful completion of the program and integration into the Bank

 Rotation

1. The young professional (JP) rotates between three different Bank complexes.
2. The first integration phase for the young professional is related to their skills, as identified during the recruitment process. After this initial phase, the young professional will complete two further rotations, one of which may take place in a country office or a regional office.
3. The first two years will be devoted to mandatory internships in the Bank’s various functions. These rotations will primarily focus on achieving the following objectives:

1. Rotation 1 –  Highlighting applied knowledge and experience (one year)
2. Rotation 2 –  Demonstrate openness and learn (one year)
3. Rotation 3 –  Transition (9 months, including 3 months) in a complex under which the young professional successfully completes the program

Capacity building

1. A professional and personal development program is structured within the Faculty of Training and Integration of Young Professionals, supported by specific learning interventions carried out in several phases.
2. These learning interventions allow for the deepening of technical knowledge and the development of leadership skills necessary to successfully carry out future missions and roles within the Bank. 
3. The faculty’s offering includes integration courses, a personalized postgraduate program with a renowned institution, the Bank’s Academy of Operations, international certification programs, etc.
4.  The Faculty for the Training and Integration of Young Professionals also includes on-the-job training which requires immersion in various functional areas of the Bank to gain practical experience in projects and various work assignments.

Mentoring and coaching programs

Mentoring and coaching programs ensure faster integration into the Bank’s culture and offer a strong support mechanism from mentors, coaches and buddy groups.

Successful completion of the program and integration into the Bank

Only young professionals who have successfully completed the program of the Faculty of Training and Integration of Young Professionals, the three mandatory rotations, the mentoring and coaching program, and who have demonstrated high performance and potential without suffering from any related ethical problems will be integrated into the Bank’s workforce, automatically at the PL5 grade upon completion of their PJP program.  

The PJP’s strategic areas of interest for recruitment in 2025  :

The Bank seeks to recruit young professionals in various disciplines and specializations that are in line with the new Ten-Year Strategy (TS), the Four Cardinal Points and the People Management Strategy, as outlined below:

Ten-Year Strategy (TS)

The five priority areas are:

1. Light up Africa and power it: promoting access to modern and affordable energy for all.
2. Feeding Africa: ensuring food security in Africa through agricultural transformation.
3. Industrializing Africa: making the African processing industry an engine for job creation.
4. Integrating Africa: promoting regional integration and value chains as the foundations of a more productive and integrated African economy.
5. Improving the quality of life of African populations: focusing on improving the living standards of Africans, particularly women and young people, to enable them to realize their potential.

The Four Cardinal Points of the Bank

The  Four Cardinal Points  were defined with a view to helping accelerate the Bank’s action in favor of Africa, namely:

1. Unleashing Africa’s capital potential
2. Restoring Africa’s financial sovereignty
3.  Turning demographic advantage into a dividend
4.  Building resilient infrastructure and delivering real added value

It is worth noting that for  recruitment in  2025,  the Bank will focus on skills relevant to its Ten-Year Strategy and its Four Cardinal Points, as follows:

Information technology management, including digitization, robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity; agriculture; human capital and youth employment; engineering; investment management; operations management and programming; procurement; service delivery and performance monitoring; risk management; financial management; resource mobilization, capacity development; governance, natural resources and knowledge management; economics, statistics and data management; human resource management; real estate and facilities management; translation and interpretation; communication; legal services; institutional governance and advisory functions, and any other field.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

The Bank is an equal opportunity employer. To this end, it is committed to achieving and maintaining a diverse workforce that reflects its culture. The Young Professionals Programme is aimed at motivated, high-potential individuals from the Bank’s member countries.

Candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. To be a citizen of a  member country  of the Bank.
2. Be 32 years of age or younger on November 30, 2025.
3. Hold a master’s degree in any discipline related to the Bank’s activities, in addition to possessing exceptional academic references.
4. Have at least three years of post-university professional experience in fields related to the Ten-Year Strategy and the Four Cardinal Points of the Bank.
5. Possess practical experience acquired on the African continent or in other developing regions.
6. To be passionate about the development of Africa.
7. Being able to leverage knowledge, share and mentor – being able to work effectively in teams while demonstrating great adaptability to a diverse environment.
8. Possess skills in teamwork, negotiation, customer focus, communication, strategic thinking, leadership and project management.
9. Demonstrate strong analytical and reporting skills, have an entrepreneurial spirit, be results-oriented, and show problem-solving abilities.
10. Having a keen business sense and a spirit of innovation.
11. Ability to communicate effectively (in writing and orally) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language.
12. Being able to work in a digital environment and keep up with technological developments.
13. Be willing to work and live in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), the Bank’s headquarters, and in any other country where the Bank may require your services.
14.  Proficiency in standard MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Practical knowledge of SAP systems would be an advantage.
15. Be able to travel to the mainland if necessary.

The African Development Bank is an equal opportunity employer.

1. Applications from women are strongly encouraged.
2. Nationals of the following member countries are strongly encouraged to apply: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cabo Verde, China, Comoros, South Korea, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Finland, Ireland, Kuwait, Libya, Luxembourg, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sweden and Turkey.

THIS IS A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM AND AN INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS.

If you encounter technical difficulties while registering your application, please send an email with a precise description of the problem and/or a screenshot showing the issue to: HR Direct  HRDirect@AFDB.ORG

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1- Bank Staff

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2- External Candidates

If you are not currently working at the African Development Bank, or if you are a Short-Term Contract (STS) staff member, technical assistant, or consultant at the Bank, click the button here https://www.afdb.org/fr/poste-vacant/programme-des-jeunes-professionnels-88099   to apply for the position