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Are you an aspiring scholar in agriculture, agribusiness, or entrepreneurship? The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and various African universities, offers the Mastercard TAGDev Scholarship.

Program Overview

The Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa's Growth and Development (TAGDev 2.0) program aims to:

• Strengthen universities and TVET institutions: enhance their capacity to better serve communities.
• Empower Young Africans: Equip them with skills to drive inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient agricultural transformations.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Mastercard TAGDev Scholarship, you must:

• Nationality: Be a national of Uganda or other East African countries implementing the common East Africa Higher Education Protocol (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan).
• Economic Disadvantage: Be economically disadvantaged, from marginalized communities or conflict/post-conflict areas in Uganda.
• Age: Be less than 30 years old for undergraduate studies and less than 35 years old for master's studies at the time of this call.
• Educational Background: Have completed secondary school or a bachelor's degree application not more than two years before this call. For refugees and internally displaced persons, they should have completed their studies at the previous level at most four years before.
• Admission Criteria: Meet the admission criteria for eligible programs at Gulu University.
• Interest in Agriculture: demonstrate a keen interest in agriculture, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship.
• Leadership Qualities: Show proven leadership qualities.
• Commitment to Agriculture: Exhibit a strong commitment to working in agriculture and agricultural value chains.
• Community Transformation: Demonstrate a strong commitment to community transformation.
• Female Candidates: Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Scholarship Benefits

The Mastercard TAGDev Scholarship offers a full board comprehensive package that covers:

• Tuition Fees: Full coverage.
• Research Costs: Financial support for research activities.
• Workshop and Conference Costs: Coverage of expenses related to workshops and conferences.
• Living Expenses: Including a stipend, hostel accommodation, and a laptop.
• Internship Attachment: Opportunities for internship attachment.
• Community Engagement: Field attachment and community engagement.
• Entrepreneurship Training: Access to entrepreneurship training programs.

Required Documents

To apply, candidates must be ready to submit the following documents:

For Undergraduate Programs:

• BSc. Agriculture
• BSc. Food Bioscience and Agribusiness
• BSc. Biosystems Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Food Bioscience and Agribusiness
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Business Education

For Master's Programs:

• MSc. Food Security and Community Nutrition
• MSc. AgriEnterprises Development
• MSc. Agronomy
• Master of Science in Environmental Science and Natural Resources Management

Application Process

• Download the Application Form: Access the application form.
• Submission: Submit the completed application form through EMS or any other courier service to:

The Program Manager

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Gulu University

Deadline: April 1st, 2025

Click here to apply

This scholarship is a unique opportunity for academically talented but economically disadvantaged young Africans to pursue their education and contribute to the transformation of agriculture and agrifood systems. Apply now and take the first step toward a brighter future!