KOICA awards Ph.D, Masters scholarship to 15 Nigerians

The Government of the Republic of Korea, through its grant aid and technical cooperation agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOlCA) office in Nigeria, has awarded one Ph.D and 14 Masters Degree scholarships to Nigerian government officials from various Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAS) across the nation to study inleading Korean universities.

The KOlCA Scholarship program is in fulfillment of Korea’s core policy aimed at supporting Nigeria’s Human Resource Development. It covers visa fees, a round-trip air ticket, tuition fees, accommodation, monthly allowance, extracurricular activities, settlement allowance, scholarship completion grants and insurance during the participants’ stay in Korea.
Today, the office organized a predeparture orientation at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Maitama, Abuja, to provide useful information about pre-departure logistics, travelrequirements and arrangements. 
Also, KOICA Alumni joined the session to share their knowledge and valuable experience.
During the session, the KOICA Country Director, Woochan Chang, revealed that the scholarship program contributes to KOICA’s mission of forging new dynamic approaches to capacity development and knowledge sharing in partner countries such as Nigeria. 
He said: “Investment in human resource development is essential to enhance the productivity of any given country through the expertise of its workforce. It is for this reason that KOICA provides scholarship programs in thematic areas identified as priority economic sectors for sustainable development.
“This year, the office offered one doctorate scholarship program for the first time since KOICA opened in Nigeria. Also, 25 Master’s degree programs were offered in various areas, including education, ICT, health, agriculture, trade and investment, environment, energy,finance and tax, aviation, urban and rural development, administration, energy, gender and entrepreneurship.
“The KOICA Scholarship Program is fully committed to the national agenda as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2013, the Scholarship program has assisted atotal of 73 Nigerian Government officials through over 15 courses.”

Also speaking, the Ph.D recipient, Ekanem Uduakobong Emmanuel, from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, stated that she was awarded the scholarship after years of failed attempts and persistence.

She said: “I was awarded KOICA Masters degree Scholarship in 2017, after 3 years (2015- 2017) application attempts. I was not discouraged because the application process was absolutely based on merit and transparent. I realized that it was a learning curve so I continued to apply.
“Three (5) years after my Master’s Degree program, as sponsored by KOICA, I am fortunate and excited to return to Korea as a pioneer Ph.D. student. I look forward to another challenging, yet exciting moment during my PhD program. I deeply appreciate KOICA and remain grateful for this rare opportunity as well as the continued effort in investing and supporting Nigeria to equip its workforce.”