This means that it is a very good achievement and reaffirms that Nigerian students are very good and among the best
The European Union (EU) says Nigeria has retained its number one spot among beneficiaries of its postgraduate scholarships in Africa for the sixth year.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, stated this in Abuja, at the award of scholarships to 142 postgraduate scholarships to young Nigerians in top European universities in the 2024-2025 academic session.
The 142 young people were awarded the scholarship under the EU’s flagship educational programme, Erasmus+.
The Erasmus Mundus scholarship is funded by the EU and is awarded to students selected for attending one of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Programmes at the Master’s or Doctoral level.
The scholarship can be awarded to students from both non-EU and EU countries.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, at the Erasmus+ Scholarship Pre-departure Orientation event, described Nigerian students as outstanding.
She said at the event, which was organised by the EU that the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) programme was now in its 20th year.
She said that this was with a highly transformative impact on individuals, higher education institutions, and countries both within and outside of the EU.
According to her, this year from Nigeria, there are 142 awardees who were selected from thousands of candidates all over the world through a very competitive process .
Isopi said, “This means that it is a very good achievement and reaffirms that Nigerian students are very good and among the best.
“Nigeria is the top country in Africa with the highest number of awardees this year and it is one of the top five in the world together with countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
“This once again shows that Nigeria is a country with great talents and we are very proud as the European Union that we can contribute not only to further development of that skill but to contribute through that to the development of Nigeria itself.”
Isopi said that the scholarship was an opportunity not only for their personal development but also a great opportunity for the country as well.
“This is because with this master’s programme, they will study in various European countries, some of them for one year, two years in very specific areas of competence.
“They will come back and put their skills at the disposal of their country to develop further,” she said.
The EU ambassador, however, said that most of the awardees would start their Erasmus plus journey in September.
She said that the pre-departure orientation was aimed at providing the recipients with hands-on tips on how to make the best of the immense opportunities inherent in the prestigious scholarship.