WanaData Fellowships 2026: Get a $250 Monthly Stipend to Digitalise Youth Voices in Africa

If you work with data, stories, or both — and you care about young people, gender issues, and digital rights in Africa — this fellowship is worth reading closely. The WanaData Fellowships for 2026 offer 14 stipend-based slots for data journalists and data scientists to produce work that amplifies youth voices and strengthens a safer digital sphere across the Sahel, neighbouring West Africa, and the Horn of Africa. It’s small money but big opportunity: you get focused training, mentorship, tooling, and a platform to publish work that can reach policymakers, civil society, and communities.

Think of the stipend as the fuel that keeps your project moving while you build something visible and useful. The fellowship is run by Code for Africa in partnership with several civic and media organisations — including the European Partnership for Democracy, AfricTivistes, CFI Media Development, the World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office, the Kofi Annan Foundation, and with contributions from NIMD. Together they want to fix information gaps around gender projects and issues such as cybersecurity, data protection, e-democracy, digital mobilisation in social movements, SDG16, freedom of expression, and human rights.

This article walks you through everything you need: the facts, what winners actually get, who should apply, insider tips for a standout submission, the materials to prepare, a realistic timeline, and the best next steps. Read this, prepare deliberately, and you’ll either apply with confidence or know why this fellowship might not be the right fit right now.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers

This fellowship isn’t about funding lavish projects. It’s designed to put practical tools and mentorship in the hands of people who can produce meaningful reporting and analysis over a modest time frame. Each fellow receives a fixed stipend of USD 250 per month. That’s not a salary meant to replace full-time income; it’s a small operating allowance that helps cover costs while you focus on a defined project.

Beyond cash, the fellowship provides hands-on training in data tools, one-on-one mentorship with experienced practitioners, and ongoing support from Code for Africa’s Communities and Academy teams. Expect practical workshops — for example, datasets cleaning, visualisation, responsible data handling, and building interactive stories or dashboards tailored to regional audiences. Fellows often get access to data sources, API tips, and templates that speed up production.

Importantly, the program has explicit thematic goals: increase content on gender-related issues in relation to the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection; document digital mobilisation within social movements; and produce work that supports civic engagement and freedom of expression. If you produce a multimedia story that maps digital harassment indicators, or a dashboard tracking gendered access to e-services across a region, that’s exactly the kind of output they want.

There’s also a network effect. Past WanaData alumni have found collaborators, media placement opportunities, and visibility with partner organisations. If your goal is to move from isolated projects to sustained public-facing work with partners, this fellowship can accelerate that transition.

Who Should Apply

This fellowship is aimed at practitioners who already have a basic track record. You should be a registered WanaData member with at least one year of experience as a data scientist or data storyteller. That includes data journalists, researchers who publish data-driven pieces, media content creators who work with datasets, and civic tech practitioners who produce evidence-based reports.

Geographic fit matters. Priority is given to applicants based in the Sahel, neighbouring West Africa, or the Horn of Africa. Applicants from other African countries can be considered, but your proposal will be strongest if it speaks directly to those target regions. Fluency in English or French is required; bilingual applicants — especially those who can publish in both languages — have an edge.

Experience in gender data research is a key asset. You don’t need a PhD to qualify. You do need a portfolio: links to published stories, dashboards, brief research reports, or repositories demonstrating your ability to tell data-driven stories and handle sensitive information responsibly. Practical examples — a published interactive map, a data-led feature in a known outlet, or an open dataset you created and documented — will make your application concrete and credible.

Finally, this fellowship expects engagement. You should be ready to take part in trainings, mentorship sessions, and outreach activities. That means time commitment, responsiveness, and the ability to submit periodic reports. If you prefer completely hands-off funding with minimal external contact, this is not the right fit.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This section is where effort translates into leverage. Here are seven actionable strategies based on what similar fellowships reward.

1. Show a compact, deliverable project. Propose a specific output you can complete with limited resources — a three-part data series, an interactive explainer plus dataset, or a regional data map. Spell out the deliverables and the format (article, dashboard, video). Reviewers want plans that are tight and finishable.

2. Tie your work to measurable impact. Don’t just say “raise awareness.” Explain how you’ll measure engagement or influence: pageviews, downloads of a dataset, meetings with policymakers, workshop attendees, or social media traction among youth groups. Concrete metrics make your plan credible.

3. Put ethics front and centre. Gender and digital rights involve sensitive data. Explain how you will anonymise, obtain consent, and protect sources. Describe data minimisation practices and how you’ll store files securely. Programs that handle privacy well are more likely to be funded.

4. Lead with a portfolio that tells a story. Choose 3–5 published pieces that demonstrate the skills you’ll use in the fellowship. If you have a long list, curate it: select items that show data collection, analysis, and publication. Add a short note for each piece explaining your role and the tools you used.

5. Localise and contextualise. Show you understand the communities you’re reporting on. If you plan to work across several countries, explain logistics, language strategies, and how you’ll partner with local organisations or journalists. Local partnerships reduce risk and extend reach.

6. Demonstrate scalability or continuity. Explain how your project could continue after the stipend ends. Could you hand over a dataset to an open repository? Will the story be syndicated? Funders like projects with life beyond the fellowship.

7. Use mentorship proactively. Mention what you hope to learn and who you want to connect with. Specific learning goals — e.g., “improve my data visualisation using D3” or “learn secure data collection methods for sensitive interviews” — show you will make the most of the program.

Combine these strategies with clean, error-free writing. A crisp, carefully proofed application signals professionalism.

