December 10, 2018 Lagos, Nigeria —
The Africa-America Institute, in partnership with the Jim Ovia Foundation announces the first cohort of 22 student-beneficiaries of the Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders Scholarship. This highly selective scholarship seeks to empower deserving students with full tuition, room and board at Ashesi and Covenant Universities.
According to Mr. Jim Ovia, the Founder/Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc and Jim Ovia Foundation, “This scholarship opportunity shows our collective effort towards the development of education in Africa. Our selection of students within this first cohort includes students from across East, West and Southern Africa, inherently celebrating the African geographic diversity. This also highlights the international reach and global impact of the JOFLS program and partnership with AAI.”
Mr. Kofi Appenteng, President and CEO of the Africa-America Institute, added that “By providing educational paths to livelihood for our talented 22 first-generation college scholarship students, the Jim Ovia Foundation is creating a ripple effect of opportunities for families and communities across Africa. We are delighted to support this cohort and eagerly anticipate the positive sea change to come as the program grows.”
The Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders Scholarship (JOFLS) was created from a partnership between the Africa-America Institute (AAI) and the Jim Ovia Foundation in 2017. Mr. Jim Ovia, on behalf of the Jim Ovia Foundation, pledged $2 million fund in support of higher education towards the JOFLS Fund. This was formally announced at AAI’s 33rd Annual Awards Gala, on the heels of the UN General Assembly convening, where Mr. Ovia received the AAI African Business Leader Award.
This first batch has 12 of the 22 students now attending Ashesi University in Ghana, and the other ten are presently at Covenant University in Nigeria. Both universities were selected to host the inaugural cohort because of their commitment to academic success and to providing holistic support to its student body. The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, mentorship support, books, and student travel.
Application for the second cohort of beneficiaries would be announced in due time.
The Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders scholarship recipients are all first-generation college students and represent various countries across Africa – a true Pan-African endeavor. They include young nationals from Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
Meet the current scholars here
For additional information on application and follow-up, visit AAI.
Jim Ovia Foundation
Founded in 2004, the Jim Ovia Foundation is committed to investing in Nigerian youths’ unlimited and untapped potential as the key to their socioeconomic growth to enhance the standard of living of the society and increase human efficiency. Through its various programmes, the Jim Ovia Foundation aims to equip the youths by increasing their knowledge base and skills with education and Information Communication Technology (ICT). To date, the Jim Ovia Foundation has supported over 1,500 college students and entrepreneurs with over 500 million Naira in educational and entrepreneurial grants. Visit www.jimoviafoundation.org
Africa-America Institute
AAI is the premiere US international organization dedicated to increasing educational opportunity for young Africans and improving global understanding of Africa. Since our founding in 1953, we have remained committed to promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training and dialogue. We currently boast over 15,000 alumni leaders in public, private and non-governmental sectors throughout Africa and the African diaspora. To learn more, visit aaionline.org.
