Ashinaga formed by Yoshiomi Tamai has opened its 2026 Africa Initiative Leadership Programme and is inviting all interested applicants to Apply. Below are the requirements and procedures to apply.

Closing Date:

Bursary Requirements:

• You must a citizen of any of these African countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, CAR, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Kingdom of eSwatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
• You must have been born any time after 1 September 1999
• You must have lost 1 or both of your parents
• You must have no dependents who may interfere with your studies
• You must be in good health (to be able to study abroad)
• You must have completed secondary school OR you must be currently in secondary school
• You must have received your national secondary school exam results within the last 2 years OR you must receive your final exam results by 28 February 2026 (NOT technical and vocational degrees)
• You must wish to study abroad, towards an undergraduate university qualification
• You must lack the financial means to attend university abroad without external funding
• You must be fluent in English, French or Portuguese
• You must be in the top 10% of your class (during the last 2 to 3 years of secondary school)
• You must be willing and able to partake in 2 Ashinaga preparatory programs, before attending university (programs will take place in 1 years)
• You must intend to return to your home country (or to Sub-Saharan Africa) within 4 years after graduation, where you will contribute to society in Sub-Saharan Africa

Please note: students will NOT be selected based on race, ethnic background, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other factors not mentioned above.

Bursary Coverage:

The programme will provide cover for the following expenses:

• tuition,
• accommodation,
• travel expenses and
• other necessary expenses.

Method of Application:

The Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Leadership Programme has 2 steps to apply:

STEP 1: Applicants must first apply online at AAI Leadership Application 2026
To get started, first Register an account here.

Students from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe (Portuguese-speaking), must apply here: AAI Leadership Application 2026 for Portuguese students.

STEP 2: Students who are deemed eligible by Ashinaga will receive an email with the application form. Students will receive the application email within 1 month after registering – if you do not receive the email, then you have not been invited to apply (be sure to check your spam or junk box in your email account).

NB: students must download and read the AAI Applicant Guidebook as it contain a lot of essential information

Supporting Documents:

If you are invited to apply, you will be required to submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form, so ensure you have them ready (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

• ID document, Passport or Birth certificate (copy only)
• Photograph (passport style)
• All term reports or secondary school transcripts from the past 2 years
• Final secondary school certificate (with results for each subject)
• Recommendation letter from a school teacher or principal indicating your performance and character at secondary school (including their contact number, email address and must be stamped or signed)
• Academic transcripts or official university results (if applicable)
• Certificates of extracurricular activities, training courses, jobs or other commitments (if applicable)
• Death certificate of deceased parent/ parents or another official documentation proving parents death or orphan status