FAO Internship Programme for Africa 2026–2027

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Internship Programme for Africa offers eligible students and recent graduates practical experience in an international organisation, with assignments lasting 3 to 11 months across various locations.

Who Can Apply

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree programme at a recognised educational institution.
• Recent graduates.
• Applicants aged between 21 and 30 years.
• Nationals of FAO Member countries.
• Candidates with higher education qualifications from an institution accredited or recognised in the World Higher Education Database (WHED).
• Applicants specialising in a field relevant to FAO’s mission and work.
• Candidates with a working knowledge of at least one FAO language: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish.

Fields of Study

Fields related to FAO’s mission, including agriculture, food security, sustainable development, agri-food systems and other relevant areas.

Value

• Practical workplace experience within the United Nations system.
• Assignments lasting between 3 and 11 months.
• Opportunities to apply academic knowledge to professional assignments and develop competencies relevant to international development and the agri-food sector.
• FAO provides a monthly stipend to interns who are not sponsored by their sending university or another entity; the amount and conditions vary by assignment.

Selection Criteria

Applicants are assessed on:

• Academic background and relevance of the applicant’s field to FAO’s work.
• Results focus, teamwork, communication, relationship-building, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Ability to adapt to an international and multicultural environment.
• Good communication skills.
• Applicants must have the required residence or immigration status in the proposed country of assignment.
• Candidates who have previously completed an FAO internship are not eligible for another FAO internship.
• Applicants with a mother, father, sister or brother employed by FAO under any contractual arrangement are not eligible.
• FAO encourages applications from qualified women, nationals of non- and under-represented Members, and candidates from LIFDCs, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.

Required Documents

• Completed online FAO recruitment profile.
• Employment history, academic qualifications and language skills entered accurately in the online profile.
• Letter of motivation.
• Evidence of attendance at a recognised university or copies of academic qualifications.

How to Apply

Apply through the official FAO recruitment portal by creating and completing an online profile, attaching the required documents and submitting the application for Vacancy Announcement 2601980. Only applications submitted through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered, and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application Deadline

1 January 2027 at 12:59 AM

Apply via the official page:

See more Internship opportunities on CoachScholar.