100 talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Africa are set to benefit from the inaugural Nelson Mandela Centennial Scholarship announced today to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela.
The scholars will study at the African Leadership University (ALU) in Kigali, Rwanda, where they will benefit from a full scholarship and opportunities for leadership development. Each Mandela Centennial Scholar will receive an $8,000 (Approximately Ksh 800,000) grant annually, to cover tuition, airfare and living expenses for the duration of their degree programme.
Students from Kenya who applied for the scholarship should visit the ALU website and digital platforms to find out if they were successful. The names of the beneficiaries were announced today, to coincide with Mandela’s 100 years birthday. The scholarship is a partnership between partnership between the Graça Machel Trust (GMT), the Nelson Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), and African Leadership University. President Mandela, the first Black South African President, firmly believed in the transformative power of education and its ability to bring dignity, self-actualization, and prosperity to Africans. Throughout his presidency and thereafter, he dedicated time and effort to ensure that children from all walks of life had equal access to education.
Commenting on the scholarships, Mr. Fred Swaniker, the founder of the Africa Leadership University (ALU) said: “ALU Rwanda provides a great setting to inspire a young mind, as it is located in one of the countries in Africa that is a great example of leadership and economic development in Africa. It truly showcases an Africa that works,”
“Our mission at ALU is to develop and groom the next generation of ethical African leaders. Mandela’s Centennial birthday, therefore, presented a meaningful way to demonstrate our values as a university that emphasizes leadership development, by awarding 100 scholarships in the name of Nelson Mandela, to young talented Africans from across the continent,” he said.
Ms. Graça Machel -ALU Chancellor, Chair of GMT and Board of Trustee at MINDS said: “ALU is a groundbreaking pan-African institution that combines knowledge, skills, leadership and workplace experience. The Mandela Centennial Scholarship with ALU is to honor the 100th birthday of Madiba. The best way to celebrate him is to plant seeds of ethical, vigorous and committed leadership in our nations, to our continent, to the world.”
