A total of 104 young Nigerians have been awarded the European Union (EU)-funded postgraduate scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic session.
This scholarship, which is under the EU’s Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Plus programme, will enable the beneficiaries to acquire interdisciplinary skills to emerge as practitioners, researchers, or decision-makers in their chosen fields.
Nigeria is the leading country in Africa for Erasmus participation, and among the global top five alongside the trio of South Asian countries and Mexico.
At this year’s Erasmus Plus Pre-Departure Orientation in Abuja, Gautier Mignot, EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, congratulated the awardees, noting that they went through a very competitive, global application process.
“Over 15,000 applications were made, and today, you stand among the selected few. You should be proud of yourselves and so are we.
“This year, so far, 104 Nigerian students are starting their Erasmus Masters in September, of which 83 of them, almost 80 percent have secured fully-funded Erasmus scholarships,” he said.
Mignot noted that since 2014, over 800 Nigerians have been awarded the Erasmus scholarships, with over 600 in the last four years. “This is a testament to the brilliance, determination, and potential of Nigerian youths as well as the strength of our partnership,” he said.
Addressing the awardees on what they should expect in the next two years of the programme, he said, “Erasmus Plus is not your typical study programme. It is a unique, transformative journey. Over the next 12 to 24 months, you will live, study and grow across several countries, experiencing different cultures, educational systems, and ways of life. Most of you will be in EU-member states but the programmes are getting more international.
“Erasmus Mundus is open to universities worldwide, and some of you will be starting in Türkiye or the UK, while others of you will spend a later part at other countries further afield. There is also a great mix of universities involved – from classic academic focused universities to technical universities or polytechnics with a more vocational orientation.
“At the end of your studies, you will not only hold an internationally recognised master’s degree from some of the world’s top universities, but you will also carry with you a wealth of global experiences, lifelong friendships and a broader perspective on the world,” he stated.”
In his remarks, Hon. Ayodele Olawande, minister of Youth Development, described the Erasmus scholarship programme as far more than an academic opportunity. “It is a call to serve as ambassadors of knowledge, culture, and cooperation,” he said.
Olawande, who was represented by Ebiho Agun, the technical adviser to the minister of Youth Development, commended the EU for its continued investment in human capital, and for recognising that young people are the drivers of change, innovation, and sustainable development.
