In 2009, the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), an African-led, regional non-profit policy think tank, was established to help bridge the gaps between research, policy and practice in the areas of population change and sustainable development, and health systems strengthening in Africa. 

AFIDEP is undertaking research and policy engagement on how African countries can accelerate socioeconomic transformation through strategic investments in people and improvements in education and skills systems. This work focuses on the relationship between demographic change, gender equality, human capital investment, education quality, and the preparation of young people for productive participation in society and the economy.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will support two distinct but complementary studies. The first is a multi-country study in two countries examining national policies, programmes, and sectoral investments toward harnessing the Demographic Dividend (DD) and Gender Dividend (GD), with particular attention to education and skills, health, and gender equality. The second study will examine curriculum reforms and pedagogical approaches that can improve the quality and practical relevance of Africa’s education systems, including their contribution to skills development, employability, and innovation.

Responsibilities or duties

Research design and study implementation

• Support the senior technical lead in refining research questions, conceptual and analytical frameworks, methodologies, sampling approaches, and study protocols for both studies.
• Develop or adapt quantitative and qualitative research tools, evidence-review frameworks, data-extraction templates, interview guides, and analytical matrices.
• Conduct literature reviews, evidence synthesis, policy mapping, and institutional analysis.
• Coordinate and support data collection in the selected countries, including engagement with country researchers and relevant institutions.
• Support data management, quality assurance, documentation, ethical compliance, and maintenance of clear research records.
• Track implementation against agreed work plans and flag emerging methodological, operational, or data-quality issues.

Analysis of investments toward the DD and GD

• Map and analyse national policies, strategies, programmes, budgets, and investments relevant to harnessing the DD and GD in the two selected countries.
• Assess the nature and adequacy of sectoral investments, particularly in education and skills development, health and wellbeing, gender equality, and related areas of human capital development.
• Examine policy coherence, implementation arrangements, coordination, financing, accountability, and the extent to which investments respond to the needs of women, girls, and young people.
• Identify investment and implementation gaps, promising approaches, missed opportunities, and policy-relevant lessons.
• Support comparative analysis across the two countries to determine what appears to work, for whom, under what conditions, and why.

Curriculum and pedagogy research

• Examine curriculum reforms and teaching and learning approaches intended to improve education quality and learning outcomes in African education systems.
• Analyse the extent to which curricula and pedagogical approaches respond to skills-development needs, employability, entrepreneurship, technological change, and innovation.
• Assess relevant features of curriculum design and implementation, teacher preparation and support, classroom practice, assessment, learning materials, and use of technology.
• Identify good practices, innovations, implementation challenges, and scalable solutions for strengthening the quality and practical relevance of education.
• Examine the contextual, institutional, capacity, and resource conditions required to adapt or scale promising approaches.

Data analysis and comparative insights

• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis using appropriate analytical methods and software.
• Triangulate findings across documentary, quantitative, and qualitative evidence.
• Support cross-country and cross-case comparison to identify common patterns, contextual differences, good practices, and transferable lessons.
• Prepare analytical summaries, tables, figures, and evidence matrices to support interpretation and reporting.
• Contribute to validation and interpretation of findings with policymakers, education practitioners, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders.

Knowledge products, reporting, and policy engagement

• Draft and revise research reports, policy briefs, presentations, dissemination materials, and other agreed knowledge products.
• Ensure that outputs are analytically rigorous, clear, concise, and responsive to policy audiences.
• Support the organisation and documentation of policy dialogues, technical consultations, validation meetings, and other stakeholder-engagement activities.
• Translate research findings into feasible and actionable recommendations for policy, investment, programme design, and implementation.
• Support dissemination and documentation of stakeholder feedback, research uptake, emerging influence, and lessons learned.

