The Gates Foundation is recruiting AI Fellows for its first Africa-based Cohort, offering a 12-month Opportunity in Four Major Cities

Overview

The 2027 AI Fellows Programme is a 12-month initiative that marks the first time the Gates Foundation is bringing its fellowship initiative to Africa. The programme is designed to accelerate the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across global health, development, and education. Selected fellows will be embedded within the Gates Foundation's Africa team across four major cities, working alongside government counterparts, technical experts, and development partners on high-priority projects focused on public financing systems, essential medicines supply chains, and predictive analytics for health planning.

Who can apply

The opportunity is aimed at emerging artificial intelligence and technology professionals who combine strong technical capabilities with a commitment to responsible innovation, equitable development, and public-interest missions. Applicants must hold a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, data science, engineering, applied mathematics, or a related discipline. Candidates are required to have a minimum of two years of professional experience in applying AI solutions, ideally within agricultural or health systems.

What you get

Participants receive a 12-month fellowship placement working directly with the Foundation's Africa team and assigned to one or two major projects. Fellows gain access to senior leadership, technical experts, and a broad international network encompassing academic institutions, governments, development organisations, and industry partners. Throughout the term, participants build end-to-end AI applications, develop prototypes using modern large language models, lead capacity-building initiatives, and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams in global health, gender equality, global development, and global growth and opportunity.

Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate a strong technical understanding of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and model development and evaluation. Practical software engineering and data management skills are necessary to prepare and integrate datasets, build secure data pipelines, and apply clean coding and version control. Applicants must also show hands-on experience in building prototypes with modern large language models, open-source technologies, or API-based platforms. Furthermore, fellows must incorporate principles of data privacy, bias mitigation, fairness, and transparency into all technical work.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online to be considered for the inaugural Africa-based cohort.

Key dates

The application deadline is 11 November 2026. The programme itself runs for 12 months as part of the 2027 cohort.