Make a difference

with an
Australia Awards Scholarship
in Africa

Application dates for study

commencing in Australia in 2026
 Opening date: 1 February 2025
 Closing date: 30 April 2025 (11:59 PM
AEST)

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 Australia Awards Scholarships
Do you want to be a leader in your field and join an inspiring network of
changemakers?
Australia Awards Scholarships offer more than a Master's degree. You gain an
internationally recognised qualification and a life-changing experience in Australia.

Australia Awards
Reach your potential through higher learning in Australia’s safe, multicultural society. We support you to live
and study successfully. Expand your horizons with new knowledge, leadership skills and a life-long
membership of Australia’s global alumni network. Advance your career and make a vital contribution to the
development of your country.
Australia Awards scholarships are prestigious international awards offered by the Australian Government to
the next generation of global leaders in developing countries.
Our application process is open and competitive providing equal opportunity to all eligible people. Applicants
are assessed on their professional and personal qualities, academic competence and, most importantly, their
potential to impact on development challenges in eligible countries.

Applications are strongly encouraged from women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
The program has equity of access procedures in place to support applicants from these groups. Please refer
to the GEDSI Support Hub at www.australiaawardsafrica.org for details.

Level of study
These scholarships allow citizens of eligible African countries to obtain postgraduate qualifications at an
Australian tertiary institution.

Priority fields of study

The priority areas of study for Africa are:
 Agriculture and food security
 Climate change
 Foreign policy and international security
 Gender, disability, and social inclusion
 Mining and energy

Detailed information on priority sectors and related courses can be found at www.australiaawardsafrica.org

Applicants from the following African countries are eligible to apply:

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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 Australia Awards Benefits
Scholarship recipients will receive the following:
 return air travel
 a one-off establishment allowance on arrival
 full tuition fees
 contribution to living expenses
 introductory academic program
 overseas student health cover for the duration of the scholarship
 supplementary academic support
 fieldwork allowance for research students and Masters by coursework which has a compulsory
fieldwork component
 Disability support and reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities (assessed on a case-by-
case basis).

Eligibility criteria
Australia Awards applicants must meet all eligibility requirements detailed in the Scholarships Policy
Handbook, available at: https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/australia-awards-scholarships-
policy-handbook
In addition to the general eligibility requirements, candidates from eligible African countries must also
meet the following conditions:
 be a minimum of 25 years of age on 1 February 2026
 at minimum, have 5 years of post-graduate work experience, working in a field relative to their
field of study*
 Be employed at the time of applying for the scholarship
 be a citizen of an eligible African country and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from
their country of citizenship, unless working for an African Regional Organisation or working on a
diplomatic mission for their home country
 not already hold or be undertaking a Master’s degree or equivalent (equivalent to a Masters
degree in home country)*
 already hold an undergraduate degree (equivalent to an Australian undergraduate degree)
 not have previously received a long-term Australia Award
 Applicants from all Francophone and Lusophone countries must meet the minimum English
language proficiency. Certificates must be valid on 1 January 2026:

IELTS At least 6.5 with no individual band score less than 6.0
Internet based TOEFL At least 84, with a minimum of 21 in all subtests
PTE Academic Overall score of 58 with no communicative skill score less than 50

*See below for equity of access adjustments to these conditions for people with disabilities

The application process

 Applications for study commencing in 2026 will be received online through OASIS via the
Australia Awards Africa website.
 Apply online at: https://australiaawardsafrica.org/awards/apply/
 When applying online, all essential supporting documents must be uploaded.

Supporting documents
Applicants must submit all the relevant supporting documents listed in the Australia Awards
Scholarships Policy Handbook. Applicants must also provide the following documents to meet the
specific requirements for the Africa program:

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 Required document OASIS document type

Passport Proof of Citizenship

Undergraduate Degree Certificate Degree Certificate

Undergraduate Academic Transcript Academic Transcript

Curriculum Vitae Curriculum Vitae

Employer Referee Report Referee Report

Academic Referee Report Referee Report

IELTS/TOEFL/Pearson Test Certificate Proof of English Language Proficiency

Please refer to the Australia Awards Scholarship application form for the complete list of required documents:
https://australiaawardsafrica.org/awards/apply/

The selection process

 Applications will be shortlisted for a selection interview after eligibility checking.
 Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
 The selection process includes an interview. Applicants will be assessed against the following
criteria:
o academic competence
o potential outcome, specifically the contribution to development outcomes in Africa
o professional and personal leadership attributes including relevant work experience.

Outcomes
All applicants will receive notification as to whether they have been successful in August 2025.

Promoting equality of access for people with disabilities

The World Health Organisation estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population has a disability. People
with disabilities face many barriers that limit their access to education, social spaces and public services.
These barriers often expose people to the risk of social exclusion. Harnessing the opportunities and talents
of people with disabilities, through the Program, empowers them to contribute to national development,
extends their right to fair and equal participation and maximises the effective use of valuable human capital.
Some of the most outstanding Australia Awards alumni have shown resilience and tenacity to overcome
disability-related barriers.

