infrastructure development | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans

Robert S. McNamara International Fellowships Program 2011: socioeconomic development

The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program was established in 1982 to honor the former President of the World Bank. The Program annually awards Fellowships to support innovative and imaginative post-graduate research in areas of socioeconomic development – specifically focusing on issues critical to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in society. To date, 282 Fellowships have been awarded, spanning issues related to development economics, health and population, education, environment, agricultural and infrastructure development, conflict resolution, the role of NGOs in development, trade and tax reforms, poverty reduction, and institutional and regulatory reform.

The Program’s funding comes from an investment income earned from an endowment fund set up by contributions from the World Bank and the governments of Bangladesh, China, India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and former Yugoslavia.

Fellowships are open to applicants who are nationals of, and residents in, countries which are currently eligible to borrow from the World Bank (See Program website for eligible countries). The research must be carried out in a member country of the World Bank other than the applicant’s own country, or country of residence at the time of application.

The Program provides support to young researchers working in academic and research institutions from eligible countries preparing a doctoral thesis. Research grants cover residence costs for a 5 to 10 month period in a renowned university or research center. Fellows are expected to advance their research work mainly by using the facilities provided by the host institution, having access to essential resources such as reference books and research publications, databases, software, etc., attending seminars (and eventually courses), and more generally by interacting with peers.
Period of Fellowship: Fellowships are awarded for a period of five to ten months and must be completed between July 2011 and June 2012.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 28 February 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Master Scholarships in Infrastructure Management at Yokohama National University, Japan

The Master’s Degree Program in Infrastructure Management at Yokohama National University was established with a special fund from the Government of Japan, administered by the World Bank, for the purpose of training government officials from developing countries who have engineering backgrounds. The program focuses on such areas as economics, management, specialized engineering and law related to the development and management of infrastructure. In the present global situation, if the government officials who are engaged in planning and implementing their nations’ infrastructure development policies are to make decisions consistent with the welfare of the people of their countries, it is vital that those officials have advanced knowledge of and experience in management, technological fields and macro-economics.
The YNU program, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of students from developing countries under the scholarship program funded by the World Bank, offers lectures and laboratory work in the fields of engineering, economics, management and law. Students are also provided with an opportunity to learn practical Japanese, mathematics, computer techniques and other basic subjects. After the initial 12 months of schooling, students engage in an internship program related to their area of study mainly through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
During the remainder of the two-year period, individual instruction and tutorials are given to students to help them consolidate their understanding of their courses and prepare a thesis, which is a requirement for the completion of the Master’s program.

The YNU program is organized and operated by an inter-faculty committee, which functions in close cooperation with JICA. The university committee consists of the Graduate School of Education and Human Sciences, the Graduate School of Engineering, the Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, and the International Graduate School of Social Sciences of Yokohama National University.

Approximately fifteen scholarships are allocated to the YNU program by the World Bank. Each scholarship provides a monthly allowance of JPY170,000 (2011-2013) and a round-trip air ticket to Japan plus a travel allowance of USD500. The scholarship also covers tuition fees, the entrance examination fee and the admission fee.

Citizens of low and middle income World Bank member countries are eligible for the scholarships. Applicants must be age 35 or under as of April 1, 2011. Applicants must have at least four years of practical experience involving responsibility for infrastructure development and must also intend to pursue a career in the field of development.

Application Deadline August 13, 2010