Twelve new graduate scholarships, created to support African students studying Public Policy or International Development at Oxford University, have been announced.
The Oxford-Poler Graduate Scholarships, made possible thanks to the generosity of the Poler Family Foundation, will be aimed at students wishing to bring the highest standards of ethics, efficiency and impact to national government and policy-making in their home country.
The Foundation's gift was matched by the University through the Oxford Graduate Scholarship Matched Fund, and will provide financial support to twelve students who wouldn't otherwise be able to study at Oxford. The first six Oxford-Poler Graduate Scholars will join the University in autumn 2016.
The scholarships will be awarded to students demonstrating significant personal leadership capability and potential, and in particular to those who have previously completed the African Leadership Academy's pre-University course. The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a secondary institution for 15 to 18 year-olds that seeks to transform Africa by identifying, developing and connecting the next generation of African leaders.
Frank Aswani, Vice President of the ALA said: 'We thank Oxford University, Dwight Poler and the Poler Family Foundation for their commitment to Africa's future prosperity and good governance. This scholarship will go a long way in strengthening the African leadership pipeline in the Government and Public Policy spaces.'