Young Professionals Program

Job Description

Full vacancy title: Young Professionals Program

Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire or any other Location in Africa as determined by the Bank

Position Grade: PL6

Position Number: 50067362

Posting Date: 31-Oct-2025

Closing Date: 31-Dec-2025

THE BANK:

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank Group is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 81 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries (RMC)). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Africa.

In line with the Ten-Year Strategy (2024 – 2033), Four Cardinal Points have been defined to ensure greater developmental impact and accelerate the Bank’s delivery for Africa, namely: (i) Unlock Africa’s Capital Power, (ii) Rebuild Africa’s Financial Sovereignty, (iii) Turn Demographics into a Dividend and (iv) Build Resilient Infrastructure, Add Real Value.

The Bank Group will pursue this objective by:

1. Mobilizing and allocating resources for investment in RMCs; and
2. Providing policy advice and technical assistance to support development efforts.

The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is part of a wider strategic Talent Management Framework which helps the Bank to focus on the youths and to deliver on the Ten-Year Strategy.

OBJECTIVE OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM (YPP)

The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a diversity focused talent development program, to create a leadership pipeline and workforce of the future for the Bank. This program offers exceptional career opportunities to talented young professionals with the ethos of future development specialists. It is a strategic talent development program designed to:

1. Develop a professional pipeline of workforce of the future for the Bank;
2. Nurture potential development specialists and professional talent for the Bank; and
3. Contribute to the Bank’s diversity targets.

KEY FEATURES OF THE YP PROGRAM

The Program targets high-potential, best-in-class young professionals with a strong passion for Africa’s development and transformation. It offers exceptional career opportunities to talented young professionals with outstanding academic and professional achievements, to make a difference for the development and transformation of the African continent. The Bank aims to attract highly qualified and motivated professionals from its member countries for a productive and rewarding career. Through the Young Professionals Program, the Bank ensures continuity and excellence in the management of its work programs and the provision of policy advice and services to its Regional Member Countries.

To facilitate their journey, onboarding and career development in the Bank, a number of tools have been put in place to support the YPs namely:

1. Rotation
2. Capacity Development
3. Mentorship and coaching programs
4. Graduation and integration into the bank

Rotation

1. The YP rotates into three different complexes in the Bank.
2. The YP’s first complex is one aligned or relevant to the skills identified during the recruitment process. After the first complex, the YP will have to undertake two other rotations, one of which may be in a Country or Regional Office.
3. The first two years will be spent on mandatory rotational placements across the Bank’s various functions. The rotations will essentially seek to achieve the following sequenced objectives:

1. Rotation 1 – Demonstrate applied knowledge and experience (one year)
2. Rotation 2 – Stretch and learn (one year)
3. Rotation 3 – Transition (9 months, including 3 months) in a complex where one will graduate

Capacity Development

1. A Professional and Personal Development Program is structured under the Young Professionals Learning Faculty with specific learning interventions delivered in phases.
2. These learning interventions serve to deepen technical knowledge and build leadership skills required for effective delivery of assignments and future roles in the Bank.
3. The faculty includes onboard training courses, customized postgraduate program with a reputable institution, the Bank’s Operations Academy, international certification programs etc.
4. The YP Learning Faculty also includes on-the job training which requires immersion into various functional areas of the Bank for hands-on experience in projects and various work assignments.

Mentorship and Coaching Programs

The mentorship and coaching programs ensures a faster integration into the Bank’s culture and offer a robust support mechanism from mentors, coaches and buddy groups.

Graduation and integration into the Bank

Only Young Professionals who have successfully completed the YP Learning Faculty, three mandatory rotations, mentoring program, exhibited high performance and high potential, and no ethics related issues, will be integrated into the Bank’s workforce, automatically graduating at PL5 grade level.

THE PROGRAM (YPP) STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS FOR 2025 INTAKE:

The Bank seeks to recruit Young Professionals in different disciplines and specializations which are aligned to the new Ten-Year Strategy (TYS), the Four Cardinal Points, and the People Strategy, as summarised below:

Ten-Year Strategy (TYS)

The Five Priority areas are summarised as follows:

1. Light up and power Africa: Promote access to modern and affordable energy for all.
2. Feed Africa: Achieve food security for Africa, through the transformation of agriculture.
3. Industrialise Africa: Establish African manufacturing as an engine of job creation.
4. Integrate Africa: Promote regional integration and value chains, as foundations for a more productive and integrated African economy.
5. Improve the quality of life of the people of Africa: Focus on enhancing the living standards of Africans, particularly women and youths to enable them to achieve their potential

The Bank’s Four Cardinal Points

The Four Cardinal Points have been defined, to accelerate the Bank’s delivery for Africa, namely:

1. Unlock Africa’s Capital Power
2. Rebuild Africa’s Financial Sovereignty
3. Turn Demographics into a Dividend and
4. Build Resilient Infrastructure, Add Real Value

It is worth highlighting that for the 2026 intake, the Bank will focus on skills relevant to the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy and Four Cardinal Points, as follows:

Information Technology Management, including Digitalisation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity; Agriculture; Human Capital and Youth Employment; Engineering; Investment Management; Operations Management & Programming; Procurement; Delivery & Performance Monitoring; Risk Management; Financial Management; Resources Mobilisation, Capacity Development; Governance, Natural Resources and Knowledge Management; Economics, Statistics and Data Management; Human Resources Management; Real Estate and General Services Management; Translation and Interpretation; Communication; Legal; Corporate Governance & Advisory Functions and any other fields.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

The Bank is an equal opportunity employer. To this end, the Bank is committed to achieving and maintaining a diverse workforce that reflects its culture. The Young Professional Program targets motivated and high-potential individuals from the Bank’s member countries.

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Bearer of citizenship of a member country of the Bank.
2. 32 years of age or younger by the closing date of the advertisement.
3. Master’s degree in any discipline that is relevant to the business of the Bank, with outstanding academic credentials.
4. At least 3 years’ post-graduate work experience in areas related to the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy and Four Cardinal Points.
5. Hands-on experience on the African continent or in other developing regions.
6. Passion for Africa’s development.
7. Capacity to leverage knowledge, share and coach others - work effectively in teams with displayed high adaptability to a diverse environment.
8. Teamwork, negotiation, client orientation, communication, strategic perspective, leadership and project management skills.
9. Strong analytical & reporting skills, entrepreneurial drive, results-orientation and problem-solving capability.
10. High business acumen and innovative mindset.
11. Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language.
12. Ability to work in a digital environment and embrace technology as it evolves.
13. Willingness to work and live in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Bank’s Headquarters and any other country where the Bank may require the services.
14. Proficiency in the use of standard MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Practical knowledge of SAP systems will be an advantage.
15. Ability to travel continentally when required.

The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Nationals from the following member countries are strongly encouraged to apply: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cape Verde, China, Comoros, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Finland, Ireland, Kuwait, Libya, Luxembourg, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, South Korea. South Sudan, Sweden and Turkey.

THIS IS A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM AND IS CLASSIFIED AS INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT, WHICH ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.

Should you encounter technical difficulties in submitting your application, please send an email with a precise description of the issue and/or a screenshot showing the problem to: HR Direct HRDirect@AFDB.ORG

About the Organization

How we work The African Development Bank is the premier financial development institution of Africa, dedicated to combating poverty and improving the lives of people of the continent and engaged in the task of mobilizing resources towards the economic and social progress of its Regional Member Countries The Bank's s mission is to promote economic and social development through loans, equity investments, and technical assistance. The Bank has its permanent headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.