In a move to bolster educational cooperation between India and Ethiopia, the Government of India has announced a scholarship program for Ethiopian students in the 2023/24 academic year.

Under this initiative, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will be providing scholarships to a total of 55 Ethiopian students. In the first round of selections, 35 students have reportedly started the visa processing after being accepted into the program.

The ICCR scholarship covers undergraduate education programs in India. The application process for the scholarships was opened on February 20, 2024, and the selected students will receive tuition-free education as well as free airfare to India.

“When I applied through the ICCR portal, there were some initial system challenges, but I’m grateful to have been selected for this opportunity,” said Teshome Mengstu, a lecturer at the University of Adigrat who is one of the 35 students awarded the scholarship.

Bethlehem Tesfaye, a geology lecturer at Dire Dawa University, echoed similar sentiments, stating that while there were some difficulties in accessing information, the application portal itself was user-friendly.

The Indian Embassy in Ethiopia highlighted that the primary objective of the ICCR scholarship program is to strengthen cultural ties and mutual understanding between India and other countries through educational exchange.

“This scholarship program is a testament to the growing educational cooperation between India and Ethiopia,” said a spokesperson from the Indian Embassy. “We are committed to facilitating these academic opportunities and fostering greater people-to-people linkages between our two nations.”

With 35 Ethiopian students already in the process of securing their visas, the first round of the ICCR scholarship program is off to a promising start. As the remaining 20 scholarships are awarded, the initiative is expected to further deepen the educational and cultural exchanges between India and Ethiopia.