Nigeria ends scholarships in Morocco, calling them «unproductive»

On Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal government announced it would cease funding for what it termed «unproductive» overseas scholarships, including those under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) with Morocco. Quoted by Nigerian media, Education Minister Tunji Alausa stated that sponsoring 150 students in Morocco cost 650 million naira ($484,629), which is nearly MAD 4.49 million in just one year.

«We are sending students to Algeria, a French-speaking country, to study English. We are also sending students to Morocco, a French-speaking country, to study journalism and psychology», Alausa pointed out, emphasizing that Nigeria has now «developed enormous capacity» within its «higher education institutions, universities, and colleges».

«Firstly, all these courses are already available in Nigeria. Secondly, students spend their first year learning French before even starting their main program. Thirdly, investing 650 million naira in Nigeria could benefit thousands of students», the minister explained. He also clarified that the government is not against foreign scholarships and that countries interested in offering them could continue to do so.

The Nigerian government intends to redirect public funds towards the nation’s higher education institutions, highlighting that these institutions «now have the capacity to offer programs that were previously unavailable locally».