Intern, Emerging Markets Public Policy Fellowship (Funded By Google)

Position: Intern, Emerging Markets Public Policy Fellowship (Funded by Google)

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Period: 8 weeks (June - September)

Start date: 12 June 2023 (first week i.e., 12 - 16 June spent with Google, flexible thereafter)

Type of contract: Full time, paid fellowship with Africa Practice

The Company

Africa Practice is an Africa-focused strategic advisory firm operating at the nexus of industry and government. We supply insights and advocacy solutions to corporations, investors, governments and foundations in Africa, enabling them to see more clearly, engage with confidence and unlock value to drive sustainable, equitable development.

Guided by our vision – an influential and prosperous Africa, inspiring the world – we empower organisations to deploy capital and execute development programmes at scale. Our solutions are rooted in a deep appreciation of stakeholders and a conviction that sustainable performance depends on building trust, respecting the environment, solving social problems and creating opportunity.

We operate as one company, with a diverse team working on a hybrid basis in, amongst others, Abuja, Lagos, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Gaborone, Johannesburg, and London. Our people are strategists, political analysts, economists, journalists, policy advisors, lawyers and communications specialists by background. We blend these disciplines to deliver customised and integrated consulting solutions for our clients. Over 80% of our staff are African and over 50% are women.

We are seeking a full-time intern, enrolled in a Masters degree program, to join our team over the June — September 2023 period, for 8 weeks. This fellowship is funded by Google, to offer students interested in internet and tech policy the opportunity to contribute to the public dialogue on these issues, and to explore future academic and professional interests. This is the first year that Google has expanded the program to the Africa region.

Successful fellows will be invited to spend a week with Google, beginning 12 June 2023 (program offered in a hybrid mode), followed by a study-break internship for up to eight weeks working with Africa Practice. Fellows will spend their internship working on Google-related assignments, monitoring and analysing tech policy or political developments, drafting reports and white papers, attending government and industry meetings and conferences, and participating in other advocacy activities.

This in-person role is based in Johannesburg and will support our Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs practice. The key objective of the EM Public Policy Fellowship is to boost the government affairs and public policy careers of historically disadvantaged students. The program is designed to expose historically underrepresented students in this field to career opportunities in the industry.

Essential criteria

To be eligible to participate in the Emerging Markets Public Policy Fellowship, students must:

• 
  Be currently enrolled in, or completing a Masters degree program and have a professional and academic background in law, economics, political science, international relations, risk management, public policy, social sciences or other disciplines relevant for the role.
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  Demonstrate academic excellence;
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  Be students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, including first generation students, women, people with disabilities and black students, who traditionally do not benefit from networking opportunities relevant to public policy careers. This is with the aim of removing barriers for underrepresented talent in the government affairs industry;
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  Be based in the city where Google and Africa Practice are present

The ideal profile

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  Professionally fluent written and spoken English essential; strong written and spoken southern African languages an advantage;
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  Passionate about technology, the digital economy and policy and regulatory issues thereof, in South Africa and Africa more broadly. Good grasp of political and economic issues, and a keen interest in current affairs;
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  You understand South Africa’s political structures, policy and civil society environment and can translate that knowledge into strong, actionable analysis and insights. You may also have previous technical training or experience in structured advisory or analysis and can use data to answer questions;
• 
  Good organisation, administrative and prioritisation skills to ensure deadlines are met;
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  Excel in intellectual thinking and creative solutions design, you are proactive in execution and pay attention to detail;
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  Thrive in a fast moving environment where you have to multi-task, and are able to quickly understand previously unfamiliar and complex issues and circumstances.

Tasks and Responsibilities

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  Conduct in-depth open source research and robust analysis on tech policy issues, regulatory, political and commercial context and trends, and competitor landscape to support client mandates and business development;
• 
  Produce regular, high-quality monitoring and analysis on political, policy and commercial developments related to technology across sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on South Africa;
• 
  Analyse stakeholder sentiment on key tech policy issues and themes;
  
• Develop questionnaires, surveys, or otherwise gather data, and analyse survey and macro-economic data to support digital impact mandates;
• 
  Support preparation for strategic client events (e.g. speaker engagement; background briefing notes);
• 
  Provide strong editing support to project teams to ensure exceptional quality written output (e.g. reports, proposals, presentations);
• 
  Scope to take more responsibility depending on your interests and how they evolve throughout the internship period.

This position is paid and offers a competitive remuneration package for the duration of the internship period. If you are excited about this role we would love to hear from you. At Africa Practice we are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse and authentic workplace.

Do you want to join a dynamic, purpose-driven and ambitious company? Please send us your CV, together with a cover letter explaining why you think you are suited to this position. Please confirm your availability, and send the application with the reference “EM Public Policy Fellowship’’ to hr@africapractice.com.

This vacancy is immediately open for suitable applications and will be closed as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. Early applications are advised.

Job Information

Industry

Consulting

City

Johannesburg

Province

Gauteng

Country

South Africa

Postal Code

2000