Dacian Cioloș, the candidate for the position of Secretary General of La Francophonie, announces 1,709 scholarships for young Africans, starting in the 2027–2028 academic year

Dacian Cioloș, Romania’s candidate for the position of secretary-general of the Francophonie, announced in Paris on Wednesday the launch of an academic cooperation program between Romania and the African Union. Starting with the 2027–2028 academic year, up to 1,709 young Africans will be able to receive scholarships offered by 26 Romanian universities.

The program will include bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies in fields considered priorities for the development of the African continent, such as science and technology, agriculture, medicine, climate change, and the green and digital transitions. The scholarships will be funded from the participating universities’ own revenues.

The initiative is the result of cooperation between Romania’s National Council of Rectors and the African Union Commission, launched after Cioloș held talks with the institution’s representatives in the first part of the year. The African Union Commission will preselect the candidates, while Romanian universities will make the final selection. The program aims to ensure balanced geographical representation and equal opportunities for women and men.

In parallel, another 100 scholarships will be awarded to candidates from Francophone countries in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Oceania. The cooperation will be formalized through a memorandum with an initial duration of five years, which may be extended.