Scholarships and programmes in Nigeria for Africans 2027

Which programmes are hosted in Nigeria?

AfriWay tracks 6 open programmes hosted in Nigeria right now. Two are fellowships, two are scholarships, one is a grant and one is a competition, and they come from 6 distinct funders.

The pattern here is different from countries where a single ministry writes most of the cheques. Nigerian funding on this list comes from companies, foundations and civic organisations. A construction firm pays engineering fees. A noodle manufacturer covers tuition. A telecoms operator runs a schools competition, and two small foundations fund writers and creative practitioners.

That changes how you should read the requirements. Corporate schemes tend to be narrow and fast, with short forms and hard cut-offs. Foundation fellowships ask for a portfolio and a plan. It also changes what happens if you miss a cycle: a company scheme tied to an academic session usually returns at the same point next year, while a foundation running its first cohort may not repeat at all.

Who can apply, and from which countries?

Four of the six are for Nigerians only. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc Undergraduate Scholarship Award (closed) from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc goes further and restricts itself to female undergraduates in engineering. Indomie Scholarship Program 2026: full tuition for new Nigerian students (closed) from Indomie is open to students entering tertiary education this session at a public or state-owned institution. CivicHive Creative Changemakers Fellowship Opportunity (closed) from CivicHive takes creative practitioners based in the country, and MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2026 for Nigerian pupils aged 15 and under (closed) is for schoolchildren.

Two entries reach beyond the borders. The Abebi AfroNonfiction Foundation Fellowship Opportunity (closed) from The Abebi AfroNonfiction Foundation accepts applicants from every African country, provided they can work in English, because the fellowship runs in that language. The widest by far is Interartsfunding Youth Action Lab Innovation Grants Project (closed) from Interartsfunding, open to organisations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

What the funding covers

None of the six is a fully funded package in the sense of tuition, stipend, flights and insurance together. Read each one for what it actually pays.

The largest single sum sits with Interartsfunding Youth Action Lab Innovation Grants Project (closed). Selected organisations receive up to EUR 42,000 to run an innovation project across 12 months, with delivery scheduled from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027. Applicants must be aged 35 or under, and the money goes to the project rather than to a salary.

Indomie Scholarship Program 2026: full tuition for new Nigerian students (closed) pays tuition in full for the duration of your programme, which for a four-year degree is the most valuable item on this page even though no cash changes hands. CivicHive Creative Changemakers Fellowship Opportunity (closed) pays a monthly stipend across a 3-month fellowship and adds a soft grant for outstanding fellows to develop content. The Abebi AfroNonfiction Foundation Fellowship Opportunity (closed) funds 10 places for nonfiction writers, and CivicHive Creative Changemakers Fellowship Opportunity (closed) funds 15.

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc Undergraduate Scholarship Award (closed) and MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2026 for Nigerian pupils aged 15 and under (closed) work as awards rather than as budgets. The first covers study costs for women in engineering. The second hands the winning pupil a scholarship grant of 5 million naira, a laptop, a smartphone and a set of branded items, alongside the title of MTN CEO for a Day.

The two programmes for younger applicants

Age limits matter here more than in most countries. MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2026 for Nigerian pupils aged 15 and under (closed) from MTN Nigeria Communications PLC is capped at 15, so it targets secondary school pupils and needs a parent or guardian to help with the entry. The first round opened on 3 August 2026 and shortlisted pupils sit a computer-based test before a physical verification stage.

Interartsfunding Youth Action Lab Innovation Grants Project (closed) sets its ceiling at 35 and expects an organisation behind the application, not an individual with an idea. If you are between those two ages and looking for something in Nigeria, the fellowships and the two scholarships are where to look, since none of them sets an upper age limit at all.

The deadline calendar

All six deadlines land inside four weeks. Sort by the one you qualify for and work backwards from there.

• 12 September 2026 for the nonfiction writing fellowship, The Abebi AfroNonfiction Foundation Fellowship Opportunity (closed)
• 15 September 2026 for the creative changemakers fellowship, CivicHive Creative Changemakers Fellowship Opportunity (closed)
• 16 September 2026 for the female engineering scholarship, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc Undergraduate Scholarship Award (closed)
• 23 September 2026 for the youth innovation grant, Interartsfunding Youth Action Lab Innovation Grants Project (closed)
• 30 September 2026 for the tuition scholarship, Indomie Scholarship Program 2026: full tuition for new Nigerian students (closed)
• 4 October 2026 at 23:59 for the schools spelling competition, MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2026 for Nigerian pupils aged 15 and under (closed)

Two of them opened well before the closing date. Applications for the writing fellowship have been running since 8 August 2026, and the spelling competition since 3 August 2026, so anyone applying now is already late in the window rather than early.

How to prepare an application in this cycle

Start with the documents that other people control. Nigerian scholarship forms usually ask for examination results and admission proof, and those come from institutions that work on their own timetable. The tuition scholarship accepts uploads of secondary school and university entrance results after registration, which means you can open the file early and complete it later, but only if you registered in time.

Prepare the writing separately. Both fellowships judge you on work you have already produced: nonfiction for one, creative content for the other. A portfolio assembled in the last week before a deadline reads exactly like a portfolio assembled in the last week before a deadline.

Check who is meant to apply before you spend an evening on a form. The innovation grant is submitted by an organisation with a project plan and a budget, so an individual application is rejected on structure rather than on merit. The engineering scholarship is restricted by gender and field, and the competition by age.

Finally, keep the verification stages in mind. Corporate schemes in this group shortlist applicants and then run a test or an in-person check, so the closing date is the start of the process rather than the end. Diaries matter as much as essays here, and the calendar above is the part worth copying somewhere you will see it.