The European Union (EU) has partnered with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deliver postgraduate scholarships to 75 ECOWAS citizens and Mauritania in the sustainable energy sector.
The scholarship, aimed at building the capacity of young professionals in the West African energy sector, will sponsor selected applicants to study in some universities in West Africa.
The EU has set aside €1.9 million for the implementation of the scholarship programme, said the Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and West Africa, Cecile Tassin-Pelzer.
“In the framework of the new multiannual Indicative Programme 2021-2027 of the EU for Sub-Saharan Africa, we are planning to allocate 600 million euros of grants funding in the sustainable energy sector in West Africa alone,” she said.
“As demonstrated by this programme, the EU is also available to support the human capital development accompanying this transition, by contributing to the capacity strengthening of higher education institutions in West Africa, in the sustainable energy sector, through scholarships.”
Gender consideration
The Country Director of the British Council Nigeria and West Africa Cluster, Lucy Pearson, said the scholarship would cover tuition for a master’s degree, travel, stipends for scholars, social and medical insurance as well as research grants in the field of sustainable energy.
The British Council is to deliver the scholarship on behalf of the EU and ECOWAS.
Mr Pearson said about 25 scholars have been selected to complete their masters in the institutions at the end of the first round of call for applications for three institutions in Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Ghana.
According to him, there are only 16 to 18 per cent female population in the first cohorts, adding that the British Council hopes to scale the figure to at least 40 per cent.
He, therefore, encouraged female candidates in the energy sector to apply for the scholarships.
Scholarship
The British Council has selected nine West African universities where scholars under this programme can choose to study.
Three of the universities are located in Nigeria, two in Senegal, and one each in Ghana, Togo, Cape Verde and Ivory Coast.
The universities, according Mr Pearson, are; Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), University of Nigeria Nsukka, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), and Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs Université de Lomé (Togo).
Others are Ecole Polytechnique de Thiès (Senegal), Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), and Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Ivory Coast), and Universidade de Cabo Verde (Cape Verde).
The courses of study under the programme are strictly sustainable energy-related courses including M.sc Energy Planning and Management, Environmental Technology Management, Energy Economics, Energy Finance, M.Phil Renewable Energy Technology, Power Systems Engineering, Bioengineering, and LL.M Energy Law, among others.
Mr Pearson said the universities were chosen based on their curriculum and expertise in the field.
He added that candidates can visit the British Council website to apply.
