Nigeria | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans

Australia Awards in Africa – PhDs for Agriculture

Applications for the 2013 intake will open on 1 January 2012.

The deadline for submission of applications will be 30 April 2012.

Applicants should note that the Awards programme receives large volumes of applications for its scholarships. Any applications that are incomplete, unsigned, or where the applicant does not meet all the Desired Applicant Profile criteria may be excluded from consideration.

Application Process:
  1. Carefully read the information given in PhD Application Pack 2013 Intake – click here to download it in Microsoft Word 1997-2003 format, or click here for PDF format.
  2. Review the PowerPoint Presentation with Advice for PhD Applicants.
  3. Check your eligibility against the ‘Desired Applicant Profile’ requirements outlined on the second page of the Information Pack.
  4. Submit the documents shown in (2) below to the Australia Awards Program Manager at the details given in (6) below by 30 April 2012.  Incomplete applications may be excluded from consideration.
  5. Send a ‘proof of submission’ email to AAA as instructed at the bottom of the Preliminary Application Form (PAF) once you have submitted your complete application.  You can download the PhD PAF from (2) below.
  6. Candidates directly associated with agricultural research and development efforts supported by one or more of the three Australia-Africa Agricultural Partnerships being funded under the Australian Food Security Program in Africa (ACIAR – CIMMYT; CSIRO – CORAF; and CSIRO – BecA) are encouraged to apply.
  7. Eligible nationals of the following countries may apply: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, The Gambia and Uganda.
  8. PhD Applicants should carefully read the guidelines set out in the ADS (Scholarships) Handbook (download from here in MS Word format and here in PDF format) and familiarise themselves with the conditions and criteria for a PhD.
  9. GRM International (the independent contractor engaged by the Australian Government to assist in implementation of the program) will receive applications from interested candidates by 30 April 2012.
  10. Compliance checks and short-listing of candidates for subsequent interview will be undertaken in May. Short-listed candidates will then be interviewed during June or July 2012. The venue for the interview will be confirmed but is expected to be either Accra (Ghana) or Nairobi (Kenya).
  11. After the interviews, all interviewees will be given an information session explaining the rest the Australia Awards and visa application processes.
  12. Successful awardees will be required to submit a final university transcript and visa application to GRM International by 15 August 2012;
  13. A pre-departure briefing for awardees will occur in October 2012. These briefings are expected to be held in Abuja, Accra, Pretoria or Nairobi depending on their country of residence;
  14. Awardees will normally commence their academic program in January 2013 in time for the Introductory Academic Program of their institution however some university programs for PhD candidates may commence later than January.
     
(2) Application Documents

Eligible applicants are invited to forward the following documents for consideration:

  • a completed PhD Preliminary Application Form (PAF);
  • all other supporting documents as set out in the PAF.

Please click here for the MS Word format PhD PAF for paper-based submissions (i.e. if you wish to fill it out by hand and submit it by post, courier or fax), or click here for the PDF format version.
If you wish to submit your application electronically (paragraph (6) refers), please click here for the MS Word electronic submission version.

Failure to complete the application form and submit all documentation requested may lead to your application being excluded from consideration. No undergraduate or Masters degree nominations will be considered.

 

(3) ADS Category

Targeted. The targeted category of scholarships is intended to strengthen priority areas of capacity in Africa. Please see the DAP for details.

 

(4) Priority Sectors
  • Agricultural Research.
(5) Closing date for Receipt of Applications

30 April 2012

 

(6) Address for Application Submissions

Postal Address:
Australia Awards in Africa
c/- GRM International
Bag X38, Hatfield
Pretoria  0028
SOUTH AFRICA


Physical Address (for courier):

Australia Awards in Africa
c/- GRM International
1140 Prospect Street
Building 3, 3rd Floor, Hatfield Square
Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083
SOUTH AFRICA

Note:  If you are going to send your documents by courier, please use the Physical Address, not the Postal Address.  Most courier companies will not – and should not – allow you to specify a PO Box or Bag No. as the delivery address.


Fax:
+27 86 602 3719.
Note: Please ensure that each page of your application has your surname and the phrase “PhD Application” written on it if you elect to submit by fax.


Email:
applications@adsafrica.com.au
Note: please remember to put your name, country and the words “PhD Application” in the subject line of ALL emails if you submit your application by email.  Please also ensure that the filenames you use for attachments are properly descriptive, to ensure they can be easily filed as part of your application.

