2008 Press Releases

Women's Leadership Training in Economics (18 Dec 08)

The United States Mission in Sierra Leone through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has the pleasure of announcing a new scholarship program, Women’s Leadership Training in Economics, that will provide post-graduate training in applied policy economics for 31 women from eight developing countries including Sierra Leone (the other countries are Tanzania, Nepal, Guinea, Angola, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Pakistan).  The women selected will benefit from a two-year, U.S.-based Master’s program in economics starting in September 2009.  Upon graduation, participants are expected to return to their home countries to participate in the economic policy-making there.

The Women’s Leadership Training in Economics (WLTIE) program is designed with the view that an advanced training in policy economics for women will lead to a qualified cadre of female economists to participate in and eventually lead economic policy making.  The intertwined objectives of the WLTIE program are:

• Leadership skills:  to provide participants with the leadership skills necessary to assume senior level positions at the forefront of economic policy making in USAID-assisted countries.
  
• Academic Excellence and Competence:  to provide participants with a solid training in economics that is policy oriented, draws on experience already gained at their home country institutions, and prepares them to undertake senior level economic policy positions.
  
• Fostering networking opportunities:  program participants will have the opportunity to study with colleagues from the United States, their own country and other countries, thus providing a network of fellow economists to draw upon in their careers.
  

The WLTIE program covers all costs including required visas, academic qualification test fees, tuition, and room & board.  This scholarship does not cover travel for the family or children of selected participants. However, U.S. academic institutions sometimes have provisions that can meet this need. Upon acceptance to a particular university, the participant can contact the university for further assistance (with help from USAID).
Key Requirements

• Sierra Leonean citizenship
  

• An undergraduate degree in economics
  

• A minimum score on the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the
  

• Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
  

• Computer proficiency
  

• Prior work experience in related field
  

• Employed in the government or likely to be employed in the government or a an economic policy-related institution
  

Application and Selection Process

Candidates are required to submit an application form and Curriculum Vitae.  The application form is available on the US Embassy website and USAID website at:  http://freetown.usembassy.gov.  Following review of all applications, short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown.  Those who pass the interview stage must then take the TOEFEL and GRE exams (administered in Freetown). 

Application forms must be submitted to USAID no later than January 7, 2009.  Candidates are asked to send in their applications via e-mail to: Amy Challe - challeab@stae.gov  or Miranda Taylor - mirtaylor@usaid.gov.  For additional information, please address your questions to mirtaylor@usaid.gov .