The European Union on Monday, announced that over 200 young Nigerians have received postgraduate scholarships to study in top European universities.
The scholarship, according to the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, is awarded under its flagship educational programme, Erasmus+.
The Erasmus Programme was set up in 1987 and was aimed at creating exchanges of students between the European countries themselves. With the addition of the ‘Mundus’, it has been broadened in scope.
With the launch of a new Erasmus+ programme for the period 2021-2027, there is a further increase in the opportunities provided for mobility and cooperation with partner countries beyond Europe.
Ms Isopi noted that this year’s figure “represents a steep increase from the number of Nigerians that benefited from the initiative last year.”
She added that in the last four years, the number of recipients have continued to increase, rising from 44 awardees in 2019; 93 in 2020; 133 in 2021 to currently over 200 awardees in 2022, placing, Nigeria second among countries with the highest number of students selected for the programme in 2022 – coming only after Pakistan.
“From ninth position in 2020 and sixth in 2021, the country now has the second highest number of beneficiaries globally, leaving behind countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, India and Mexico in the top bracket of countries with most awards globally. Over 730 Nigerians have benefitted from the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree since 2004,” she noted.
Ms Isopi added that the increase in the number of award recipients reflects the premium the EU places on its partnership with Nigeria.
“The Erasmus+ programme is an example of the great cooperation we have with Nigeria, and reflects the EU’s commitment to widening the space and increasing opportunities for young Nigerians to actualise their dreams and play their role in contributing to the development of their country,” she said.