Call for Papers – African Economic Conference 2015: “Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda”

Jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Economic Conference (AEC) 2015 will take place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from November 2 to 4, 2015 under the following theme: “Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda”. The AEC 2015 will provide an opportunity to assess the impact of current inclusive growth strategies by presenting the latest empirical evidence on poverty, inequality and human development in Africa. It will also provide critical thinking on how policy-makers, development partners, the private sector, civil society organizations and the academia should support the planning and implementation of the Post 2015 Development Agenda. Papers accepted for presentation will comprise original work not previously published. Authors are invited to submit their full paper by July 31, 2015 and to follow the instructions on the following website:https://www.unteamworks.org/African-Economic-Conference-2015.

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For information on the conference:

African Development Bank: Audrey Verdier-Chouchane, aec@afdb.org

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa: Adam Elhiraika, aelhiraika@uneca.org

United Nations Development Programme: Ayodele Odusola, ayodele.odusola@undp.org

Concept note: http://www.afdb.org/en/documents/document/african-economic-conference-2015-concept-note-and-call-for-papers-54044/

The link to submit papers is the following:

https://www.unteamworks.org/African-Economic-Conference-2015

For media information, please contact:

AfDB: Olivia Ndong Obiang, o.ndong-obiang@afdb.org, tel. +225 01560505

ECA: Mercy Wambui, mwambui@uneca.org, tel. +251 92 10 14 767

UNDP: Nicolas Douillet, Nicolas.douillet@undp.org, tel. +1.212.906.5937 (New York)

About the African Development Bank Group:

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. www.afdb.org

About ECA:

Headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was established in 1958 with the mandate of promoting the economic and social development of its member States, fostering intra-regional integration, and promoting international cooperation for Africa’s development. www.uneca.org

About UNDP:

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.undp.org

22 Places to Educate Yourself Online for Free – Take Online Courses with Certificate

It’s not just another hype. Massive Open Online Courses – MOOCs and OpenCourseWare – OCW is causing a progressive movement in human development; a phenomenon in the learning experience for the workforce, gradually bridging the chasm between the educated and uneducated.

With online courses, anyone from any part of the world can gain knowledge in any field of interest for free or almost. All you need is a computer; laptop, tablet or Smartphone – internet connection, commitment and a self-made schedule. You can even get a certificate on completing the course.

1. ALISON

ALISON (Advance Learning Interactive System Online) offers Free Online Courses, Workplace Skills, Interactive Education and Multimedia learning. With ALISON you can take online courses with certificate of completion or Diploma level, on a wide range of courses.

2. Coursera

Coursera offer high quality courses from top universities, for free to everyone to improve your resume, advance your career, expand your knowledge, and gain confidence. This online learning platform currently host courses from Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and University of Pennsylvania.

3. Udemy

Udemy’s goal is to disrupt and democratize the world of education by enabling anyone to teach and learn online. It seeks to dramatically change education by empowering millions of experts around the world to teach & share what they know. Whether you want to learn excel, business & entrepreneurship, academics, the arts, health & fitness, language, music or technology, there is a comprehensive course for you.

4. Udacity

When Udacity started its first courses in February 2012, the model was that all online courses are open enrollment; you can learn at your own pace and access all of the information you need at any time. Upon completion of the class, you download your class certification to demonstrate your level of achievement in the course, all for free. However in April 2014, it announced that effective from May 16, they will be phasing out certificates for free courseware completion. Students are now required to pay to complete courses and get a verified certificate. Read this comparison article between Udemy Vs Udacity

5. Khan Academy

At Khan Academy, you learn almost anything for free. With over 3,100 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, the online academy is on the mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.

6. Edx

EdX is a transformational partnership in online education between The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to offer online university courses with certificate to millions of people around the world. Today, several other world class universities offer online courses on edX.

7. University of the People

University of the People (UoPeople) is proclaimed the world’s first tuition-free online university dedicated to the global advancement and democratization of higher education. UoPeople offers Associates and Bachelors degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science.

