AI4D Scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africa calling for applications. If you are from the Sub-Saharan African countries and already registered for PhD, or are interested in research in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), or related areas, this scholarship opening is for you.
The funding is for two or three years depending on the program of studies. The total grant package can be up to US$68,000, but varies according to the categories.
Scholarship Description
AI4D Scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africa: The African Centre for Technology Studies has received a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to support the training of PhD students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as well as the research work of Early Career Academics or Scholars (Early Career and Post-Doc) in AI & ML. The research work within this program must be within AI and centered on STEM disciplines that attempt to address any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The award of the scholarships shall strive to achieve uniform distribution of beneficiaries across Francophone and Lusophone sub-Saharan Africa. There will also be an effort to achieve fair distribution in terms of gender and region. The supported studies MUST adhere to responsible AI.
Eligible Countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Togo.
The 2nd call of the AI4D Scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africa Program has been designed to target 3 categories of beneficiaries;
Category 1 – Registered PhD Students.
Invitation for this category of AI4D Scholarships will target candidates who are already registered for PhD, and have finished coursework as well as research proposals. This will be open to all universities offering PhD in AI (or any of its derivatives). Scholarships will be given for a period of two years. Selection will be based purely on the quality of the candidates and proposals.
Eligibility: All applicants must be/have
- already registered in an AI study (machine learning, expert system, natural language processing, intelligent robotics, etc.) under a supervisor, have finished coursework as well as a research proposal. And must attach a letter of support from their supervisor, and a copy of the PhD study admission letter.
- competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- thorough knowledge of the language of instruction within their host university. (French or Portuguese).
- nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country.
Each successful student will receive a partial scholarship of up to US $ 27,000 distributed as shown:
- Tuition fees for two years up to $ 4000
- Research activities up to $ 17,000
- Supervisor travel support up to $ 6,000
See Also: Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals (Fully Funded)
Category 3 – Early Career Academics
This will mainly target those ECA who have the capacity to supervise PhD and MSc students.
Eligibility: Each applicant for this category of AI4D Scholarships must be/have
- held a PhD in AI and ML, for the last 3 – 5 years as at the time of application.
- competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country.
Each successful ECA will receive a scholarship of up to US$ 68,000 covering:
- Tuition fees for one PhD student for two years are up to $ 4000.
- Tuition fees for two MSc students are up to $4000.
- Research costs up to $ 25,000.
- Research infrastructure up to $ 30,000.
- Traveling costs up to $ 5,000.
Funding would be for 2 years.
Also Check: UNU-IAS PhD in Sustainable Science Scholarship, Japan
Category 4 – Post-doctoral Fellows.
The programme will support post-doctoral fellows to build capacities for AI research and training in their universities. The program will support each successful post-doctoral candidate with 4 MSc positions.
Eligibility: Each applicant must be/have
- held a PhD in AI and ML, for not more than 2 years as at application.
- competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country.
Each successful candidate this AI4D Scholarships category will receive up to US$ 63,000:
- Tuition fee for 4 MSc students up to $ 8,000.
- Research activities up to $ 20,000.
- Research infrastructure up to $ 30000.
- Traveling costs up to $ 5,000.
Funding would be for 2 years.
If you are interested in applying to any of the above categories of scholarships, please visit the Official Scholarship page.