The Australia Awards are committed to ensuring the equitable participation and inclusion of diverse groups.
Also, Australia Awards recipients are encouraged to promote inclusion, as a development issue, in their
Reintegration Action Plans. People with disabilities, who are eligible, are encouraged to apply and to
disclose their disability. Having a disability will not disadvantage individuals in the application or selection
process. Applications will be equitably considered and disability support provided by implementing
adjustments and/or accommodations wherever reasonable, to ensure equal participation by anyone
identified on a case-by-case basis as requiring support.

Please refer to the GEDSI Support Hub at www.australiaawardsafrica.org for details about the support on
offer.

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 Empowering African Women: Working to achieve equality and
non-discrimination
Support to Female Scholars
Australia Awards Alumna, Amina Garuba Ahmed -
Master of Dispute Resolution
Women’s leadership and decision-making are two
driving forces of gender equality that are achievable Before completing her Master of Dispute Resolution at the
through education. Australia Awards and its alumni University of New South Wales, Ms Ahmed had to
recognise the critical importance of gender equality to overcome gender stereotypes from her community. People
development. judged her for taking the opportunity to travel to Australia,
for the scholarship, leaving her family behind. ‘I have had to
overcome issues of gender stereotyping and undertake
Gender equality is an integral part of the Australian adventures that women are discouraged from undertaking –
Government’s development policy. Australia Awards for example, going to Australia, as a married woman,
aims to ensure equal participation and benefit, to the without my family. I prepared for this period by researching
program, by men and women. Both men and women and speaking to my family, especially my husband.’ In the
have a vital role as transformative leaders in end, Ms Ahmed made an informed decision, knowing that
promoting gender equality and social inclusion in their travelling to study would positively contribute to her
workplaces and communities. development, her family and her community. When Ms
Ahmed returned from her studies, she faced continued
Australia Awards ensures that as many eligible criticism.
women as possible are reached at the award
‘My scholarship studies equipped me with leadership and
promotion stage and that every effort is made to advocacy skills that continue to allow me to be at the
redress gender disparities across the awards cycle. forefront of legal and policy advocacy that promotes the
rights of women and youths.,’ says Ms Ahmed.
For example, the program has some resources
available to support women and people with The challenges she faced encouraged her to dedicate her
disabilities and bridge any barriers they may work to helping women and young people who faced similar
experience across the program life cycle. discriminatory practices, which inhibited them from
achieving their dreams. Ms Ahmed founded the NGO, Ikra
Equity of access support for women is available during Foundation for Women and Youth Development (IFWYD).
the application stage, at the selection interview and on
Besides her duties as a Chief Magistrate and Principal
award in Australia. Pregnant women and those with
District Court Judge, her dedication and successes led to
childcare responsibilities are also supported through her appointment as the Director of Special Duties, in Bauchi
the award cycle. State.
Amina played an integral part in the domestication of the
Please refer to the GEDSI Support Hub at Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, the Child
www.australiaawardsafrica.org for details on the Protection Law, the Administration of Criminal Justice Law
support on offer. and the Penal Code Law in Bauchi State. In addressing
Gender-based violence (GBV), she initiated the
establishment of the GBV Response and Referral Network
under the umbrella of the Okra Foundation for Women and
Youth Development in partnership with the Ministry of
Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare and
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Ms Ahmed’s proudest professional achievement is receiving

the Australian Leadership Award. The opportunity improved
her ability to fill the leadership roles that were entrusted to
Alumna, Amina Garuba her in her community and workplace.
Ahmed

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 Endless possibilities for people with disabilities
Zimbabwean alumnus, Edmore Masendeke, is a published author, economist (working for the
Zimbabwe Reserve Bank), disability activist as well as a person with cerebral palsy. In 2010, he
founded Endless Possibilities, a non-profit organisation that coordinates awareness campaigns for the
inclusion of people with disabilities as well as empowerment programs for people with disabilities. Mr
Masendeke is passionate about inspiring and challenging people with disabilities to rise above the
limitations of their impairments.
The most significant opportunities for the organisation and Mr Masendeke’s advocacy work are the
increased attention given to disability issues on the world stage, which includes international days
commemorating disability-related themes. This global focus has made it easier for Mr Masendeke to
engage key stakeholders as well as address the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Some of
the challenges include a lack of comprehensive laws and policies that promote and protect the rights
of people with disabilities. These challenges are made worse by the stigma and discrimination faced
by people with disabilities in the country.
While completing a short course in Macroeconomic Management for Resource-Rich Countries, Mr
Masendeke gained knowledge on inclusive development within economic policies. Previously, in
2016, the Reserve Bank had adopted a financial inclusion strategy. However, at that time, the strategy
did not address disability, nor did it support people with disabilities. Following the completion of the
short course, Mr Masendeke wrote a paper motivating the inclusion of disability in the strategy. He
also worked with other stakeholders, within the disability sector, to engage the Reserve Bank on the
issue. Subsequently, the Bank adopted disability as one of the strategy’s thematic focuses and
established a loan facility for people with disabilities. In 2019 he started working as an Early-Stage
Researcher on a project called Disability Advocacy Research in Europe (DARE) and started his PhD
studies at the University of Leeds.
“Positive change is inevitable,” he says as he continues to advocate for people with disabilities to be
viewed as individuals capable of living a full and healthy life.

Edmore Masendeke, Zimbabwe: Short course – Macroeconomic Management for Resource-Rich Countries

Apply today: www.australiaawardsafrica.org

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