8. iTunes U

If you’re a student who uses Apple devices, you will be happy to know that you have access toiTunes U, which gives you access to different educational courses from all leading universities for free! Did you dream of studying at MIT, Oxford, Yale, or Cambridge? This is your chance to learn various subjects from the best colleges and universities in the world.

9. Saylor

Saylor strives to provide quality education for free for everyone around the world. The Saylor team hires credentialed professors to create course blueprints and to locate, vet, and organize Open Education Resources – OER materials into a structured and intuitive format. Each course culminates with a final exam, and students receiving a passing grade can download a certificate of completion.

10. Skillfeed

If you are looking to learning a new skill, or improving on your proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, or HTML, Skillfeed offers unlimited access to high quality video courses from a worldwide community of instructors. You have a month’s free trial which thereafter, you will subscribe to a monthly fee to gain unlimited access to *all* courses!

11. Academic Earth 

Academic Earth has curated links to over 750 online courses and 8,500 individual online lectures, giving students of all ages unparalleled access to college courses they may otherwise never experience. Whether supplementing existing coursework, or learning for the sake of learning, anyone with an internet connection has the freedom to learn at their own pace from world-renowned experts, without the burden of rising tuition costs.

12. OpenCourseWare Consortium

The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a worldwide collaborative initiative that brings together OCW from universities across six continents.

13. MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a permanent free web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content and is open and available to anyone around the world. The over 2100 OCW materials reflect almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT.

14. Harvard Open Courses

Online courses at Harvard Extension School have either an online video or live web-conference format. Some courses also include a weekend of intensive on-campus lectures. Online courses span a full semester and have scheduled assignments and exams. Due to the interactive nature of the web conference lesssons, you will have to pay for certain courses here!

15. Yale Open Courses

Are you a bachelor or high school student who is undecided about your future course of interest? Yale Open Courses provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. Discover a range of timely and timeless topics taught by Yale professors, each with a unique perspective and an individual interpretation of a particular field of study.

16. Michigan

Open.Michigan, University of Michigan’s OCW initiative, features a giant collection of courses from 19 of the university’s schools, colleges and units. Ranging from literature to dentistry to public policy, the extensive list hosts a variety of courses — all complete with syllabi, course lectures and supplementary material.

17. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers comprehensive materials for dozens of courses on topics like chronic diseases, global health and injury prevention.

18. Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School’s OCW initiative includes dozens of materials from its course catalog. It’s more of a library of resources than a list of full courses — the collection includes classes with video clips, lecture slides, notes and projects.

19. Carnegie Mellon

Carnegie Mellon only has a handful of courses, mostly in the STEM fields. However, the courses are comprehensive and the layout is conducive to a streamlined learning experience. Though there aren’t any video lectures, the classes are laid out like online courses. All notes are completely digital, and there are interactive practice problems for students to self-check their understanding of each lesson.

20. Tufts University

Choose from schools of dentistry, medicine, nutrition policy, veterinary medicine, arts and sciences,engineering and international relations. Each course contains a variety of materials: PDFs of lecture slides, homework assignments and exams.

21. Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s OCW program offers courses across two dozen of its departments, from aerospace engineering and classics to mathematics and theology. Each course includes a syllabus; others have class structure outlines. Classes also include professor biographies — so you know you’re learning from an accredited source. Audio lectures, PowerPoint slides, illustrations and texts are all free to use.

22. UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley webcasts offers a large selection of courses in a comprehensive list of departments — bioengineering, Japanese, legal studies, public health. Since the webcasts are more or less recordings of actual lectures, as opposed to courses optimized for web, they lack lecture notes and supplementary materials. However, each course has audio recordings of lectures via iTunes or video recordings of lectures via YouTube.

Source: After School Africa

2015 List of Scholarships for African women and Developing Countries

A number of organisations encourage women empowerment through education at different levels by offering specific scholarships for African women from Africa and developing countries. Although women looking for scholarships can as well apply for other scholarship programmes that are non-gender specific, there are sponsorship programmes that reduce the competition by offering their scholarship programmes solely for women. From the archives of AfterschoolAfrica, below is an updated list of scholarships (undergraduate, Masters, MBA and PhD) that are open for women from African and developing countries. Some of these scholarships are for international students but are also open for the said demography.

