New Scholarship for Nigerian Fellows on Part-time PhD Programme in Governance & Policy Analysis

A new scholarship for Nigerian fellows under the age of 40 is now available for the 'Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in Governance and Policy Analysis' (GPAC²). The programme is taught in the stimulating research community of the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance and UNU-MERIT, based at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

The Alex Ekwueme Fellowship, named after the first elected Vice-President of Nigeria, will be offered every two years from March 2016. Aiming to shape and empower the next generation of Nigerian leaders, each fellowship is worth up to 18,000 euros.

Dr. Joe Abah, a Nigerian civil servant who graduated in 2012, says: "The GPAC² programme offered me world class, cutting-edge research skills, delivered in a rigorous but flexible way. Since completing the programme I have moved on to higher responsibilities twice in the last three years, including being head-hunted to be the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in the Presidency in Nigeria, a position that I still hold. The Alex Ekwueme Fellowship would mean that Nigerian scholars who already have practitioner experience can complement it with academic rigour in areas that are important for Nigeria's development."

Unique PhD Programme
The GPAC² programme meets the needs of researchers with full- or part-time jobs, allowing them to combine their careers with obtaining a PhD. It provides advanced training in the skills and theory crucial to policy analysis and design, with lectures given by top scholars in the field of policy analysis and related areas including governance, migration, sustainable development and social protection.

The programme is taught entirely in English and consists of a common first year of three training workshops (two weeks each time), followed by two research workshops per year in subsequent years (one week each time).

Applicants should have a Master's degree, a strong academic record, professional and/or volunteer experience, an affinity with academic research, and a clear interest in policy analysis. Ideally, the candidate's employer will offer support, by for example providing data, related assignments and the like.

The next application deadline is 15 October 2015. For more details and conditions, please go to www.merit.unu.edu/gpac.

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Note to Editors: UNU-MERIT is a joint research and training institute of United Nations University and Maastricht University, based in the south of the Netherlands. The institute explores the social, political and economic factors that drive technological innovation, with a particular focus on creation, diffusion and access to knowledge. Working with its School of Governance, UNU-MERIT covers all aspects of governance in domestic and global organisations, from risk assessment to policy analysis, design and evaluation. For more details: http://www.merit.unu.edu/about-us/