Call for Applications and Nominations – Shock-Ready: Fiscal Resilience for a Changing North Africa

A free, three-day online training for researchers, policy analysts and government officials

• When: 11–13 January 2027, 10:00–15:00 Cairo time (UTC+2) each day
• Where: Online, live, with interactive group work
• Cost: Free of charge
• Places: About [15–17]
• Apply by: 5 December 2026
• Apply here: https://erf.org.eg/online-training-application-form/
   

WHY THIS COURSE

Commodity price swings, the pandemic, climate stress, currency pressures, rising debt-service costs and regional conflict have tested public finances across North Africa. Governments need evidence on how exposed their budgets are, and on which choices make them more resilient.

This hands-on course, organized by the Economic Research Forum (ERF) under the Africa Think Tanks Platform (ATTP), gives you the tools to produce that evidence and put it in front of policymakers.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• What fiscal resilience is, and how it differs from fiscal sustainability and fiscal space
• How to measure fiscal vulnerability with public data, by building your own country dashboard in Excel
• How debt dynamics, debt sustainability analysis and contingent liabilities work
• How revenue, spending, subsidy and social protection choices affect resilience
• How to design and run a stress test, and interpret the results responsibly
• How to turn your analysis into a policy brief that decision-makers will read

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

• Day 1: 11 January: Concepts and measurement, Fiscal resilience explained, Build a fiscal vulnerability dashboard in Excel
• Day 2: 12 January: Fiscal risks and policy levers, Debt dynamics and hidden liabilities, Revenue, spending, subsidies and social protection
• Day 3: 13 January: Scenarios and policy influence, Stress-testing workshop, Policy brief clinic

About 70 percent of the time is spent on exercises, group work and discussion, using Excel templates and a regional data pack shared before the course.

WHO CAN APPLY
The course is open to ERF Research Fellows and Affiliates, researchers and policy analysts at think tanks and research institutions, and government officials from Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia and Tunisia.

You should:

• hold at least a bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, finance or a related field;
• have basic Excel skills and working proficiency in English;
• work on, or plan to work on, research or policy related to public finance; and
• be able to attend all three days in full.

Early-career researchers are encouraged to apply, and priority is given to early-career women. Institutions may also nominate candidates; nominees complete the same application form.

HOW TO APPLY
Complete the online form by 5 December 2026:  https://erf.org.eg/online-training-application-form/ 

You will need:

• a motivation statement of about 150 words explaining how the course links to your current or planned work; and
• a short CV (maximum two pages, PDF).

Selected participants will be notified by 20 December 2026. Participants who attend all three days and complete the final knowledge check receive an ERF certificate of participation.

KEY DATES

• Application deadline: 5 December 2026
• Selected participants notified: By 20 December 2026
• Course materials shared and technical check: 4–8 January 2027
• Training: 11–13 January 2027
   

Questions? Contact Salma El Aidarosy, Program Manager | selaidarosy@erf.org.eg