Please note that application deadlines and other information provided on this site can change at any time. You are therefore advised to visit the recommended scholarship organisation website.

MasterCard Foundation Scholarships Program at Wellesley College, USA

As part of the Scholars Program, Wellesley will provide nine (9) African women with comprehensive support that includes scholarships, mentoring, counseling, and internship opportunities. Scholars at Wellesley will build experiences, values, and competencies that are critical to success in the global economy, and that enable them to give back to their communities and home countries.

Previous Deadline March 1

Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships for Women in Africa, Europe and the Middle East

Google offers The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarshipfor women in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to study in the field of computing and technology for Bachelors, Masters or PhD degrees.

Previous Deadline 1 February

VLIR- UOS Masters & Training Scholarships in Belgium for African and Developing Countries

VLIR-UOS offers 180 Masters & 70 training Scholarships in Belgium for students from Developing countries – 50% of scholarships will be offered to African students and almost 50% for Women. The eligible training or master programmes are taught in English.

Previous Deadline 1 February

MMMF Scholarship for Women from Developing Countries in US & Canada

Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) scholarship applications for female students from Developing Countries who are currently studying in the United States or Canada

Previous Deadline: January 9th

MMMF Grants for Women Studying in South Africa

The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) grants will be offered for female students from developing countries who are currently studying in South Africa at the University of Pretoria, the University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch or the University of Witwatersrand

Previous Deadline 19 August

NWAG Scholarship for Nigerian Women

Each year the Nigerian Women Association of Georgia -NWAG- offers undergraduate Scholarships for 37 Nigerian female students (one per state of origin) in Nigerian universities on any course of study, in the amount of fifty thousand Naira (N50,000)

Previous deadline: May 30

SG Conference MasterCard Foundation Scholarship for Africa, Latin America and Asia – 50% for Women

In the spirit of fostering a diverse learning environment, Oxfam America has signed a contract with the MasterCard Foundation to award partial scholarships for travel to the SG 2013 Savings Groups Conference. Women are strongly encouraged to apply for this opportunity.

Previous Deadline March 4 & 5^th

MILEAD Empowerment and Leadership Fellowship for Young African Women

The MILEAD Fellows Program is a one-year leadership development program designed to identify, develop and promote emerging young African Women leaders to attain and succeed in leadership in their community and Africa as a whole.

Previous Deadline March 15

Wangari Maathai Scholarship Funds for Kenyan Women– Undergraduate

The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund is an environmental innovations fund set up in memory of Prof. Wangari Maathai that is aimed at developing action-oriented young people with strong values and commitment to the conservation of the physical and social environment in Kenya. In this first year, the tertiary education scholarship will be awarded to a young woman aged 18 to 25 years, who has demonstrated passion and personal commitment to environmental conservation.

Previous Deadline 30^th November

JAUW International Fellowships Programme for Women

The Japanese Association of University Women currently announced its International Fellowships Programme for women who are carrying out or would like to carry out independent research or advanced study at postgraduate level in Japan.

Previous Deadline April 10

AAUW International Fellowship for Women, Masters & Doctoral program in USA

AAUW International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported.

Previous deadline December 1

WAAW Foundation Scholarship for African Women

The Working to Advance African Women (WAAW) foundation aim to increase the pipeline of African women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related disciplines, and work to ensure that this talent is engaged in African innovation. WAAW Foundation offers Annual Scholarship program for Undergraduate African female students.

Previous deadline 30 October

Schlumberger Foundation Fellowship Grant for Women from Developing countries

The Faculty of the Future Leader offers PhD & PostDoctoral Fellowship for Women from Developing Countries and emerging economies sponsored by the Schlumberger Foundation.

Application Deadline November 16

Microsoft Research Graduate Women’s Scholarships, USA

The Microsoft Research Graduate Women’s Scholarship is a one-year scholarship program for outstanding women graduate students and is designed to help increase the number of women pursuing a PhD. This program supports women in the second year of their graduate studies.

