Do you build with AI and want to use it where it matters most? The Gates Foundation is recruiting for its first Africa-based AI Fellows cohort: a 12-month, full-time role applying modern AI and large language models to real problems in health, development and public finance, working with the foundation’s Africa team, partners and governments. Apply by 11 November 2026.
The fellowship is based in Abuja (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) or Johannesburg (South Africa). You must already have the right to work in the country where you would be based: the foundation will not sponsor visas or pay for relocation.
Quick Facts
- Organiser: Gates Foundation (Africa team)
- Role: AI Fellow – Africa Regional Offices (job ID B021830)
- Type: 12-month, full-time, limited-term employment
- Eligible countries: people with the right to work in Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia or South Africa (no visa sponsorship)
- Education: bachelor’s or master’s in computer science, data science, engineering, applied maths or a related field
- Experience: at least 2 years applying AI, ideally in health or agricultural systems
- Deadline: 11 November 2026
What You Will Do
Each fellow takes on one or two high-priority projects, and may work on several over the year. The foundation’s example projects include:
- decision-support tools that bring together health financing data across several African countries and diagnose bottlenecks
- a prototype to reduce stock-outs of essential medicines at district and facility level
- an AI tool that ranks health interventions against budgets, tracks them through procurement and forecasts stock-out risk
Day to day, you would scope problems with the Africa team and project sponsors, prototype quickly with LLMs and other AI tools, build and evaluate models and data pipelines, write well-tested software, and train colleagues to use AI tools responsibly, with a focus on fairness, privacy and explainability.
Benefits
- a salaried 12-month position at the Gates Foundation (the posting does not state the salary)
- the foundation’s employee benefits, which it describes as including medical cover, paid time off, paid family leave and retirement contributions
- work across Global Health, Gender Equality, Global Development and Global Growth & Opportunity
- access to the foundation’s network and senior leadership, as part of a cohort that follows the US and India AI Fellows programmes
Eligibility
- the right to work in Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia or South Africa without visa sponsorship
- a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, applied mathematics or a relevant field
- at least 2 years of experience applying AI solutions, preferably in health or agricultural systems
- a strong foundation in modern AI and machine learning, including hands-on work with LLMs, plus the software engineering and data skills to build end-to-end solutions (evidence can come from coursework, research, internships or early work)
- interest in applying AI to health systems, public financial management or supply chains; direct AI research experience is not required
- clear communication with technical and non-technical people, and a commitment to responsible AI for public good
How to Apply
- Read the full role on the Gates Foundation careers site.
- Choose the location where you already have the right to work.
- Prepare a CV that shows the AI systems you have built, how you evaluated them and who used them.
- Apply through the careers site by 11 November 2026.
Tips
- Lead with a project where AI changed a real decision or workflow, with numbers if you have them.
- Show LLM work beyond prompting: retrieval, tool use, evaluation or deployment.
- Mention any experience in health, supply chains or public finance, and in explaining technical work to non-specialists.
More Opportunities in AI and Tech
- Mozilla Fellowship 2027–2028: US$100,000–125,000 for Internet and Tech Leaders (closes 17 December 2026)
- Cities Deliver 2026: Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation AI Grants for Public Services (closes 29 November 2026)
Deadline: 11 November 2026. Visit the official Gates Foundation job posting.
