The ODI Fellowship Scheme provides governments in low and middle-income countries with highly skilled junior economists and statisticians for two-year posts. This helps countries fill skills gaps and build capacity, while also giving recent graduates valuable work experience. Fellows work on tasks like budgeting, policy analysis, and data collection. Over 1,000 placements have occurred since 1963 across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Pacific. The scheme is jointly run by the Overseas Development Institute and partner governments.

1. The ODI Fellowship Scheme
Providing Capacity - Promoting Careers
Jema Davis – Programme Officer, ODI Fellowship Scheme
November 2014

2. What is the ODI Fellowship Scheme?
We provide governments of low and middle income
countries with high-calibre junior professional economists
and statisticians recruited internationally from among the best
universities in the world to work as local civil servants on two-year
contracts.
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3. What is the ODI Fellowship Scheme?
This achieves two things:
• Governments of developing countries obtain high-calibre
junior professional economists and statisticians in line
positions under local management in a flexible way and at a
price they can afford
• Postgraduate economists and statisticians gain valuable
practical work experience in a developing country through an
internationally recognised and prestigious scheme (not a
volunteer scheme – Fellows receive around £21,000 pa)
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4. Why do countries want ODI Fellows?
• Countries embarking on ambitious reform may simply not have the
quality economists and statisticians needed to complete key tasks on
time
• Top policy-makers may know what they want to achieve and may
receive Technical Assistance from World Bank/IMF and others yet may
need skilled people to help in getting technical work done
• Lack of public sector reform and investment has resulted in failure to
attract and retain top quality economists and statisticians
• Permanent employees may be studying so gaps need to be filled
• Countries emerging from conflict starting to build public sector capacity
• Countries value Fellows in their public sector structures as they bring
energy and different perspective and can help transfer skills to local staff
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5. What is the ODI Fellowship Scheme?
• Established in 1963
• Worked in over 40 countries
• Placed more than 1,000 Fellows
• 57 awards made in 2013, 52 in 2014
• 107 Fellows currently in post working in 27 countries
• Introduced new “statistics stream” in 2014
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6. Which countries want ODI Fellows?
Africa – Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar
Caribbean – Guyana, Haiti
Pacific – Fiji (SPC), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands,
Timor Leste, Vanuatu
… and possibly others for 2015!
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7. Where are ODI Fellows posted?

8. What do ODI Fellows do?
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9. What do ODI Fellows do?
• Prepare national budgets and development plans
• Macroeconomic forecasting and analysis
• Provide economic analysis for monetary policy
• Advise on trade policy and trade negotiations
• Aid coordination and debt management
• Devise strategic responses to HIV/AIDS crisis
• Advise on application of environmental economic instruments
– climate change
• Conduct household and enterprise surveys
• Produce and analyse economic statistics
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10. What do recent ODI Fellows say?
“The ODI fellowship scheme is a unique opportunity to
be on the developing government’s side of the table. I
felt uniquely absorbed into the workings of the ministry
and feel a deep connection to the staff that I worked
alongside. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity
to present research to high level policy makers and to
influence on a daily basis some of the key functions of
government.”
John Spray, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Liberia
2012-2014
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11. What do recent ODI Fellows say?
“The Fellowship Scheme provided an invaluable opportunity to
discover a part of the world and a culture about which I knew
nothing before I started. Working in the Commerce Ministry of
a small country exposed me to a wide range of issues, and
allowed me to contribute in a small way to the planning
process for the country's development. It also exposed me to
several dilemmas underlying international development, made
me interrogate my assumptions and perceptions about
economic and social change, and introduced me to a large set
of thought-provoking people from all over the world.”
Karan Nagpal, Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Commerce and Ni-
Vanuatu Business, Vanuatu, 2012-2014
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12. What do recent ODI Fellows say?
“The Fellowship has been a great experience; I simply
would not have had the opportunity to work on such
high-level projects anywhere else. There is also a great
deal of freedom in the job, which allows you to pursue
areas where you can really make an impact. However,
the cultural differences have been very testing, making
the job exceptionally frustrating at times. That said, this
has taught me that there are always ways to get things
done, providing you are willing to work hard for them.”
Matthew Mirecki, Ministry of Finance, Namibia, 2012-
2014
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13. What requirements do you need to apply?
• Excellent degree and postgraduate qualification in economics,
statistics or related subject
• Sound grasp of economic theory and its application
• Intellectual skills – problem-solving, analysis of data and
information
• Communication skills - technical ideas to non-specialists
• General work skills – able to prioritise, time management,
ability to work without supervision, report writing
• Personal skills – confidence, patience, flexibility, ability to work
with others, willingness to learn
• Demonstrable interest in development
• Relevant work or voluntary experience
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, STATA, SPSS)
• Language competence
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14. What do ODI Fellows gain?
• Two years valuable work experience in development working
within public sector of developing country
• Develop personal and professional skills
• Acquire in-depth insight into life in developing country and
possibly learn new language
• Establish contacts with wide range of people and
organisations
• A salary of about £21,000 pa
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15. Some illustrious former ODI Fellows
Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State
for Business, Innovation and Skills
(Kenya 1966-68)
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Dr Martin Weale CBE, UK Monetary Policy
Committee (Malawi 1977-79)
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development
(Botswana 1981-83)
Prof Anne Mills CBE MA DHSA,
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine (Malawi 1973-75)
Lord Andrew Turnbull, former UK Cabinet
Secretary (Zambia 1968-70)

16. How is the Scheme organised?
• Scheme is a demand-led partnership between ODI and
partner governments (normally based on MoU)
• Costs of Fellows shared between the employing government
and ODI
• Postings determined mainly by government preferences
• Administrative arrangements covered by ODI run by small
team of four – Robin Sherbourne (Head), Susan Barron
(Programme Manager), Darren Lomas (Programme Officer),
Jema Davis (Programme Officer)
• Fellowship Scheme presently enjoys funding from DfID and
DFAT
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17. How is the Scheme organised?
Remember: Fellows are employees of the government or public
bodies they are working for not ODI employees.
The employer is normally responsible for:
• Paying the local salary
• Extending the same conditions of service as locally recruited staff
• Ensuring Fellows receive work permits
ODI is normally responsible for:
• Administration including recruitment, selection and pre-departure
briefing
• Outbound and homebound expenses
• Monthly supplementation
• Emergency medical insurance
• Providing information about security issues
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What timetable does the Scheme follow?
Nov – 17 Dec 2014 Accepting applications
January Shortlisted candidates invited to interview
Early-February Referees contacted for shortlisted candidates
Late-February Selection panel held at ODI in London
Late-February Firm and Conditional offers of Fellowships made
March – June Placement Tours to allocate Fellows to posts and monitor progress of
Fellows in post
June Governments confirm their requests
June Fellowship offers agreed with Fellows
July Briefing session held at ODI in London
July-September Start dates agreed between Fellows and governments
August – October Commencement of postings

19. ODI is the UK’s leading independent think tank on
international development and humanitarian issues.
We aim to inspire and inform policy and practice to
reduce poverty by locking together high-quality
applied research and practical policy advice.
The views presented here are those of the speaker,
and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or
our partners.
Overseas Development Institute
203 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
T: +44 207 9220 300
www.odi.org.uk
j.davis@odi.org.uk