Scholarships for Nigerian Women and Girls

With estimates of the literacy rate for women in Nigeria reaching above 50%, the disparity in basic education enrollment, retention and completion among girls in Nigeria represents a serious constraint to its development.

Educating girls is widely viewed as the most effective investment a developing country can make.  In fact, the United Nations Population Fund maintains that a 0.3 percent boost in economic growth results from a 1 percent increase in the number of girls finishing secondary school.  Since per capita gains in developing countries seldom exceed 3 percent a year, that's a very significant boost.

In an effort to help eliminate some of the barriers that discourage or exclude girls from the benefits of basic and advanced education, PCNAF established its first scholarship program for Nigerian girls in 2003.  The scholarship recipients were selected from each of the six regions of Nigeria, giving the program national scope.  The program targeted girls enrolled in the final level of junior secondary school (grade 9), and supported the scholarship winners for the full three years needed to complete their secondary school education.  A total of twelve girls received scholarships through that program.

Building upon the success of the inaugural program, PCNAF is currently launching two new scholarship programs for female Nigerian students: one for secondary school girls in northern Nigeria, and another for college students in the United States.

Nigerian Girls Scholarship Program

This program provides financial assistance to needy girls entering senior secondary school in Kano and Katsina states of northern Nigeria, where the number of girls out of school is extremely high.  The program supports the scholarship recipients until they graduate.  Each scholar will be chosen on the basis of her academic record, financial need and service to her community.  PCNAF is collaborating with the Kano-based Inclusive Community Education and Development Association (ICEADA) to implement the program. 

Young Women's Scholarship Program

PCNAF is partnering with the Association of Nigerian Women Leaders in the Diaspora (ANWLD) to establish a scholarship program for female Nigerian college students in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.  It was created in an effort to help ease the financial burden of students with outstanding academic and leadership potential who are facing difficulties finding the money to stay in school because they have an international student visa.  These students are not allowed to seek outside employment to finance their education.  The program provides financial support to young women entering their junior or senior year at a participating college or university.