African Economic Research Consortium

Established in July 1988, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is a public, not-for-profit organization devoted to advanced policy research and training. The principle objective is to strengthen local capacity for conducting independent, rigorous inquiry into problems pertinent to the management of sub-Saharan African. Since 1988, the AERC has brought rigour and evidence to economic policy-making in Africa through economic research, graduate training and policy outreach. Today, the African Economic Research Consortium is one of the most active research and capacity-building institutions in the world with a focus on Africa. The AERC is supported by donor governments, private foundations and international organizations. 

The Joint Facility for Electives (JFE)

The JFE is an intensive teaching environment that offers a full range of elective courses in the Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP) and the Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP). Each year from late June to early November, postgraduate students from eligible CMAP and CPP participating universities are jointly taught elective courses by a team of internationally competitively sourced visiting lecturers. Beginning from 2020, the AERC is implementing an innovative virtual/online teaching of JFE elective courses to students across its network of collaborating universities. The curriculum for each of the CMAP and CPP elective fields has been updated and bench-marked against leading Economics graduate programmes globally, while teaching materials have been jointly developed by teams of reputable international resource persons. About 150 Masters and 40 PhD students are expected to enrol for the JFE in 2024 after successful completion of core courses comprising Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Quantitative Methods at their home universities. Apart from encouraging a more efficient use of resources, the JFE offers an ideal environment for networking and a structured exchange of ideas, materials and methods that reduce isolation and stimulate continued growth and collective improvement in quality. Typically, the CMAP JFE runs for a duration of 14 weeks comprising two semesters of seven weeks each, while the CPP JFE runs for about 16 weeks divided into two eight-week semesters. 

APPLICATIONS FOR THE JFE 2024 VISITING LECTURESHIPS 

The African Economic Research Consortium now invites applications from qualified and experienced scholars willing and able to offer online teaching of courses in the following elective fields: 

CMAP	CPP
Econometrics Theory and Practice Environmental Economics Financial Economics  Health Economics International Economics Labour Economics Monetary Theory and Practice Public Sector Economics	Development Economics Econometrics Financial Economics Environmental Economics Health Economics International Economics Labour Economics Monetary Economics Public Sector Economics Research Methods and Computer Applications

Dates

The courses in these fields will be intensively taught online through an appropriate learning platform. The CMAP JFE will begin on June 24 and end on October 11, 2024, with the first semester running from June 24 to August 15, 2024, and the second from August 20 to October 11, 2024.  The CPP JFE will begin on July 1 and end on November 1, 2024, with the first semester running from July 1 to August 29, 2024, and the second one from September 3 to November 1, 2024.  In both programmes, each elective field is typically taught by one instructor per semester.

Qualifications

Qualifications for visiting lectureships include the following:

1. At least have a PhD degree in Economics or related field;
2. Be a senior academic at the rank of Senior Lecturer and above (or equivalent);
3. Proven experience in graduate degree-level teaching in the specific fields of economics of not less than 3 years in the case of the CMAP and not less than 5 years for the CPP;
4. Demonstrable experience in supervision of Masters and PhD theses to successful completion;
5. Published in refereed/peer reviewed outlets (journal articles, books and book chapters), preferably with at least three publications in recognized sources during the last five years.
6. Experience in virtual learning as well as teaching in a similar regional collaborative training programme is an added advantage;
7. Qualified female applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
8. Applicants should have access to appropriate ICT infrastructure at their home institutions or office to successfully deliver teaching virtually.

Remuneration

An attractive remuneration will be paid upon successful completion of the assignment. 

Application, Recruitment and Selection

Interested applicants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours: 0830 hrs – 1700 hrs. 

Applications should be submitted online using the link: https://training.aercafrica.org/visitinglectureshipapplication by 31st March, 2024 at 1200 Hrs. The application cover letter must be clearly referenced as “VISITING LECTURESHIP AT THE JOINT FACILITY FOR ELECTIVES (JFE) 2024” and should be addressed to:

The Executive Director 

African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)

3rd Floor, Middle East Bank Towers, Jakaya Kikwete Road

P.O. Box 62882 – 00200 Nairobi, Kenya

The application should include:

1. 1. A cover letter clearly indicating the course or courses you wish to teach, the programme (either CMAP or CPP or both), the semester (1st or 2nd semester or both) and valid e-mail, postal and telephone contacts.
   2. Current curriculum vitae (CV), clearly indicating academic and professional qualifications, teaching experience at graduate/post graduate level and the courses taught at that level, the number of Master’s and PhD theses successfully supervised, as well as a full listing of research and publications record (journal articles, books and book chapters).
   3. Two written references, at least one of which MUST be from your immediate Head of Department. (NB: Applicants who have successfully taught at the CMAP or CPP JFE in the last three years are exempted from this specific requirement).
   4. NB. Please combine all your attachments into one PDF before uploading (starting with the application/cover letter, CV, reference letters, and any other required attachments).

The recruitment and selection process will also include thorough background and reference checks, face-to-face or telephone/video interviews, as well as a mandatory probationary period for successful first-time applicants.  

Note: The deadline for receipt of applications is 31st March, 2024. Efforts will be made to acknowledge and respond to all applications individually. However, if you do not hear from the AERC by 30th June, 2024, please consider your application as unsuccessful.

“The AERC is an Equal Opportunity Employer”

AFRICAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

The Collaborative Master’s Degree Programme in Economics for Anglophone Africa (CMAP)

The Collaborative PhD Degree Programme in Economics for Sub-Saharan Africa (CPP)

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR VISITING LECTURESHIPS AT THE JOINT FACILITY FOR ELECTIVES (JFE) 2024

The specific terms of reference will be:

1. To participate in the teaching of the course you have been selected for, and in accordance with the approved JFE curriculum and within the specified period.
2. To set, administer and grade tests and assignments on the part of the course you will have taught or the entire course (whichever is applicable in your case), in accordance with the course outline, dates and guidelines that may be stipulated from time to time. The grades/marks for each student in your class should be compiled and handed in by the deadline set by the AERC Secretariat.
3. To prepare a draft end-of semester examination and its marking guide/scheme for moderation by an external examiner by the fourth week of the JFE, or as may otherwise be communicated. 
4. To prepare the final end-of semester examination and its detailed marking guide/scheme incorporating feed-back from the external examiner, where applicable.
5. To set a supplementary examination paper and its detailed marking guide/scheme and to mark the scripts for any candidate who sits for the supplementary examination.
6. In the case of the CPP, to set draft comprehensive examination questions and their detailed marking guide/scheme for the elective field/course you will have taught at the JFE, in accordance with the set guidelines.
7. To mark in good time the final end-of-semester examination scripts for the course you will have taught, and to compile and hand in the grades/marks for all candidates within seven days of receipt of the scripts or any other deadline set by the AERC Secretariat.
8. To facilitate students’ preparation and revision for final examinations by returning all graded continuous assessment scripts (for tests and assignments) to candidates at least one week prior to the start of end-of-semester examinations, and by being available for consultations by the students during revisions for the examinations.
9. To participate fully in the joint CMAP/CPP weekly seminar series and present at least one paper in the seminars, assist students in draft proposal/concept note preparations and presentations aimed at helping them to come up with researchable topics for their Masters/PhD theses research after they leave the JFE and to provide them with an opportunity to be introduced into the practical science and art of writing and presentation of academic papers and other works, including theses, through a “learning-by-doing” approach.
10. To prepare a comprehensive course evaluation report at the end of the teaching assignment in accordance with the stipulated guidelines.
11. To comply with all other terms and conditions of the JFE lectureship contract.