1. The ODI Fellowship Scheme
Providing capacity - promoting careers
Darren Lomas – Programme Officer, ODI Fellowship Scheme
November 2016

2. What is ODI?
• UK’s leading independent think tank on international
development and humanitarian issues
• Mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which
will lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering
and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods
2

3. What is ODI?
• Research and practical policy advice
• Policy-focused dissemination and debate
• Staff of approximately 250
• Over 50 years experience in development
• 12 research programmes
• Funded by public and private sectors
• More information on www.odi.org
3

4. What is the ODI Fellowship Scheme?
• Provide governments of developing countries with high-
calibre junior professional economists and statisticians
on two-year contracts where gaps in local expertise exist
• Provide postgraduate economists and statisticians with
practical work experience in a developing country
4

5. What is the ODI Fellowship Scheme?
• Established in 1963
• Worked in over 40 ACP countries
• Placed more than 1,000 Fellows
• 62 awards made in 2016 (32 female and 30 male)
• 120+ Fellows currently in post working in 32 countries
• Introduced new “statistics stream” in 2014 and “financial
inclusion stream” in 2015 (with Gates Foundation)
5

6. Which countries want ODI Fellows?
Africa – (Burundi), Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau,
Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique,
(Namibia), Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, (South
Africa), (South Sudan), Swaziland, (Tanzania), Uganda,
(Zambia), Zanzibar
Asia – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor-Leste
Middle East – State of Palestine
Caribbean – Guyana, Haiti
Pacific - Fiji (SPC), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands,
Vanuatu
6

7. Where are ODI Fellows posted?
7

8. Where are ODI Fellows posted?
8

9. Why do countries want ODI Fellows?
• Focus on low-income and small countries – fragile and post-
conflict
• General scarcity of skilled economists and statisticians
• Local salaries may be too low to attract high-calibre employees
• Long-term public sector reform required to attract and retain good
economists and statisticians
• Countries embarking on institution-building and reform
• Permanent employees may be studying so gaps need to be filled
• Countries emerging from conflict starting to build public sector
capacity
• Countries value Fellows in their public sector structures for
positive spill overs
9

10. What do ODI Fellows do?
10

11. What do ODI Fellows do?
• Prepare national budgets and development plans
• Macroeconomic forecasting and analysis
• Provide economic analysis for monetary policy
• Advise on trade policy and trade negotiations
• Aid coordination and debt management
• Devise strategic responses to HIV/AIDS and Ebola crises
• Advise on application of environmental economic instruments
– climate change
• Conduct household and enterprise surveys
• Produce and analyse economic statistics
• Provide data and evidence to policy-makers
11

12. What requirements do you need to apply?
• Excellent degree and postgraduate qualification in economics,
statistics or related subject
• Sound grasp of economic theory and its application
• Intellectual skills – problem-solving, analysis of data and
information
• Communication skills – technical ideas to non-specialists
• General work skills – able to prioritise, time management,
ability to work without supervision, report writing
• Personal skills – confidence, patience, flexibility, ability to work
with others, willingness to learn
• Demonstrable interest in development
• Relevant work or voluntary experience
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, STATA, SPSS)
• Language competence (Portuguese, French, Swahili)
12

13. What do ODI Fellows gain?
• Two years valuable work experience in development working
within the public sector of a developing country
• Develop personal and professional skills
• Acquire in-depth insight into life in a developing country and
possibly learn a new language
• Establish contacts with wide range of people and
organisations
• A salary of about £21,000 p.a.
13

14. What do ODI Fellows go on to do?
14

15. Some illustrious former ODI Fellows
15
Sir Vince Cable, former MP and
Secretary of State for Business,
Innovation and Skills (Kenya 1966-
68)
Prof Anne Mills CBE MA DHSA,
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine (Malawi 1973-75)
Dr Martin Weale CBE, UK Monetary Policy
Committee (Malawi 1977-79)
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development
(Botswana 1981-83)
Lord Andrew Turnbull, former UK Cabinet
Secretary (Zambia 1968-70)

16. Current Fellows
• Bogolo Kenwendo (Ghana – Ministry of Trade and Industry)
• Peter Hutchinson (Malawi – Ministry of Health)
• Natalya Li (Papua New Guinea – Department of National
Planning)
• Lark Parker-Rhodes (Solomon Islands – Ministry of Finance
and Treasury)
16

17. How is the Scheme organised?
• Scheme is a demand-led partnership between ODI and partner
governments
• Costs of Fellows shared between the employing government and
ODI
• Postings determined mainly by government preferences
• Administrative arrangements covered by ODI run by small team of
three – Robin Sherbourne (Head), Susan Barron (Programme
Manager), Darren Lomas (Programme Officer)
• ODI presently enjoys funding from UK’s DFID, Australia’s DFAT and
US Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Some countries fund entire cost of Fellowships
17

18. How is the Scheme organised?
Remember: Fellows are employees of the government or public
bodies they are working for not ODI employees.
The employer is normally responsible for:
• Paying the local salary
• Extending the same conditions of service as locally recruited staff
• Ensuring Fellows receive work permits
ODI is normally responsible for:
• Administration including recruitment, selection and pre-departure
briefing
• Outbound and homebound expenses
• Monthly supplementation
• Emergency medical insurance
• Providing information about security issues
Think carefully about partners!
18

19. 19
What timetable does the Scheme follow?
Nov – 15 Dec 2016 Accepting applications
January Shortlisted candidates invited to interview
Early-February Referees contacted for shortlisted candidates
Late-February Selection panel held at ODI in London
Late-February Firm and Conditional offers of Fellowships made
March – June Placement Tours to allocate Fellows to posts and monitor progress of
Fellows in post
June Governments confirm their requests
June Fellowship offers agreed with Fellows
July Briefing session held at ODI in London
July-September Start dates agreed between Fellows and governments
August – October Commencement of postings

20. How to apply?
Online application via www.odi.org by 15 December 2015
Please do not attach references or transcripts - we will contact
referees of shortlisted applicants in February
20

21. ODI is the UK’s leading independent think tank on
international development and humanitarian issues.
We aim to inspire and inform policy and practice to
reduce poverty by locking together high-quality
applied research and practical policy advice.
The views presented here are those of the speaker,
and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or
our partners.
Overseas Development Institute
203 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
T: +44 207 9220 300
www.odi.org.uk
d.lomas@odi.org.uk