Applications call for the Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) 2021. The Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) is an international leadership program that cultivates the next generation of leaders to contribute to the development of sub-Saharan Africa. AAI Scholars have lost one or both parents and are committed to returning to sub-Saharan Africa to initiate change, innovation, and development. The AAI provides access to full financial support to study at university abroad (equivalent to an undergraduate degree), including tuition, room, travel costs and other necessary fees.

Eligible Countries

Have citizenship and have completed/are completing high school in one of the following countries: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, CAR, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Kingdom of eSwatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sénégal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Criteria 

• Lost one or both parents.
• Completed secondary school and passed national secondary school examination (technical and vocational degrees not accepted) within the last two years (any date after 1st September 2018, including all of 2019 and 2020) or will have completed secondary school and received final exam results before February 28th, 2021.
• Born after 1st September 1998.
• Do not have the means to attend university abroad without external financial support.
• Proficient in English or French.
• Regularly ranked in the top 10% of their class during their last 2 or 3 years of secondary school. Students without strong grades are unlikely to be successful.
• Able to participate in the two Ashinaga preparatory programs, over the course of one year, before attending university.
• Committed to returning home, or to Sub-Saharan Africa, and contribute to society in Sub-
• Saharan Africa after graduating from university.
• No dependents who could interfere with academic progress.
• A good enough health condition to be able to study abroad.

Application Process

There are two stages to the Ashinaga Africa Initiative application process;

• Registration: All applicants must first confirm the eligibility by registering for the program. Only students who register for the program and are deemed eligible (based on criteria/eligibility above) will receive the application form.
• Application: All students who register for the program will receive an email with a link to the application form within 1 month of their registration if they are eligible for the program.

APPLY ONLINE