The European Union has offered postgraduate scholarships to 142 young Nigerians in top European universities in the 2024-25 academic session, under its flagship educational programme, Erasmus+.
According to the commission, with this number, Nigeria retains its number one spot among beneficiaries of the EU postgraduate scholarships in Africa for the 6th year and a place among the top five recipient countries globally.
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At a pre-departure orientation organised for the scholarship awardees in Abuja on Thursday, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, underlined the significance of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) programme, now in its 20th year, with its highly transformative impact on individuals, higher education institutions, and countries both within and outside of the EU.
The 142 Nigerian EMJMD awardees are among the initial batch of beneficiaries, announced by the organisers of the programme in Brussels.
Isopi stated that on successful completion of the programme, an EMJMD scholar will receive a master’s degree to be jointly awarded by a consortium of universities.
She noted that over the last two decades, Erasmus Mundus has brought together top universities from all over the EU and beyond to jointly organise excellent Master’s courses, merging the best parts of each national programme to form a new, integrated, and unique international study programme.
“The programme offers a unique appeal to prospective students, with its high academic standards, unparalleled mobility paths and attractive financial support,” Isopi said.
“The EU’s support for education in Nigeria aligns to national objectives and focuses on equitable access to quality education and teacher training. In its education sector support, the EU works with the governments of Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Oyo, Katsina, Enugu and Plateau states.
“The projects aim at strengthening the education system, increase the use of digital technology for teaching, learning and system management, and mainstream green skills and knowledge by investing EUR 45.4 million, in total during, 2021-2027 in the education projects”.
