KOICA 2021 scholarship programme opens

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Ghana has announced the opening of the 2021 scholarship programme in Accra.

The scholarship is awarded annually and is opened to government officials from Ghana and other partner countries and funded by the government of the Republic of Korea through KOICA through a programme called Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT). Fifteen courses are available under this year’s programme.

In an online interaction with prospective beneficiaries on Friday, February 26, 2021, a Programme Officer at the KOICA office in Ghana, Ms Renny Lartey, said the programme was being undertaken in collaboration with the University of Seoul, Soongail University, Hallyym University, Ajou University, Yonsei Univeristy (WONJI), Seoul National University, Korea Aerospace University and Kyungpook National University and some other leading universities in Korea.

“The scholarship is available for academic programmes in Agriculture Economy, Finance and Tax Policy, Aviation Management, Agricultural Production, Gender and Development, Response to Climate Change, Social Economy (MBA), Energy, Science and Policy, ICT Techno Policy, and Urban and Regional Development.

“KOICA expresses the hope that the beneficiaries will contribute to the socio-economic development of Ghana on their return,” she said.

Package

Ms Lartey said the scholarship package included airfare, fully paid tuition fees, and expenses for extra-curricular activities such as study visits, workshops and Korean language classes.

She added that the package also covered accommodation, insurance and KRW999,000 ($900) monthly stipend for successful applicants.

Qualification

She said “an applicant must be a Ghanaian, officially nominated by his or her institution and must be a government employee with a minimum of two years experience in the field of study”.

The applicant must also be in good health both physically and mentally.

Meanwhile, people with disabilities but in good mental and physical health are eligible to apply.

She mentioned March 12, this year, as the deadline for submission of application forms.

Scholarship programme

Ms Lartey said the scholarship programme was begun in 2014 with 18 beneficiaries. So far, she said, 169 Ghanaian government officials benefited from the scheme.

"From 2014 to 2020, 169 Ghanaian government officials received KOICA scholarships to study various courses in Korea and it is the highest compared to other countries," she said.

For her part, Ms Linda Egyir-Quainoo, the Communications and External Relations Officer at KOICA, said the scholarship programme was contributing to the development of the capacities of beneficiaries and their institutions.

KOICA

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was founded as a government agency on April 1, 1991, to maximise South Korea's grant and aid programmes for developing countries through implementation of that government's grant, aid and technical cooperation programmes.

In the past, development cooperation efforts were focused mainly on meeting basic human needs in developing countries and on fostering development of their human resource.

But, the focus has now broadened to promoting sustainable development, strengthening partnerships with developing partners and enhancing the participation of the locals.