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DAAD calls for master scholarship at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana Master of Philosophy in Seed Science and Technology. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
Opportunity Details
The programme aims to foster strong, internationally oriented higher education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa with the capacity to contribute to sustainable development. For this purpose, scholarships for development- related Master's studies are awarded to individuals who plan to pursue a career in teaching and/or research at a higher education institution in Sub-Saharan Africa
By training future academic and professional leaders, the programme contributes to the following long-term impacts:
Qualified professionals’ involvement in the solution of development- related problems in Sub-Saharan Africa
Graduates strengthening education and research in Sub-Saharan Africa
Structural strengthening and regional networking of partner institutions
and partner universities
To achieve these long-term impacts, the following outcomes have been formulated as programme objectives:
As part of the „In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme“, the DAAD offers scholarships for Master studies. The programme is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and designed primarily for university staff in the first line, whilst also catering to the public sector demand of academically trained personnel.
The target group for scholarships is graduates from Sub-Saharan Africa with a first academic degree if applying for a Master’s programme, who want to pursue Master’s courses, either:
in their home country
(In-Country scholarships are designed for students who study in their
home country or in the country for which they have a residence permit.) -or-
in another Sub-Saharan African country
In-Region scholarships are designed for students who want to participate in a study programme in a country of their home region (here: Sub-Saharan Africa /outside their home country/in the country for which they do not have a residence permit).
It has been agreed that the DAAD cooperates with the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) by offering up to three
(3) In-Country and seven (7) In-Region scholarships for Master studies at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) for the intake 2025.
The awarding of scholarships will be subject to the provision of funds.
Duration
Scholarships are awarded for the duration of the standard period of study for the chosen programme (up to a maximum of 24 months). Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for a scholarship in your application. For example, if you are planning a 2- year degree programme, you must directly communicate two years as the desired scholarship duration in your application. After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed in a further funding procedure. If this assessment shows that you will successfully complete your programme within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned.
The scholarship usually begins on 1st October 2025.
Please note that the maximum duration of the scholarship consists of the year you apply for, plus the time left to the end of the regular period of studies in that programme. For example, if you apply for a DAAD scholarship starting in your second year of studies of a three-year programme, the maximum duration of the scholarship will be two years.
The standard period of study and the start date are based on the Affiliate Agreement between the partner institution and the DAAD.
Please note: if you arrive later, the duration of your scholarship will be shortened accordingly.
The scholarship covers:
Payment of scholarshio funds
The DAAD will endeavour to transfer/pay out the first monthly payment as quickly as possible after your arrival/ after the beginning of your scholarship. Processing the first transfer of funds may take some time, especially if you are only able to set up your bank account after your arrival in your destination country. To cover the costs which arise before you receive your first scholarship payment, we recommend that you bring a financial reserve with you.
Payments cannot be made in advance/prior of the scholarship start date and the commencement of studies at the host institution. Furthermore, no additional benefits other than those listed in this call for applications, such as benefits for family members, can be made.
Please note that the travel allowance for In-Region scholarship holders will only be transferred along with the first scholarship rate, i.e. after the arrival in the host country.
The scholarship funds will be paid directly to the scholarship holder’s bank account. Further details will be communicated after admission to the scholarship programme in the Letter of Award.
If there is good cause, the DAAD will terminate the scholarship by cancelling the scholarship agreement. In this case, the scholarship payments shall be discontinued immediately. Good cause exists, in particular, if you have violated the rules of good scientific practice.
Additional Benefits
DAAD In-Country/In-Region scholarship holders in the framework of research- based Master programmes are also
a) encouraged to apply for a short-term research stay in Germany for 3 up to 6 months.
Please note:
The short-term research stay in Germany should preferably be communicated in the application for the regular scholarship and can only be awarded if the necessary financial means are available.
If you would like to apply, please note that the funding period for a short- term research stay in Germany is part of the In-
Country/In-Region programme and the regular study period of the programme may not be exceeded by the short-term research stay in Germany. It must be included in the regular study period of the In-Country/In-Region programme. Further information will be provided upon request via the DAAD Portal after you have received your In-Country/In-Region scholarship.
The short-term research scholarship includes:
a monthly scholarship payment for living costs
health/accident/personal liability insurance
a flat-rate travel allowance
All DAAD In-Country/In-Region scholarship holders are also
b) invited to apply for different Summer Schools in Germany (four weeks)
c) invited to participate in further training possibilities such as
E-Trainings.
Further details regarding additional benefits and the corresponding application processes will be provided after admission to the scholarship programme.
Applicants for a Master’s degree:
graduates with a first academic degree, who have successfully completed a three-year university degree with above average results (at least: Second Class/Upper Division or equivalent, if applicable) Candidates who cannot provide a Second Class/Upper Division or a higher result are not eligible
clearly show motivation and strong commitment;
have thorough knowledge of the language of instruction;
have completed their last university degree not more than 6 years ago at the time of application;
must be nationals or permanent residents of a Sub-Saharan African country;
should be a) staff member of a public university, b) or a candidate considered for teaching or research staff recruitment, c) or from the public sector and/or d) Alumni of the DAFI-programme. Fresh graduates, professionals and other candidates who do not fit in the above-mentioned areas are also invited to apply for the programme.
