Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme 2019 for Refugees and Displaced Persons in Africa (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: April 30th 2019

The Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme was launched in 2007 with the aim to contribute in the production and retention of high level African human resources for sustainable development of the continent incritical development areas, while promoting regional integration through intra-Africa mobility of students.

The Scholarship Scheme is intended to enable young Africans to study in reputable African Universities with a binding agreement that beneficiaries will work in any African country for at least the same duration of scholarship period after graduation.The African continent hosts one of the largest number of displaced persons in the world. Over a third of the world’s forcibly displaced persons are found in Africa, including 6.3 million refugees and 14.5 million internally displaced persons.

Access to higher education for many refugees has remained a challenge due to a number of reasons including the high cost of higher education and lack of appropriate documentation to facilitate enrollment of refugees into various institutions of higher learning.Only 1% of refugees and displaced people get access to higher education.

Promoting access to higher education is essential to enable refugees and forcibly displaced persons build their capacity to lead a normal life and contribute to regional integration and sustainable development in Africa. It is therefore necessary to enhance opportunities to effectively educate and integrate refugees and displaced persons.

To encourage the participation of young African Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons at Masters programmes in the fields of Natural Sciences, Agriculture, Health, Education, Engineering,and Social Sciences;the African Union Commission is offering a Call for Scholarship Applications.

The 2019 Scholarship offer is aimed to provide an important opportunity for enhancing the knowledge, professional skills and capacity of refugees and displaced persons;and there by streamline their integration to contribute for sustainable development in Africa.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for the Scholarship, a candidate must:

i.Be a Citizen of an African Union Member State.

ii.Be a formally registered refugee/displaced person with a UNHCR registration number or be able to demonstrate confirmed refugee status in an African Union Member State.

iii.Be under the age of thirty five (35) years.

iv.Be a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in the relevant field, at least at the level of Upper Second Class Honours. The degree must be from a recognised University.

v.Have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement as evidenced by academic transcripts, and academic awards if any.

vi.Have proof of admission to undertake a full time Masters programme in a recognised university in an African Union Member State.

vii.Be willing to commit to work in an African Union Member State on completion of studies for at least three (3) years. No application will be considered without an admission letter from a university, and an official registration as a refugee or displaced person.

ELIGIBLE FIELDS OF STUDY

The following fields of study are eligible:Natural Sciences, Agriculture, Health, Education, Engineering,and Social Sciences

Scholarship Worth:

The scholarship award covers the following:

Tuition Fees:

According to an official invoice from the Host University.

Stipend:

500 US$monthly,to support living expenses such as housing, food, utilities, local transportation and medication.

Book Allowance:

An allowance of 500US$per year for the purchase of books.Air ticket: A round-trip economy fare (as applicable).

Travel Allowance:

One-off payment of 250 US$ to contribute towards ground transportation and settling-in costs

One-off payment of 350US$ to assist with shipping and other terminal expenses; upon departure from the host Institution after successful completion of the study.

Computer Allowance:

One-off payment of1,000 US$ for the purchase of laptop computer and accessories.Note:Candidates must complete their study within the specified period of the programme as the scholarship cannot be extended.

Application Procedure:

Applicants can submit their applications by post after completing the Scholarship Application Form, which is available on the Africa Union website:www.au.int/en/scholarship

The application documents should include the following:

i.Completed application form

ii.A proof of refugee/displaced person status,indicating citizenship

iii.Recent passport-size photograph

iv.CV indicating applicant’s academic background and work experience

v.Certified copies of academic certificates and transcripts

vi.Copy of admission letter from a recognised African University

vii.Two (2) Reference Letters with contact addresses and telephone numbers.

viii.A Letter of Motivation of not more than 500words (maximum 2 pages) that explains why the candidate has chosen the particular field of study and its importance to Africa’s development

Applicants applying on-line should produce electronic copies of the above documents and submit as attachments.Applicants who submit their applications by post should make two (2) sets of hard copies of all the above documents.

The Application must be sent to the address below:

Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology
African Union Commission
P.O. Box 3243
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme 2019