MWALIMU NYERERE AFRICAN UNION SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME 2019 Call for Scholarship Applications

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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 in critical 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.

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union declared 2019 as “the Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”. Supporting access to higher education for refugees and displaced persons is integral to the AU Theme for 2019.

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 thereby streamline their integration to contribute for sustainable development in Africa.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the Scholarship, a candidate must:

1. Be a Citizen of an African Union Member State.
2. 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.
3. Be under the age of thirty five (35) years.
4. 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.
5. Have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement as evidenced by academic transcripts, and academic awards if any.
6. Have proof of admission to undertake a full time Masters programme in a recognised university in an African Union Member State.
7. 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

THE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

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 500 US$ 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 350 US$ 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 of 1,000 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

Interested candidates can apply on-line using the link

www.edu-au.org/scholarship

OR

They 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:

1. Completed application form
2. A proof of refugee/displaced person status, indicating citizenship
3. Recent passport-size photograph
4. CV indicating applicant’s academic background and work experience
5. Certified copies of academic certificates and transcripts
6. Copy of admission letter from a recognised African University
7. Two (2) Reference Letters with contact addresses and telephone numbers.
8. A Letter of Motivation of not more than 500 words (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

================  CLOSING DATE: 30th April 2019  ==============

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