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The Ashinaga Africa Initiative began in 2014. Its mission is to contribute to sub-Saharan Africa’s expanding role in global development through increasing access to higher education abroad. We support orphaned students who are committed to returning home and initiating change, by providing access to full financial support to study at a university abroad (equivalent to an undergraduate degree). Ashinaga support covers tuition, accommodation, travel costs, and other necessary fees.



Learn more about the Ashinaga Africa Initiative

How to Apply

Announcement: Change in Application Process for Ashinaga Africa Initiative in Anglophone countries.  

We would like to inform you about an important update on the application process for the Ashinaga Africa Initiative.

 

Starting from August 2024, we will no longer open applications for students in Anglophone countries. Instead, we will be partnering with selected high schools in each Anglophone country to identify and select eligible students. This strategic shift aims to streamline our selection process, ensuring that we can provide more targeted support and better guidance to applicants from the outset.

 

Applications will continue to be open for students in Francophone and Lusophone countries.

 

Francophone deadline: 31st December 2024 (12:00 GMT)

Lusophone deadline: 18th October 2024 (12:00 GMT)

 

 

 

Francophone Requirements (2025)

Requirements (2025) Applicants must:

  • ·       Have lost one or both parents.
  • ·      Have citizenship and have completed or will complete secondary school in one of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Chad and Togo.
  • ·      Have completed secondary school and received the results of their baccalaureate (technical and vocational degrees not accepted)
  • ·      Be regularly ranked in the top 10% of their class during their last 2 or 3 years of secondary school and university, if applicable. (Students who received a grade below 14/20 on the baccalaureate have a lower chance of being accepted.)
  • ·      Have no means to attend university abroad without external financial support.
  • ·      Be proficient in French
  • ·      Be able to participate in the two Ashinaga preparatory programs, over the course of one year, before attending university. (The only exception is if the student has already received an offer of admission from a French university that applies the tuition fee exemption)
  • ·      Be committed to return home, or to Sub-Saharan Africa, and contribute to society in Sub-Saharan Africa after graduating from university.
  • ·       Have no dependents who could interfere with academic progress.
  • ·       Have a good enough health condition to be able to study abroad.
  • ·      Please note that Ashinaga does not support students wishing to study medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy, but can fund degrees in biomedicine. Additionally, applicants wishing to study engineering must have achieved particularly high grades in high school for this choice to be accepted.
Required
Documents (2025)
This is a list of the documents you will need to submit as part of your application:

 

Applicant Registration 

1. A photo or scanned copy of at least one of the following documents:  Passport, National ID Card or Birth Certificate·
2. A copy of the death or disappearance certificate of the parent(s), or any alternative official document, bearing the name of the deceased, proving death or orphan status.
3. A photo or scanned copy of the last school report/transcript from your last year in high school (last quarter or semester, or the annual report).
4. A photo or scanned copy of the baccalaureate certificate or any other proof of completion of secondary studies (if applicable).
5. Grades obtained at university to date, if applicable.

 

  1. Full Application 
  2. 1. A passport-sized photo.
    2. A copy of your passport or identity card
    3. A copy of your birth certificate/extract.
    4. A copy of the death or disappearance certificate of the parent(s), or any alternative official document, bearing the name of the deceased, proving death or orphan status.
    5. A copy of all school reports/transcripts from the last 2 years of high school (transcripts from the last quarter or semester, or annual transcripts).
    6. A copy of the certificate of successful completion of the baccalaureate or any other proof of completion of secondary studies, and the transcript of the examination (with a detailed list of marks in each subject).
    7. Proof of registration and grades obtained at the university to date, if applicable.
    8. A letter of recommendation from a teacher. This letter should include their phone number and should contain information about your performance and character during high school. All letters of recommendation must have an official signature or stamp.
    9. Optional: copies of certificates of extracurricular activities, training, employment or other commitment (if applicable).
Eligible
Countries (2025)
Applicants must have citizenship and have completed/are completing high school in one of the following countries:

Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Chad and Togo.

Selection Process (2025) Applications for all countries will be assessed after the application deadline, and successful applicants will be invited to a final assessment. During this assessment, Ashinaga will conduct individual interviews to better understand the personal motivations and career goals in sub-Saharan Africa of the students. Students must bring all original academic documents and identification documents to the interview. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the application process.

How to Apply for the AAI

Applications for the AAI are only done online. If you have difficulties filling out our forms, please email us at admissions.fr@ashinaga.org.

There is no application fee, and you must never pay anyone to apply or to apply on your behalf.

STEP1
Gather all the required documents.
STEP2
Scan or take photos of the required documents in either PDF or JPG format.
STEP3
Apply online
STEP4
Application complete

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