Qualifications or requirements 

Experience needed

• A PhD completed within the past five years in Education, Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, Demography, Population Studies, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in human capital development, education systems, demographic analysis, gender analysis, or a closely related area.
• Strong understanding of curriculum, pedagogy, learning quality, and skills-development systems.
• Experience in policy-oriented and applied research, including qualitative and/or quantitative analysis.
• Experience designing research tools and methods and supporting data collection, analysis, and documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake policy, programme, investment, institutional, or comparative analysis.
• Proven ability to produce high-quality analytical and policy-relevant outputs, including research reports, policy briefs, or peer-reviewed publications.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Proficiency in French or another language relevant to the study countries would be an advantage.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to integrate demographic, gender, education, economic, and institutional perspectives.
• Strong qualitative and/or quantitative data-analysis skills and proficiency in relevant analytical software.
• Ability to translate complex research findings into clear and actionable insights.
• Excellent writing, presentation, communication, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a senior technical lead and within a multidisciplinary, multi-country team.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Commitment to research integrity, ethical practice, gender equality, inclusion, and high-quality evidence.

• Support the senior technical lead in refining research questions, conceptual and analytical frameworks, methodologies, sampling approaches, and study protocols for both studies.
• Develop or adapt quantitative and qualitative research tools, evidence-review frameworks, data-extraction templates, interview guides, and analytical matrices.
• Conduct literature reviews, evidence synthesis, policy mapping, and institutional analysis.
• Coordinate and support data collection in the selected countries, including engagement with country researchers and relevant institutions.
• Support data management, quality assurance, documentation, ethical compliance, and maintenance of clear research records.
• Track implementation against agreed work plans and flag emerging methodological, operational, or data-quality issues.
• Map and analyse national policies, strategies, programmes, budgets, and investments relevant to harnessing the DD and GD in the two selected countries.
• Assess the nature and adequacy of sectoral investments, particularly in education and skills development, health and wellbeing, gender equality, and related areas of human capital development.
• Examine policy coherence, implementation arrangements, coordination, financing, accountability, and the extent to which investments respond to the needs of women, girls, and young people.
• Identify investment and implementation gaps, promising approaches, missed opportunities, and policy-relevant lessons.
• Support comparative analysis across the two countries to determine what appears to work, for whom, under what conditions, and why.
• Examine curriculum reforms and teaching and learning approaches intended to improve education quality and learning outcomes in African education systems.
• Analyse the extent to which curricula and pedagogical approaches respond to skills-development needs, employability, entrepreneurship, technological change, and innovation.
• Assess relevant features of curriculum design and implementation, teacher preparation and support, classroom practice, assessment, learning materials, and use of technology.
• Identify good practices, innovations, implementation challenges, and scalable solutions for strengthening the quality and practical relevance of education.
• Examine the contextual, institutional, capacity, and resource conditions required to adapt or scale promising approaches.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis using appropriate analytical methods and software.
• Triangulate findings across documentary, quantitative, and qualitative evidence.
• Support cross-country and cross-case comparison to identify common patterns, contextual differences, good practices, and transferable lessons.
• Prepare analytical summaries, tables, figures, and evidence matrices to support interpretation and reporting.
• Contribute to validation and interpretation of findings with policymakers, education practitioners, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Draft and revise research reports, policy briefs, presentations, dissemination materials, and other agreed knowledge products.
• Ensure that outputs are analytically rigorous, clear, concise, and responsive to policy audiences.
• Support the organisation and documentation of policy dialogues, technical consultations, validation meetings, and other stakeholder-engagement activities.
• Translate research findings into feasible and actionable recommendations for policy, investment, programme design, and implementation.
• Support dissemination and documentation of stakeholder feedback, research uptake, emerging influence, and lessons learned.

• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to integrate demographic, gender, education, economic, and institutional perspectives.
• Strong qualitative and/or quantitative data-analysis skills and proficiency in relevant analytical software.
• Ability to translate complex research findings into clear and actionable insights.
• Excellent writing, presentation, communication, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a senior technical lead and within a multidisciplinary, multi-country team.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Commitment to research integrity, ethical practice, gender equality, inclusion, and high-quality evidence.

• A PhD completed within the past five years in Education, Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, Demography, Population Studies, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in human capital development, education systems, demographic analysis, gender analysis, or a closely related area.
• Strong understanding of curriculum, pedagogy, learning quality, and skills-development systems.
• Experience in policy-oriented and applied research, including qualitative and/or quantitative analysis.
• Experience designing research tools and methods and supporting data collection, analysis, and documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake policy, programme, investment, institutional, or comparative analysis.
• Proven ability to produce high-quality analytical and policy-relevant outputs, including research reports, policy briefs, or peer-reviewed publications.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Proficiency in French or another language relevant to the study countries would be an advantage.