Application Timeline (Work backwards from January 11, 2026)

If the deadline is January 11, 2026, plan to submit at least 48–72 hours before that to avoid last-minute technical issues. Here’s a realistic schedule starting seven weeks out:

• 7 weeks before (late November): Sketch project idea, confirm WanaData membership, and request internal reviews from peers.
• 6 weeks before: Draft project summary, list deliverables, and gather portfolio links. Reach out to potential local partners and ask for short letters or confirmations if needed.
• 5 weeks before: Prepare ethics and data handling plan. Draft a one-page timeline that breaks your project into weekly milestones.
• 4 weeks before: Write the application answers. Get feedback from at least two people — one technical, one non-specialist — to ensure clarity.
• 3 weeks before: Finalise CV, compile published work, and check that all links open publicly. Format files as required.
• 2 weeks before: Proofread, implement feedback, and run a final consistency check (dates, names, URLs).
• 48–72 hours before: Submit and save confirmation. If there’s no automated receipt, take screenshots and note the timestamp.

Starting early gives you time to make the application readable and persuasive rather than rushed.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

The application form will require a handful of specific items. Treat each as a mini-product; sloppy attachments hurt your chances more than a conservative budget.

Likely required materials (prepare these ahead):

• Portfolio links to published work (3–5 pieces ideally)
• Short project proposal or work plan (500–1,000 words) outlining objectives, methods, deliverables, and timeline
• CV or professional bio (1–2 pages)
• Evidence of WanaData membership or registration
• Contact information for two referees or a short letter of support if requested
• Short ethics/data handling statement describing secure storage, anonymisation, and consent procedures
• Proof of residence or statement explaining regional relevance (if applicable)

Preparation tips: host your portfolio on reliable platforms (your newsroom links, GitHub, Kaggle, or personal website). For multimedia, include thumbnails and short context notes. For datasets, share a sample CSV with documentation and a README explaining columns and sources. Keep file sizes manageable and use PDF for documents unless the form requests another format.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Funders look beyond neat prose; they fund potential and evidence. A standout application typically has several of the following features:

• Clear, focused research question with tangible deliverables. Reviewers like specificity: “I will map incidents of online gender-based harassment in X region between 2022–2025 and produce an interactive map and three feature articles.”
• Demonstrated technical skill matched to the project. If you plan to scrape social media, show a past scraping project and explain data cleaning steps.
• Ethical safeguards for sensitive data and vulnerable sources. Name the encryption tools, anonymisation methods, and consent forms you’ll use.
• Strong dissemination plan addressing both regional languages and channels. Say whether you’ll publish in French, English, and local languages, and which media outlets or community platforms you will use.
• Local partnerships that increase reach and credibility. Partnering with a youth organisation, local radio, or a civic tech group raises impact and lowers risk.
• Thoughtful sustainability: a plan for handing over cleaned data to public repositories or running workshops that teach others how to use the outputs.

In short: combine technical competence, ethical rigor, regional knowledge, and a realistic plan to be compelling.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these pitfalls; they’re common and surprisingly easy to fix.

1. Vague objectives. “I will produce content about gender” is not an objective. Replace it with a measurable outcome and a clear format — one interactive map, three feature stories, and a dataset published to an open repository.

2. No portfolio or weak examples. If reviewers can’t see what you’ve done before, they’ll worry you can’t deliver. Curate quality work rather than quantity.

3. Ignoring privacy and consent. In gender and rights reporting, overlooking safety protocols is a red flag. Don’t gloss over anonymisation; state your procedures.

4. Overambition. Asking to cover an entire region with limited time and resources looks naïve. Scope tightly and explain why the scale is doable.

5. Poor localisation. A proposal disconnected from local realities — languages, internet access, or partner organisations — looks theoretical. Show you understand context.

6. Last-minute submission. Technical failures or missing documents often kill otherwise strong applications. Submit early.

Fix these and you boost your odds significantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many fellows are selected? A: The program will select 14 fellows for 2026.

Q: How much is the stipend? A: Each fellow receives USD 250 per month. That stipend is an allowance for the fellowship period; check the official page for duration and payment schedule.

Q: Do I need to be a journalist? A: No — you can be a data scientist, researcher, storyteller, or media content creator. The key requirement is a portfolio of published, evidence-based work.

Q: Is residency required in a specific country? A: Priority is for applicants based in the Sahel, neighbouring West Africa, or the Horn of Africa. Exceptional candidates from elsewhere in Africa may still qualify if the project speaks to the target regions.

Q: Are both English and French accepted? A: Yes. Fluency in English or French is required; bilingual applicants have an advantage.

Q: What outputs do fellows produce? A: Typical outputs include data-driven articles, interactive visualisations, datasets, and community outreach events. Be specific in your proposal about what you will deliver.

Q: Will fellows receive ongoing support after the stipend ends? A: The fellowship offers mentorship and connections during the program. Long-term support varies; describe how your work could be sustained or shared after the fellowship in your application.

Q: Where can I get clarification? A: If the form or the fellowship page has contact details for program officers, use them. They can clarify duration, reporting requirements, or other procedural questions.

Next Steps — How to Apply

Ready to apply? Don’t rush. Use the checklist below to submit a competitive package.

1. Confirm you are a registered WanaData member and have at least one year of relevant experience.
2. Draft a focused project proposal with clear outputs and a week-by-week timeline.
3. Curate a portfolio of 3–5 published works that showcase your data skills and storytelling.
4. Prepare a short data ethics statement and assemble any partner confirmations.
5. Complete the online form and submit at least 48–72 hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute problems.

Ready to apply? Visit the official application form: https://forms.gle/Rfg1zCPub89u2rF27

For more context and program details, keep an eye on Code for Africa and WanaData channels — and if you can, talk to alumni or local partners before you submit. A quick conversation can turn a good application into a confident one.

Good luck — if your aim is to produce rigorous, safe, and locally resonant data work that centers youth and gender, this fellowship is a practical way to make that happen.