Australian Government’s development assistance program for Africa

Application Deadline:

February 28 2014 for PHD Deadline

17 January 2014  for Africa Fellowships.

13 December 2013 for Masters level Awards

Applications for 2014/15 are now open.

Australia Awards in Africa (AAA), an initiative of the Australian Government, is a pan-African program of development scholarships and fellowships that offers 1,000 postgraduate scholarships each year to eligible African professionals.

Australia is committed to developing the capacity and leadership skills of Africans to enable them to contribute effectively to development in their home countries. Over the past three years, the number of scholarships available for African professionals has increased ten-fold to a total of 1,000 development awards annually. One-quarter of all Australia’s development scholarships are now directed to Africa.

Australia Awards, a cornerstone of the Australian Government’s development assistance program for Africa, provide access to postgraduate education, training and professional development opportunities for suitably qualified Africans from eligible countries. On their return to the workplace, Australia Awards Alumni are expected to contribute actively to development in their home countries.

Short course training under the Africa Fellowships enables scholars to participate in short courses of up to three months. Training is available for experienced employees from African public, private and non-government organisations (civil society) in the following fields: Agriculture; Health; Mining; Public Policy, including Diplomacy, Organisational and Employee Development, Trade and Public-Private Partnerships.

Award types include:

• Short Course Awards are available for studies in a range of priority sectors including Agriculture, Maternal and Child Health, Mining Governance and Public Policy. Studies are conducted at locations in Africa and in Australia for periods up to 3 months. Short course awards are available to eligible applicants from 51 African countries.

• Long-Term Awards are postgraduate scholarships that lead to an academic qualification from an Australian university. For studies commencing in 2014, Long-Term Awards are available to eligible applicants from 28 African countries.

• Australian Awards Scholarships, to undertake higher degree studies in Australia at Masters level.
• Australia Awards – Africa Fellowships, to undertake short-term, targeted professional training courses, in Australia and/or in Africa, in a range of development-focused sectors.

Australia Awards Scholarships (Masters level)

Priority areas are:

• Agriculture/Food Security
• Education
• Health
• Infrastructure
• Public Policy

Australia Awards (Fellowships)

Priority areas are:

• Agriculture/Food Security (Soil and Water Conservation Agriculture, Livestock and Post-harvest Management)
• Mining (Geospatial Information Systems, Managing the Social and Environmental Impacts of Mining and Mining Resources: Regulation and Revenue Management)
• Public Policy (including Diplomacy, Public-Private Partnerships and Trade)

Eligibility Criteria

• You must not be more than 50 years of age at the date of your application.
• You must have at least three (3) years’ relevant post graduate work experience. This work experience must be in a role relevant to your proposed field of study and to your employment organisation type (e.g. public sector applicants should demonstrate public sector work experience, and so on). Preference will be given to candidates with greater periods of experience.
• You possess, as a minimum, a Bachelors degree (or the equivalent) from a recognised Institution of at least 4 years in length with at least a 3rd Class Pass.
• Public sector candidates must comply with Government of your country regulations for government employees wishing to apply for scholarships
• Public sector, private sector and civil society candidates must provide evidence of completion of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) (for Nigerian candidates- visit adsafrica.com.au for country specific requirements) when they apply.
• You must not already hold, or be studying for, a Masters degree
• You must be willing to make a formal commitment to return to your current employment following completion of the award

Eligible African Countries

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Comoros, Congo(Republic of), Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia

In addition to the above, the following countries are eligible for Short Course Awards (SCAs) for the 2013 Intake

Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Mauritania, Niger, North Sudan, Republic of Guinea, South Sudan

How can I apply for an Award?

Go to this Link: http://australiaawardsafrica.org/africa-map/Hover over the Africa map click on ‘choose your country’ and check the country-specific page for details on whether your country receives scholarships.

Application Ends By

13 December 2013 for Masters level Awards

17 January 2014  for Africa Fellowships.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Australia Awards for Africa