Students who are Interested in AI and Machine Learning education can now apply for the 2025 AI4D Africa Scholarship Program.
With this program, successful applicants will get a scholarship worth up to $41,500. This scholarship covers the costs of your tuition, research, and travel costs to the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS).
Scholarship Summary
- Host: African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
- Category: Postgraduate Scholarships | PhD Scholarships | Fellowships
- Eligible Countries: Sub-Saharan African Countries
- Reward: Full Scholarship worth $41,500 | Travel and Research Expenses
- Deadline: March 14, 2025
Scholarship Details
The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) has received a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to support the AI4D Scholarship of women candidates in sub-Saharan Africa.
The funding will support the training of PhD students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as well as the research work of Early Career Academics in AI &ML. The research work within this program must be in AI that addresses any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The award of the scholarships shall strive to achieve uniform distribution of beneficiaries across Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone sub-Saharan Africa. There will also be an effort to achieve fair distribution in terms of region. The supported studies MUST adhere to responsible AI.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must:
Category 1
Registered PhD Students.
- Invitation will target candidates who are already registered for PhD, have finished course work as well as research proposals. This will be open to all universities offering PhD in AI (or any of its derivatives). Scholarships will be given for a period of two years. Selection will be based purely on the quality of the candidates and proposals.
- All applicants must be already registered in an AI study (machine learning, expert system, natural language processing, intelligent robotics etc.) under a supervisor, have finished coursework as well as research proposal. The applicant must attach a letter of support by their supervisor, and a copy of the PhD study admission letter.
- All applicants should have competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- All applicants should have thorough knowledge of the language of instruction within their host university. (French or Portuguese).
- All applicants must be nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country.
- Each successful student will receive a partial scholarship of up to US $ 28,000 distributed as shown below;
- Tuition fees for two years up to $ 4,000
- Research activities up to $ 24,000
Category 3
Early Career Academics
- This will mainly target those ECA who have capacity to supervise PhD and MSc students.
- Each applicant must have held a PhD in AI and ML, for the last 3 – 5 years as at application.
- All applicants should have competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- All applicants must be nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country.
- Each successful ECA will receive a scholarship of up to US$41,500. This will cover:
- Research costs up to $ 25,000
- Research infrastructure up to $ 10,000.
- Travel costs up to $ 2,500.
- Tuition fees for 2 MSc students for two years up to $ 4,000 (@ $2,000 per student)
- Funding would be for 2 years.
Scholarship Benefits
Successful applicants of this scholarship will receive:
- Financial Assistance: Scholarships will be awarded to cover projects/applications expenses, tuition fees, books, and other academic expenses.
- Accessibility Support: Each scholar will have access to AI ethics toolkits at all times. These resources will guide scholars in the responsible development of AI solutions that can be scaled and adapted for diverse contexts.
- Mentorship and Ethics: Each scholar will be paired with a mentor specializing in responsible scaling of AI solutions.
- Collaborative Learning and Networking: There will be efforts to enable cross-learning and networking among scholars, and between scholars and existing AI innovation hubs across the continent.
How to Apply
To apply for this scholarship:
- Gather and submit all required documents before the deadline
- Visit the program’s webpage
To apply for this scholarship, click HERE
To receive more scholarship updates, click HERE
