Another set of 200 students in Nigeria are to benefit from scholarship of the African School of Economics.
This is a new collaboration between the Renewed Hope Initiative, a project of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD).
According to a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, this was disclosed during a courtesy visit by Ms Gloria Akobundu, the national coordinator, NEPAD and Mr Obinna Obiwulu, the director of communications, African School of Economics (ASE) to the First Lady at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.
Excited to have the partners, the first lady described the opportunity for Nigerian students to have entrepreneurial education as what Nigeria needs at this time, when many youths erroneously wait for white collar jobs after their tertiary education.
“In the developed world if you are not innovative enough then you will become jobless, so to have a school where entrepreneurship is being driven is very well thought out and commendable of the founder of Princeton University,” she said.
According to Ms Akobundu, the NEPAD strategic partnership is focusing on various sectors, in line with the objective of AUDA-NEPAD in the area of accelerating economic empowerment for women.
She said NEPAD is known for partnership with public and private sectors and for governance, development and economic growth which she said are part of the focus that attracted them to work with RHI.
“NEPAD which has now been transformed to the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) was a pledge by African leaders based on a common vision to eradicate poverty in the country.
“In line with our mandate, AUDA-NEPAD in partnership with ASE on development, economic and resource mobilisation is offering scholarships to 200 children captioned ‘Sen. Remi Tinubu’s Scholarship Fund’ in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative mission.
“The project is designed to provide equal opportunity of access to the highest global standards of tertiary education to young Nigerians,” she said.
NEPAD is an economic development programme of the African Union. It was adopted by the African Union at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia.
