Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ In a bid to boost education and economic competitiveness, the Nigerian Federal Government has raised scholarship awards for all academic levels by 50%. The reform is worth a total of ₦6 billion as a budget for the 2025–2026 cycle and is a total restructuring of the national scholarship plan that aims to alleviate the financial burden from students while positioning human capital development towards the country’s long-term economic objectives.
Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa announced the move in a high-level meeting with officials of the Federal Scholarship Board in Abuja. The minister declared that the reform forms a key plank of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy through strategic investments in education, particularly science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical Sciences (STEMM).
Scholarship awards have been significantly increased to reflect the rising cost of education and to promote greater inclusivity, the minister has said. PhD students will get ₦750,000, higher than ₦500,000. Master’s students will get ₦600,000, higher than ₦400,000, and undergraduates, HND, and NCE will get ₦450,000, higher than ₦300,000. The increases will be effective in all major scholarship schemes, including the Nigerian Scholarship Award.
Two new subcategories are also included under the reconfigured Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) program. One will be for students of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and vocational training in public polytechnics, funded at ₦1 billion, and another for students of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy in public universities, funded at ₦1 billion. The two new scholarship schemes have been made possible by realigning funds for new BEA winners.
50% of the awards will be given to undergraduates, and 25% will be awarded to both master’s and PhD students. 70% of the funding within each academic level will be allocated to STEMM disciplines and 30% to social sciences. Interestingly, 5% of the scholarships have been kept aside for disabled students in a bid to ensure inclusivity.
The reform will touch the lives of over 15,000 students nationwide. It will be implemented with the guidance of an inter-ministerial committee, including representatives from the National Assembly and the Ministry of Women Affairs, to ensure transparency and equity.
In addition to finances, the program is an investment in Nigeria’s future, building the talent pipeline needed to drive national transformation and global competitiveness.
