Ashinaga Africa Initiative Scholarship

The Ashinaga Africa Initiative is a fully funded undergraduate scholarship for orphaned students from Sub-Saharan Africa, created by Japan’s Ashinaga Foundation. It covers everything: tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, flights and settling-in costs at partner universities in Japan, Europe, the UK, the USA and Brazil, plus a fully supported preparatory year before the degree begins.

Candidates must have lost one or both parents, rank near the top of their class, and commit to returning to contribute to Sub-Saharan Africa after graduation. Applications are free and open on a rolling cycle basis: Francophone and Lusophone students apply online directly, while Anglophone students are now nominated through Ashinaga partner schools.

• Young people from Sub-Saharan Africa who have lost one or both parents, with citizenship of and schooling in one of the 48 to 49 eligible countries.
• Completed secondary school and national exams recently (within roughly the last two years), or receiving final results by the cutoff stated in the current call; technical and vocational qualifications are not accepted.
• Consistently ranked around the top 10 percent of your class in the final years of secondary school; strong grades are essential.
• Proficient in English or French, with a birth-date limit set in each call (the programme targets recent school leavers).
• Without the financial means to attend university abroad, and with no dependents that would interfere with full-time study.
• Committed to returning to Sub-Saharan Africa after graduation to contribute to your community, and able to complete Ashinaga's two preparatory programmes over about a year before university.
• Since August 2024, students in Anglophone countries are identified through selected partner high schools rather than open applications, while Francophone and Lusophone applicants apply directly online.

• Full financial support for an undergraduate degree abroad: tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, flights between home and the study country, and settling-in costs.
• Study destinations at partner universities across Japan, Europe, the UK, the USA and Brazil, chosen together with Ashinaga during preparation.
• A fully supported preparatory year with academic training, language study and leadership development before university starts.
• Ongoing mentorship, internships and field-research opportunities through the Ashinaga network and its Kenjin-Tatsujin advisory council.
• Membership of a pan-African scholar community from nearly every Sub-Saharan country since 2014.
• There is no application fee, and you should never pay anyone to apply on your behalf.

• Online eligibility registration, after which eligible students receive the application form link by email.
• Passport, national ID card or birth certificate.
• Death certificate of the deceased parent or parents, or alternative official proof of orphan status.
• All term reports or transcripts from the last two years of secondary school.
• Final national examination results certificate, sent as soon as available if results are pending.
• Recommendation letters with an official signature or stamp, plus certificates for extracurriculars or work where available.
• Francophone and Lusophone candidates use the dedicated online forms; Anglophone candidates go through their partner school's nomination.

• Check the current call on the Ashinaga website, since application windows and birth-date cutoffs are set per cycle and differ by language track (recent Francophone rounds closed at the end of August).
• If you are in a Francophone or Lusophone country, register online to confirm eligibility, then complete the application form emailed to you and upload the documents.
• If you are in an Anglophone country, ask whether your school is an Ashinaga partner school, as selection now runs through partner-school nomination.
• Selection involves document screening, an examination and interviews assessing academic ability, resilience and future plans.
• Successful candidates join Ashinaga's year-long preparatory programmes before starting university abroad.
• Apply only through official Ashinaga channels and ignore anyone requesting payment.