The 2026 UNU-WIDER/African Union Winter School on Public Finance (Funded to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Application Deadline: 7 June 2026

Applications are now open for the 2026 UNU-WIDER/African Union Winter School on Public Finance. UNU-WIDER and the African Union are launching a course on public finance for development for African policy analysts and researchers. The course will provide participants with practical skills in applied public economics, with a focus on quantitative analysis of public finance in developing countries.

The course will take place in two parts: a three-day online methods workshop from 28–30 July 2026, followed by a one-week in-person course hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 14–18 September 2026.

Participants will attend lectures by UNU-WIDER researchers and invited experts, take part in practical exercises, and strengthen their ability to produce policy-relevant research. Topics will include public finance and development, tax evasion and enforcement, informality, redistribution, social protection, empirical methods, data, and AI.

The first day of the in-person course will coincide with the SOUTHMOD at 10 celebration. Course participants will join the event, which will feature a keynote address and panel discussions on public finance and domestic revenue mobilization.

Requirements

• Applications are open to researchers and analysts from ministries, revenue authorities, other government agencies, universities, and research institutes in Africa.
• Applications from suitably qualified early-career female researchers are particularly encouraged.
• Course certificates will be issued to participants who attend a minimum of 80% of the lectures and practical sessions in both parts of the course. Participants are expected to use their own laptops for both parts of the course, ideally with Stata and R pre-installed. 

Financial assistance 

• Successful applicants will receive a travel grant to cover travel to and from their home institution, accommodation, and most meals during their stay in Addis Ababa. Back-office support will also be available to help obtain an entry visa for Ethiopia. 

Application procedure 

UNU-WIDER will only receive online applications for the course. Deadline for submission of applications is 7 June 2026, 23:59 UTC+3 via this link. Please take note that the following documents are required when submitting your application: 

• CV 
• Motivational letter 
• One-page original Stata or R code sample 
• A note (max. 500 words) outlining how you have used AI tools in writing the code and/ or what you would like to learn about the use of AI in the space of this course 
• Letter of recommendation. This document must be submitted by its signatory to [email protected] before 7 June 2026 and you must provide their name in the application 
• Shortlisted candidates may be requested to take a short test on their quantitative skills (coding, interpretation of empirical results, etc.). This will take place online. Once selected applicants have been informed via email, they must confirm their decision to take up the offer within two weeks of being contacted. 

Application Timeline:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNU-WIDER/African Union Winter School on Public Finance