Ashinaga Africa Initiative 2027
A funded undergraduate degree in Brazil, after a preparatory year run from Uganda, for orphaned students from Portuguese-speaking Africa
- Funder
Ashinaga (through Ashinaga Brasil)- Study in
- Brazil
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Funding
- Full
- Closes
- 25 Oct 2026 12 days left Applications for the 2027 cohort (Turma 14) close at 21:00 Brasília time on 25 October 2026. This route is for citizens of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. Ashinaga no longer takes direct applications from English-speaking countries, and its French-language programme for 2027 closed on 30 August 2026.
- Official site
- ashinagabrasil.org
Checked on ashinagabrasil.org by Farouk Yahaya, 9 October 2026. Scholarly Dream is independent and not affiliated with this funder.
The Ashinaga Africa Initiative pays for orphaned students from sub-Saharan Africa to take a university degree abroad and then return to work on problems in their home region. Ashinaga, a Japanese non-profit, started the programme in 2014, and its scholars have come from 48 of the 49 sub-Saharan countries and studied in Japan, Europe, the USA and Brazil.
For the 2027 intake there is one open call at undergraduate level: the Portuguese-language route run by Ashinaga Brasil. It places students in Brazilian universities after a preparatory year. Applications for this cohort, which Ashinaga Brasil calls Turma 14, close at 21:00 Brasília time on 25 October 2026 (checked 9 October 2026 on the Ashinaga Brasil programme page).
Which route covers your country
Ashinaga has split the programme by language, and the three routes now work differently.
| Language group | How students are selected for 2027 |
|---|---|
| Portuguese-speaking (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe) | Open online application to Ashinaga Brasil for an undergraduate degree in Brazil. Closes 25 October 2026. |
| English-speaking countries | No open call. Since August 2024 Ashinaga has worked with selected secondary schools in each country to identify students. |
| French-speaking countries | An orientation programme for students finishing a bachelor’s degree who plan a Master’s in France. The 2027 call closed on 30 August 2026. |
The Ashinaga application page sets out the English and French arrangements. If you are in an English-speaking country, ask your school whether it is an Ashinaga partner; there is no form you can fill in yourself. The rest of this page covers the Brazil route.
Who can apply to the Brazil route
- A citizen of, and resident in, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique or São Tomé and Príncipe
- Has lost one or both parents
- Under 23 on 31 December 2026, which means 22 or younger
- Has finished secondary school with an overall average of at least 65% (13 out of 20) and at least 65% in Portuguese
- Cannot afford university without help
- Has no Brazilian parent and does not hold Brazilian nationality
- Is in good health and able to complete the one-year preparatory programme
- Is willing to return to sub-Saharan Africa after graduating
Ashinaga says it makes no exceptions to the orphan rule. You will need an official document that names the parent who has died, such as a death certificate, a court record or another official letter.
What the scholarship pays
| Item | What Ashinaga Brasil provides (checked 9 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Preparatory year | One year, fully covered, partly online and partly in person at Ashinaga Uganda in Nansana |
| University place | Entry to a Brazilian university through PEC-G, the Brazilian government’s undergraduate programme for students from partner countries |
| Housing | Covered |
| Travel | Covered |
| Monthly allowance | R$ 2,500 in the São Paulo metropolitan region, R$ 2,200 elsewhere (rates as of August 2026) |
| Internship | Help with costs can be requested for the required internship in sub-Saharan Africa |
Current scholars study at the University of São Paulo (USP), UNESP, UNIFESP and UNICAMP, in the city of São Paulo and in towns in the interior of the state. The award also includes leadership training, events and the wider network of Ashinaga scholars on other continents. You do not repay anything if you keep to the programme’s rules.
How selection works
- By 25 October 2026Eligibility check. You declare online that you meet the criteria, and Ashinaga Brasil reviews the form within seven working days. Submit well before the deadline so the review is done in time.
- After the checkFull application. Eligible candidates receive an email with a link to the full form and the documents it asks for.
- EvaluationOnline tests in Portuguese and school subjects, a project you design and then present, and an individual interview.
- ResultUp to five candidates are selected for the 2027 cohort.
- Preparatory yearAcademic catch-up, careers guidance and leadership sessions, run from Ashinaga Uganda, before university entry in Brazil.
Ashinaga Brasil does not publish the date when results go out, so keep checking your email, including the spam folder, after you submit.
Choosing a course
Because places come through PEC-G, you do not pick a university. You rank a first and second choice of course and city, and the placement depends on your ranking and on how many seats are available that year. Law and Medicine are not offered under the scholarship, so if either is your only plan, this is not the right award.
That arrangement makes the project stage of the evaluation more important than it first looks. A candidate who can explain what problem at home a course would help them work on, and why a second choice would serve the same aim, gives the panel more to go on than one who names a famous university.
What you commit to
The scholarship is tied to a return to Africa. During and after the degree, scholars are expected to:
- Keep good academic results and follow Brazilian law, university rules and the programme’s code of conduct.
- Complete an internship of six to eight weeks in a sub-Saharan African country.
- Attend the Tsudoi, held each July in São Paulo, and the congress where scholars present their plans.
- Present a Proposta Ashinaga, a plan for the change they intend to make at home, at the end of the degree.
- Return to sub-Saharan Africa and contribute there, during or after the degree.
Ashinaga Brasil says applications whose written answers appear to have been produced with artificial intelligence will be disqualified, and so will applications with missing or incorrect documents. The language test and the interview will show your own Portuguese anyway, so write in your own words and have a teacher check only the facts.
Before you apply
The full form, sent after the eligibility check, gives the exact document list for the Brazil route. Ashinaga’s French-language call for the same year asked for the following, and it makes sense to gather them while you wait for the review:
- Your passport or national identity card
- Your birth certificate
- An official document showing the death or disappearance of your parent or parents
- Your secondary school certificate and full transcript
- Optional certificates for volunteering, training or work
Applying is free. Ashinaga says it never charges a fee and that no one should pay a third party to apply for them. Our guide on spotting scholarship scams covers the warning signs. Questions about the Brazil route go to Ashinaga Brasil at contato@ashinagabrasil.org.
If you are not from one of the five countries, the eligibility checker lists other undergraduate awards that match your nationality, and the deadline planner helps you line up the dates. Confirm the dates on the official Ashinaga Brasil page before you submit.