Previous deadline October 16

Women in Aviation Scholarships for International Students

To be eligible to apply for the Women in Aviation scholarship, scholarship applicants must be a member of Women in Aviation, International.

Previous Deadline November 12

Makerere University offers Undergraduate Scholarships for Female Students, Uganda

The Makerere University Female Scholarship Foundation (FSF) was launched in November 2010 as a continuation of the Makerere University Female Scholarship Initiative (FSI).

Previous deadline 17 August

International Federation of University Women (IFUW) Human Rights Fellowships for women in Any Country

The Conchita Poncini Jimenez Human Rights Fellowship for women by the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) will be awarded for advanced research, an internship or study related to the use of human rights instruments and agreements for the advancement of women.

Previous deadline June 30

Switzerland- Nestle MBA Scholarships for Women Developing Countries

The Nestlé Scholarship for Women was first awarded in 1997 and was initiated by a group of IMD- Switzerland- MBA (Masters in Business Administration) participants who desired to encourage women to take the MBA courses. Preference are given to women from developing countries.

Previous deadline 30 September

UNESCO-L’OREAL International Fellowships for Women from Developing Countries in Life Sciences

UNESCO -L’OREAL international Fellowships Programme for Young Women from Developing Countries  in research developments in the field of life sciences: biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, pharmacy and physiology in France and abroad.

Previous deadline 15 July

ESMT Germany African Scholarships for Full MBA Applicants

ESMT is offering a number of merit-based scholarships for applicants to the Full-time MBA program commencing January and the Executive MBA program beginning October.

Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and LDC

Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women is offered for women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDC) at Centres of Excellence in the South for research in Natural sciences related fields.

Previous deadline 31 July

Amelia Earhart Fellowship for Women- PhD Scholarship

Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record in the field of aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering are eligible.

Previous deadline 15 November

Delta State Government Scholarship Scheme for female students

Applications are invited for five places in the Delta State Government Scholarship Scheme for female students, tenable at SMC, Pan-African University, for the programme PGD in Media & Communication (Journalism Stream).

Previous Deadline May 31

Campbell Fellowship for Women Scholar-Practitioners from Developing Nation

The Vera R. Campbell Foundation funded Fellowship is offered for female postdoctoral social scientist from a developing country whose work addresses women’s economic and social empowerment in that nation.

Previous deadline 1 November

PEO International Peace Scholarship fund for Women – USA and Canada

The PEO International Peace Scholarship Fund is a program of Women helping women reach for the stars. The fund provides scholarships for selected women from other countries for graduate study in the United States and Canada.

Previous deadline December 15 and April 1

Deutsche Bank Scholarships for Women at London Business School

The Deutsche Bank scholarship is award to four MBA and Masters in Finance female students in the AMOUNT of £20,000 each. These extremely generous awards are designed to enable talented women with an interest in the finance sector to study at London Business School.

Previous deadline 18 April

African Guest Researchers’ Scholarship Programme, Sweden

Africa Guest Researcher Scholarships at Nordic Africa Institute (NAI), Sweden for African Researchers /Scholars 2013 – With preference to Women Researchers.

Previous deadline 1 April

Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship For Women From Developing Countries in USA

The International Peace Research Association Foundation (IPRA), USA invites applications for the Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship for Women from Developing Countries in Peace and Development Studies

VCU Undergraduate Scholarship for the Advancement of Women USA

The VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) Scholarship Award for the Advancement of Women is sponsored by the VCU Department of Business Services through proceeds generated by the sale of class rings and graduation-related items through the Jostens Company.

Previous deadline: 21 February

SAWISE Hope Scholarship for South African Women in Science and Technology

The Association of South African Women in Science and Engineering (SAWISE) and The Hope Network invites female students entering their Honours level/ 4th year of study to apply for the SAWISE Hope scholarship.

