Africa Initiative for Governance announces 2018/19 scholarship recipients

Accra, July 17, GNA
– Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) has announced the recipients of the
2018/2019 round of the AIG Scholarships, the organisation’s fully funded
scholarship programme for young, outstanding West Africans with a passion for
public service.

Commencing 2017, for
a period of five years, five scholarships are made available every year by AIG
to talented West Africans from all backgrounds who are passionate about the
public sector, to pursue the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of
Government, University of Oxford.

Upon graduation, AIG
Scholars are expected to return to their home country and apply their learning
experience as change agents in their country’s public sector.

The 2018/2019 AIG
Scholars are Adetola Adegbite (Nigeria), Blessing Ajimoti (Nigeria), Prosper
Amuquandoh (Ghana), Louisa Chinedu-Okeke (Nigeria) and Tobechukwu Nneli
(Nigeria).

“We are pleased to
announce our second cohort of AIG Scholars,” said Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede,
Founder and Chairman of AIG.

“Public service is
one of the fundamental contributors to national development and it is critical
to encourage talented, young individuals as regards the crucial role that they
play in the process. With AIG’s continuing support, these high-calibre women and
men will acquire the skills and experience to drive best practice standards of
public service and governance across Africa”.

The AIG Scholarships
are funded by AIG under a partnership entered into, in June 2016, between AIG
and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, based on a
shared vision of improving the world through good governance and public
leadership.

AIG Scholars are
determined after a rigorous process which assesses key qualities such as
outstanding academic ability, leadership and strong commitment to public
service.

 “The AIG Scholarship Awards selection process
is a very competitive one, with thousands of talented individuals applying from
across Nigeria and Ghana,” said Ms. Chienye Ogwo, Chief Executive Officer of AIG.

 “We congratulate this year’s awardees and
remain committed to our mission to seek, attract, inspire and support future
leaders of Africa’s public sector.”

“I feel a great
sense of achievement, and very lucky to be given this opportunity,” said Mr. Prosper
Amuquandoh, a first-class graduate of Physics and Computer Science from the
University of Ghana, and one of the 2018 AIG Scholars.

“The
multidisciplinary nature of the programme will empower me with an advanced
level of competence to achieve my goals of being an effective public policy
practitioner.”

 “The uniqueness of the AIG Scholarship is that
it is an initiative by Africans, with Africans and for Africa,” said Mr.
Tobechukwu Nneli, another 2018 AIG Scholar and first-class Political Science
and Public Administration graduate of the University of Benin. “The Scholarship
is very important to me because I see it as a workable solution to Africa’s
development quagmire and an awesome opportunity for me to contribute to the
development of my country, and by extension, my continent.”

AIG also announced
the opening of the application window for the 2019/2020 AIG Scholarships. The
application window will close on Friday, September 14, 2018.

GNA

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