 

(7) English Language Proficiency:

To gain admission to an Australian University, applicants will need to demonstrate a level of English language competency as indicated by the following scores in an IELTS or TOEFL test:

(i) for IELTS, an overall band score of 6.5 or above with no individual band less than 6.0;
(ii) for internet-based TOEFL (iBT), an Overall score of 90 or above, with a written score of no less than 23;
(iii) for paper-based TOEFL (pBT), an Overall score of 577 or above, with a written of 5.0.
Regardless of the test type, it must have been taken no earlier than September 2010.  Test results that are older than 24 months will not be considered current by Australian Universities and will not be valid.

Alternatively, candidates may provide one of the following proofs of English language proficiency.

  1. Candidates that have studied at a University within the last five years which instructed in English may present an official letter from that institution indicating that the medium of instruction was English. Click here for an example.
  2. Candidates that have been out of University for longer than five years, but have worked recently in a professional environment that used English as the main language, may present a letter signed by their employer confirming that English was the medium of interaction in the workplace. Click here for an example.

 

In certain cases, Australian Universities may require proof of English even in situations where letters from the University or workplace have been provided.  These English requirements are the policy of the Universities and are not controlled or influenced by AusAID.

For further information on IELTS click here. For further information on the TOEFL test, click here.

Note that in some exceptional circumstances, additional English language training may be available to awardees to be undertaken concurrently with their PhD studies in Australia.

 

Please click here for a PDF version of the Australian Development Scholarships Handbook.
It details conditions relating to eligibility and payment of entitlements.

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan for the Academic Year 2011-12

Commonwealth under its Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) has offered various scholarships / fellowships for the Academic year 2011-12. This activity has been made possible largely by the success of the CSFP endowment fund, which was raised to mark the 50th Anniversary of the scheme last year, as well as generosity of the host institutions. The new destinations are Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, South Africa and Tanzania. The details are as under:

Eligibility Criteria:
The Applicant:
a.  Should not have obtained below 70% marks in entire academic career (SSC, HSC, BA/BSc, Masters)
b.  Should have obtained at least 65% or above marks in Masters (MS/MSc or other 16 years of education or in BE/BSc Engineering, MBBS, LLB, MBA, or equivalent.
c.   With completed sixteen (16) years or equivalent bachelor’s degree for Master’s studies.
d.   With MS/ M. Phil completed degree will be given preference in PhD studies.
e.    With PhD completed degree will be given preference in Post Doctoral / Research studies.
f.     Should be fulfilling the respective university’s eligibility criteria of the course / degree, in which he / she is interested to apply.
g.   Applying in only one program, country as well as course
Scholarship Application Deadline:May 13, 2011 for Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Pacific and Tanzania
and May 31, 2011 for South Africa.

Further Scholarship Information and Application

2011-2012 Fully Funded CARTA PhD Fellowships, Africa: Public and population health

The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) is an initiative of nine African universities (listed in Section 2.0), four African research institutes (listed in Section 3.0), and select northern partners (listed in Section 4.0). CARTA aims to develop and deliver an innovative model for doctoral training in sub-Saharan Africa and to strengthen the capacity of participating institutions to conduct and lead internationally-competitive research.
The CARTA program draws together disciplines required to address the complex processes that influence health. These disciplines include Epidemiology, Psychology, Biostatistics, Anthropology, Health Economics, Health Promotion; Demography, Sociology, Health Systems, Health Policy, Development Studies, and their interfaces with the biomedical sciences. The CARTA multidisciplinary approach will prepare its graduates to better address questions of contemporary policy relevance such as the social determinants of health, and the limited impact of technological advances on health in Africa.
Over the medium-term, CARTA aims to produce a critical mass of high-quality graduates trained to address the complex issues surrounding health and development in Africa, retain them in the region, and provide them a vibrant intellectual environment, as well as viable and challenging research and growth opportunities. CARTA aims to achieve reforms in higher education by:
1) Assisting universities to develop enriching and vibrant academic and research environments; and
2) Supporting promising African scholars who teach at affiliated universities to obtain high-quality doctoral training in public and population health-related fields.
CARTA is currently offering a fully-funded, collaborative doctoral training program in public and population health. This program has been developed in response to the great challenges faced by
Africa’s institutions of higher education in addressing the training and retention of the next generation of academics in the region. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. CARTA has also reserved a small number of scholarships specifically for doctoral students conducting research on issues of sexuality and reproductive health and rights.

Participating African Universities
– Makerere University, Uganda
– Moi University, Kenya
– National University of Rwanda
– Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
– University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
– University of Ibadan, Nigeria
– University of Malawi
– University of Nairobi, Kenya
– University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Participating Research Institutes
-African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya
-Agincourt Population and Health Unit, South Africa
-Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
-KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kenya

Scholarship Applicatiopn Deadline:July 15, 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application