Previous deadline: 30 November

Angus SA WISE Scholarship for Sub-Saharan African Woman

The Association of South African Women in Science and Engineering (SA WISE) is a dynamic association for all those who support the idea of strengthening the role of women in science and engineering in South Africa. Each year SA WISE awards the Angus Scholarship to a Sub-Saharan black woman graduate with 70% or above grade average in her subject of study.

Previous deadline 30 November

Women in Business Scholarship by ENPC School of International Management, France

The ENPC School of International Management offers a specific scholarship scheme to those female candidates who demonstrate an outstanding leadership potential and a rich business experience.

Previous deadline 23 September

Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program

The Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program was founded in 1993 at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., in order to train women’s human rights lawyers from Africa who are committed to returning home to their countries in order to advance the status of women and girls in their own countries throughout their careers.

OSISA Scholarship for SADC Women Media Leaders at Rhodes University, South Africa

South African Women Media Leaders who wish to study media management and leadership at the Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI), South Africa for Media Leadership are invited to apply for postgraduate scholarships offered by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA).

Previous deadline 30 September

INSEAD Alumni Fund (IAF) Women’s Scholarships

The scholarship seeks bright, dynamic and motivated women who are making significant achievements in their professional and/or personal lives.

Deadline 11 February and 18 August each year

Jane M Klausman Women In Business Scholarship

The Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship program helps women pursue undergraduate and Master’s degrees in business management and overcome gender barriers from the classroom to the boardroom.

Previous deadline: 1 July

Fondation Rainbow Bridge MBA Scholarship for Women from Africa and Asia

The Fondation Rainbow Bridge will enable young women scholars to enrich their academic background by obtaining an HEC MBA in France. This scholarship is available for women from Asian or African countries affected by natural disasters, drought or famine.

Annual Deadline: June and November

Professor De Winter Scholarship for Women at University of Twente, Netherlands

Master’s Scholarship in any subject at University of Twente for Female/Women Students of Non-EU/EEA Countries in Netherlands.

Previous deadline 1 April

UNESCO-Japan Research Fellowship for Women in Developing Countries

The Government of Japan offers 20 fellowships per year, to deserving candidates from UNESCO developing countries, especially the least developed countries (LDCs), who are eager to undertake research on one or more of the topics listed below.

Previous deadline 13 January

Zawadi Africa Education Fund Undergraduate Scholarship for Women- in Partnership with Google

The Zawadi Africa Education Fund is a program designed to provide undergraduate scholarships to academically gifted girls/ women from disadvantaged backgrounds from Africa to pursue higher education in the US.

IFUW International Scholarship for Women- Fellowships and Grants

The International Federation of University Women offers a limited number of international fellowships and grants to women graduates for postgraduate research, study and training. Applicants may be of any nationality.

Deadline between August and mid-September

Funds for Women Graduates Scholarship Grants for PhD/ Doctoral Study & Research

Funds for Women Graduates- FfWG offers Foundation Grants to help women graduates with their living expenses (not fees) while registered for study or research at an approved institution of higher education in Great Britain.

Previous deadline 4 April

NUS PHD-MBA Scholarship for International Students, Singapore, Asia

A doctoral programme for entrepreneurial scientists and engineers

The National University of Singapore – NUS PhD-MBA aims to attract and train talented science and engineering international students who have the potential to create and lead technology companies through scholarship programs. Students develop their research skills by doing a PhD in a scientific or engineering discipline, choosing among a wide range of departments and advisers. Concurrently, they develop their business acumen by working on an MBA degree at the NUS Business School. Previous deadline for August intake: 7th January

Forté Foundation MBA Fellows for Women

Forté Foundation offers fellowships to women who are pursuing a full-time, part-time or executive MBA education at participating business schools. Forté Foundation Fellowships are intended to increase the number of women applying to and enrolling in MBA programs. Students of all nationalities are eligible for consideration.

Global Fund for Women Grants

The Global Fund for Women supports women’s groups that advance the human rights of women and girls. The Organization strengthen women’s right groups based outside the United States by providing small, flexible, and timely grants ranging from $500 to $30,000 for operating and program expenses.
Applications are accepted throughout the year and grants awarded every three months.

See more Scholarships for women:

Source: After School Africa