2015 Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme for Physical Disabled Students

Applications are ongoing for the 2015 Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme for Physical Disabled Students. The Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme is for young African students with permanent physical disabilities. Scholarships are awarded to undertake a full time Masters programme in African Universities which have appropriate facilities and good services for the disabled students.

Physical disabilities include: visual impairments (partial or total loss of sight, blindness), Hearing impairments (hardness of hearing, deafness) and Mobility impairments (partial or total physical functional limitation).

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

The Scholarship Scheme is intended to enable young Africans to study in leading African Universities with a binding agreement that beneficiaries will work in an African country for at least the same duration of scholarship period after graduation.

Scholarship Value

The scholarship covers:

• Tuition Fees: Maximum for two academic years.
• 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 and other supplies.
• Air ticket: A round-trip economy fare for the most direct route between the beneficiary’s home country and the study destination of host Institute.
• Travel Allowance: One-off payment of 250 US$ to contribute towards ground transportation from airport 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.

Eligible Countries

Citizens of an African Union Member State – Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Special Scholarship, a candidate must:

• Be a Citizen of an African Union Member State.
• Have a physical disability.
• Be under the age of thirty five (35) years.
• Be a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in the relevant field, at the level of Upper Second Class Honours. The degree must be from a reputable University.
• Have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement as evidenced by academic transcripts, and academic awards if any.
• Have proof of admission to undertake a full time Masters programme in a recognized university of an African Union Member State.
• Be willing to commit to work in an African Union Member State on completion of studies for at least three (3) years.

Application Procedure

Applicants must scan and produce electronic copies of all the below documents (converted to PDF format) and send via e- mail. In addition two (2) sets of hard copies of the below documents must be sent by post. The applicants should submit their formal application which should include the following:

• Completed application form
• Recent passport-size photograph
• Summarised CV with names and contacts of three referees.
• Certified copies of academic certificates and transcripts
• Certified copies of Passport or national Identity Card indicating citizenship
• Physician’s letter confirming physical disability of the applicant.
• Copy of admission letter from a recognised African University.
• Two (2) Reference Letters with contact addresses.
•An essay of not more than 500 words that explains why the candidate has chosen his/her particular field of study and it’s importance to Africa’s development.

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is scheduled for 31st March 2015. 

All forms and detailed ‘how to go about applying’ for the scholarship is available on the official scholarship website.

Official Scholarship Website – http://hrst.au.int/en/nyerere?q=nyerere