Female applicants, refugees with recognised refugee status and candidates from other less privileged regions or groups are especially encouraged to participate in the programme.
Please note: If you have already received a Master's scholarship from the DAAD, further Master's funding from the DAAD is not possible.
Please note: the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) might have additional requirements for admission to the university.
Eligible Fields of Study
The In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme supports studies in subject areas with strong relevance to national development.
Scholarships at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) are available for the following programme:
Master of Philosophy in Seed Science and Technology
Place of Study
West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, Legon,
As a first step, all applicants must submit a complete application for the programme via the DAAD Portal. This is a standard uploading area for all programme applications and some documents may not be mandatory for your application. Please refer to your programme call to check which documents are required.
Please be aware of the DAAD’s application deadline as well as the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement’s (WACCI) deadline.
The application process for DAAD scholarships contains the following steps:
2. Log in to the portal
3. Carefully read the instructions on how to apply in the portal
4. Submit your application via the portal by 21st November 2024.
Remember to check that your application is complete and meets the DAAD requirements before submitting! Otherwise, your application cannot be considered.
The DAAD will conduct a formal review of the applications received via the DAAD portal only, according to the DAAD criteria.
In addition to this first step, applicants must, at the same time/as a second step, apply for admission at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) using the contact details and procedure prescribed by the institution. The institution sets its own deadline for the admission process. Please inform yourself in plenty of time about the application process at the host institution.
Please note: in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, a document from the Qualifications Authority must be submitted for admission to the universities (e.g., from SAQA in South Africa). The application for these documents can take a while and it is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain the documents from the respective authorities in time.
In a final selection organised by the DAAD, applications that have met both the admission requirements at the host university (and the university's rank in the pre-selection) and the DAAD's formal criteria are evaluated by an independent selection committee (international university teachers and experts from German and foreign universities as well as alumni). The independent selection committee evaluates the applications based on the submitted documents, taking into consideration the pre-selection ranking of the institution. Areas evaluated include academic performance and quality, extracurricular activities, motivation, and relevance of the research topic (if applicable). The selection process usually takes place between March and July. The final decision will be announced for the region of Sub-Saharan Africa approximately six months after the application process has been accomplished.
Please note, that the information about the selection process and the deadlines for an announcement of the final decisions are a subject to change.
The DAAD reserves the right of final selection.
Please note that all short-listed applicants may be asked to participate in a multi-wave monitoring survey to gather data on different academic and career development aspects. Participation is voluntary.
Application Documents
DAAD online application form (available on the DAAD portal under Application → Application and Funding Overview under personal data) duly filled in and submitted according to the outlined deadline
A full curriculum vitae in tabular form, if not otherwise possible without a signature
A list of publications (if applicable)
One Letter of recommendation form, fully filled, signed and stamped by
a university lecturer/teacher. You can generate and download this form in the DAAD Portal as a writable PDF under 'Request reference form'. This DAAD form of a Letter of Recommendation is mandatory and will be the only one which will be accepted by the DAAD.
Letter of admission from the host institution (this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship begins if it is not available at the time of application).
Copies of university degree certificates including transcripts (if available, including a grading scale for the final university degree and if available, information on the recognition of the university degree certificates in the host country) to be uploaded under “university degree certificated” in the DAAD portal. If the certificates are not in English or German, a certified
translation must be submitted.
Letter of motivation (1-2 pages with a personal, social motivation as well
as a motivation for the studies and a possible Master project). Please upload the letter of motivation under “study project/motivation” in the DAAD portal
Copy of your passport or, if not applicable, a copy of your National Identification Card
For refugees, valid refugee Identity card and/or UNHCR registration document
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Optional:
A semester schedule or/and timetable (if applicable: mentioning the planned research stay in Germany, see “Additional benefits”).
Additional documents that might be relevant for your application (e.g. proof of internships, proof of employment).
Your application is only valid if you submit all the mandatory documents to the DAAD portal on time. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are responsible for ensuring that your applications are complete. If you do not have documents such as letter of admission at the time of application, please mention and explain this at an appropriate place in the application.
Please note that the scholarship only becomes effective when
→ the Admission Letter (this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship begins if it is not available before) from the university has been issued
AND
→ once a proof of arrival (e.g., airline ticket, letter from supervisor or coordinator, admission test) has been submitted to show that you are on site at the host university to begin your studies. This must be submitted via the DAAD portal as soon as possible and is part of a complete application (this can also be subsequently submitted before the scholarship begins if it is not available before).
Scan paper documents and save in PDF format. Please note that you can only upload PDF files to the portal.
Applications submitted through other channels or to other authorities will not be considered.
The DAAD portal closes at 24:00 hours. Central European Time (CET or CEST) on the last (deadline) application day.
If you have any technical questions or problems, and your local information and advice centres could not help you with, please do not hesitate to contact the DAAD technical Portal via e-mail at [email protected].
Please consider possible processing times of your request when you are planning your application.