About the Center

Established in 1998, the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is an independent non-governmental research-based and policy-oriented] institute dedicated to the promotion of democracy, good governance and economic openness in Ghana and Africa.  The Center has earned a reputation as a source of high-quality policy research (including the Afrobarometer) and technical analyses and reports on a broad range of governance-related issues.  The Center’s services and outputs are available to, and used by, various state and non-state institutions (including parliaments, anti-corruption agencies, election authorities, human rights commissions, and donor agencies) as well as media and civic groups in Ghana and Africa.  The Center’s recent activities and programs have included:

• Leading and managing a broad-based coalition of domestic election observers (CODEO) for election monitoring in Ghana the 2000 and 2004 elections.
  
  
• Providing leadership in the establishment of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), (Ghana’s chapter of Transparency International) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC).
  
  
• Mobilizing public and civic participation in Ghana’s post-authoritarian national reconciliation/transitional justice process and providing technical support to the National Reconciliation Commission.
  
  
• Promoting democratic civilian control of the Armed Forces and the institutionalization of a human rights ethos in the Police Service in Ghana.
  
  
• Initiating research and leading civic advocacy for the adoption of non-custodial sentencing alternatives in Ghana’s penal system.
  
  
• Spearheading research and civic advocacy for the passage of a credible Disability Act (Act 715) and promoting its implementation. 
  
  
• Undertaking major research programs to support Ghanaian and African democratic development and good governance such as the Governance and anti-corruption diagnostic research (2000), Afrobarometer surveys (since 1999), political party development/financing, the political governance and democracy component of Ghana’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in 2004/5, the Ghana “Drivers of Change” analysis in 2004/5, and the Economic Commission for Africa’s Africa Governance Report I and II in 2002 and 2007 respectively.   

Qualification: Ph. D in political science, economics, public policy, sociology, African history or JD or JSD (law) required.  

Job Description: Initiate and undertake policy and advocacy-oriented research and writing (quantitative/qualitative) in areas of democratic development; political and economic governance of the public realm; constitutionalism; human rights; and social development.  

Tenure: Minimum duration of one year, but two or more years preferable 

It is open to interested candidates from accredited English-speaking universities, especially nationals of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  

Benefits:

The benefits associated with the Fellowship include the following:

• The Center will provide eligible Fellows with one round trip (economy/coach class) ticket per year of Fellowship.
  
• Fellows will also have opportunities to participate in the Center’s research and other programs, including presentation of candidate’s work-in-progress or papers at forums organized by the Center; access to data and original publications emanating from the Center’s research and other programs (in which a fellow participates, including the Afrobarometer); access to the Center’s wide network of researchers, policy makers and civic/and policy advocacy groups and individuals; and opportunities to publish scholarly and or policy-relevant work in the Center’s Critical Perspectives and other publications. 

However, the position is non-remunerative.  Fellows are strongly encouraged to apply for scholarships to cover the costs of their stay in Ghana, using the Center as reference where appropriate.