A 2014 initiative, rooted in the founder’s own history
The Ashinaga Africa Initiative began in 2014, and the wider Ashinaga organisation behind it exists specifically because its founder lost his own mother in a car accident, which is why the organisation has always focused solely on orphaned students rather than a broader disadvantaged-student population. AAI’s own stated mission is to expand sub-Saharan Africa’s role in global development by increasing orphaned students’ access to higher education abroad.
Extremely selective by design: roughly one student per country a year
The scale here is worth knowing before you build expectations: Ashinaga’s own FAQ states it aims for quality over quantity and, as a result, is only able to take about one student per country per year, with no guarantee a country gets a selected student at all in any given year. This is a genuinely comprehensive award, tuition, accommodation, travel costs, and other necessary fees, for the whole degree, plus leadership training and preparatory study camps before you even leave home, but it is correspondingly one of the hardest scholarships on this list to actually win.
The application route depends entirely on your language track
How you apply depends entirely on which language track you fall under, and this has changed recently. Since August 2024, Ashinaga no longer accepts direct applications from Anglophone countries: instead, eligible students are identified through partner high schools in each country, so if you are applying from an Anglophone country, your route in is through your school, not an online form. Francophone applications remain open directly to Ashinaga, and this track specifically funds a master’s degree in France for students who have already completed, or are about to complete, a bachelor’s degree. Lusophone applications are also open, with their own separate requirements.
Eligibility is specific, and Ashinaga states plainly it makes no exceptions
Eligibility for the Francophone track is specific: you need to be a citizen of one of 20 listed Sub-Saharan African countries, fluent in French, without the means to fund a French master’s degree yourself, with an average above 14/20 in the baccalauréat (or above 75% in the equivalent state exam), no dependents that would interfere with your studies, and in good health for international study. You’ll also need reliable computer and internet access to attend the mandatory online Orientation Program running October to December. Ashinaga’s own FAQ states directly that no exceptions are made to any of these criteria, for anyone. There is no application fee, and Ashinaga is explicit that you should never pay anyone to apply or to apply on your behalf. One detail worth knowing in advance: your specific French university isn’t something you choose upfront, it’s decided during the Ashinaga Study Camp after you’re accepted.
Nothing dated to plan around, and one exclusivity rule
Ashinaga’s own current apply page does not publish a specific 2026 or 2027 closing date, so check the page directly for the live cycle’s deadline before you invest time preparing an application. If you already hold a scholarship that covers your living costs at a similar or greater level, Ashinaga’s financial support cannot be combined with it; you would only be eligible for the leadership support component instead. For the wider cost picture of living and studying in France beyond what this scholarship covers, see the guide to studying in France.