Africa MOVES Scholarships 2026-2027: Intra-African Mobility Grants for Master's, PhD and Staff

Africa MOVES Scholarships 2026-2027

Africa MOVES Scholarships 2026-2027

Applications are open for the first Africa MOVES Scholarships call 2026-2027, an EU co-funded intra-African academic mobility programme under the MOBAF scheme. Africa MOVES funds short-term stays at partner universities in Senegal, Cabo Verde, Mali, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe and Mozambique, with the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela in Spain as technical partner.

Read this before applying: Africa MOVES is not open to all African students. Only students enrolled at, or staff employed by, one of the consortium's partner institutions can apply. Holding an African nationality is not enough, and students from countries outside the consortium — including Cameroon — are not eligible for this call.

The programme offers 66 mobility grants for Master's students, PhD candidates, trainees and university staff. Monthly allowances reach €890 for Master's students, €1,230 for PhD candidates and trainees, and €2,370 for university staff. The scholarship also covers tuition and participation fees at the host university and medical insurance.

Deadline: 30 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT+1 — the same hour in Yaoundé

Contents

• Quick overview
• About the programme
• Available grants and allowances
• What the scholarship covers
• Partner universities
• Eligibility
• Required documents
• Selection process
• How to apply
• Key dates

Quick overview

Criteria	Details
Programme	Africa MOVES (first call 2026-2027)
Funding	European Union – Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (MOBAF)
Coordinator	Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor (UASZ), Senegal
Target groups	Master's students, PhD candidates, trainees, university staff
Total grants	66 mobilities
Monthly allowance	€890 to €2,370
Deadline	30 October 2026, 23:59 GMT+1

About the programme

Africa MOVES is an intra-African mobility project that strengthens the skills of students, researchers and university staff in governance, education and research, digital transition, climate, energy, green economy and innovation.

It funds temporary stays at another African university of the consortium, to take courses, conduct research, prepare a dissertation or thesis, complete an internship or build institutional capacity. Beneficiaries remain enrolled in their home programme: this is a mobility grant, not funding for a full degree abroad.

Available grants and allowances

Category	Grants	Max. duration	Monthly allowance
Master's students	18	9 months	€890
PhD candidates	20	9 months	€1,230
Trainees (internship)	8	6 months	€1,230
University staff	20	3 months	€2,370

PhD mobility can be used to carry out part of the research, access scientific resources, attend specialised courses or develop a cotutelle. Staff mobility mainly targets technical and administrative staff working in internationalisation, academic cooperation, external relations and university services.

What the scholarship covers

Covered	Not covered
Monthly allowance	Airfare
Tuition, registration and participation fees at the host university	Visa fees
Medical insurance	Accommodation
Extra support for beneficiaries with disabilities
Limited research support (in some cases)

Airfare, visa fees and accommodation are at your own expense. Budget for these before accepting a grant: the monthly allowance only starts once you are settled in the host country.

Partner universities

Institution	Country
Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor (coordinator)	Senegal
Universidade de Cabo Verde	Cabo Verde
Université Kurukanfuga de Bamako	Mali
Université Yambo Ouologuem de Bamako	Mali
Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey	Niger
Universidade de São Tomé e Príncipe	São Tomé and Príncipe
Universidade Púnguè (associate partner)	Mozambique
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (technical partner)	Spain

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• be enrolled as a student at a participating African university, or employed by a partner institution (staff mobility);
• belong to a programme or doctoral school covered by their university's mobility scheme;
• show that the proposed stay fits their studies, research or professional duties.

Holding an African nationality alone is not enough.

Required documents

• Degrees or certificates of achievement
• Official academic transcripts
• Official proof of affiliation with the home university
• Passport biometric page (or national ID card)
• Detailed CV (maximum 2,500 words)
• Motivation letter (maximum 500 words)
• Two recommendation letters
• One-page activity plan or concept note

Copies of degrees and transcripts must be certified by a competent university authority. This certification takes time: start the process well before the deadline.

Selection process

Applications go through administrative verification, academic evaluation, ranking, validation by the coordination team and notification, including a waiting list.

Evaluation criteria include academic merit, quality and feasibility of the concept note, motivation, expected impact, consistency with the applicant's background, home institution support, geographical balance, gender equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

How to apply

Prepare your application according to the mobility flow of your home university and follow its specific procedure.

Do not send your file to an address published by another partner university. Each institution runs its own process: check with the coordinator of your own university before submitting anything.

Profile pages on the official website: Master's, PhD, Internship, Staff.

Apply before 30 October 2026

Key dates

Step	Date
Call published	30 September 2026
Application deadline	30 October 2026, 23:59 GMT+1
Evaluation	November–December 2026
Results	December 2026
Start of mobilities	From January 2027

Not eligible? Explore these opportunities

If you are not enrolled at a consortium university, other programmes are open to a wider audience:

• Eiffel Excellence Scholarship at Université Paris-Saclay for Master's and PhD studies in France
• Full list of Eiffel scholarship calls from French universities
• Fully funded scholarships to study in France
• Yale Young Global Scholars for secondary school students

You can also study for an international degree without leaving your country: Unicaf offers partial scholarships for online Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral degrees open to students across Africa, with no consortium or partner-institution requirement.

Official links

Resource	Link
Calls and application	africa-moves.org

Read also

• Full list of Eiffel scholarship calls
• Eiffel Excellence Scholarship at Université Paris-Saclay
• Fully funded scholarships to study in France

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