Nigeria Halts New Foreign Scholarships for Students

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the cessation of funding for new foreign scholarships under its Bilateral Education Agreement programme. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated that the decision was made after a review of the country’s foreign scholarship arrangements, emphasizing the need to reduce unnecessary expenditure and strengthen local educational institutions.

Alausa noted that Nigeria has expanded its tertiary education capacity significantly, making it unnecessary to send students abroad for courses available locally. He referenced a proposal for approximately 100,000 students to study in Morocco, which raised concerns about costs and the requirement for students to learn French for a year before commencing their studies.

Alausa described the previous scholarship arrangements as inefficient and stated that the government would focus on investing in domestic education. While new awards under this programme are discontinued, existing beneficiaries will continue to receive support until they complete their studies.

The government remains open to scholarships offered directly by foreign governments.