Microsoft offers scholarships to bright university students

Microsoft Corp has initiated a scholarship programme to provide mentorship, leadership and technical training to promising African students.

The programme is part of its 4Afrika Initiative, and also aims to provide university-level education and employment opportunities 1,000 youths.

The mentorship will be provided by Microsoft employees from around the world, and employment opportunities will include internships and part-time and full-time jobs within Microsoft as well as with the company’s more than 10,000 partners across Africa.

“The 4Afrika Initiative was designed to help ensure that Africa can become globally competitive, and investing in our highly motivated youth is a critical step toward making that a reality,” Patrick Onwumere, director of youth enablement Microsoft 4Afrika said.

The 4Afrika Scholarship programme will ensure that promising youths have access to the education, resources and skills they need to succeed, regardless of their financial situation.

Microsoft also announced that in the coming year, it will provide 4Afrika scholarships to 1,000 young people to pursue associate degrees in computer science and business administration at the University of the People, an online institution dedicated to the democratisation of higher education.

Students wishing to apply for these first 4Afrika Scholarships must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school certificate and working knowledge of English as all coursework is in English.

They must also have access to the Internet to be able to participate in the online classes.

To help address the connectivity issue, the company is making available working space in its Microsoft Innovation Centres in Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana for successful applicants near those locations.

In addition, Microsoft is working with various partner hubs across Africa to make similar arrangements for students in other locations.

“University of the People works hard to ensure that university-level education is a possibility for the masses, and through the 4Afrika Scholarship programme, Microsoft is helping us extend that possibility even farther in Africa,” said Shai Reshef, president of the university.