Mali and UEMOA have entered into a partnership for academic excellence as education minister Bouréma Kansaye on Thursday met with Abdoulaye Diallo.
It was part of efforts to strengthen educational cooperation between Mali and the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
Talks had focused mainly on the UEMOA Excellence Scholarship Programme 2025–2028 and Mali’s participation in the Year of Education and Culture initiative.
The UEMOA Excellence Scholarship Programme 2025–2028 plans to select ten candidates from each member state based on academic merit. The programme covers Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral and postdoctoral specialization studies in human health.
Age requirements are set at 21 years for Bachelor’s applicants, 24 for Master’s, 28 for Doctoral candidates and 35 for postdoctoral specialization applicants. Candidates must also have a minimum academic average of 14/20.
Selected students will benefit from full financial support for their studies. The package includes complete tuition coverage, a settlement allowance of 200,000 CFA francs, annual insurance coverage of the same amount and round-trip airline tickets every two years.
Monthly stipends vary depending on the level of study: 150,000 CFA francs for Bachelor’s students, 180,000 CFA francs for Master’s students and 200,000 CFA francs for Doctoral and specialisation programmes.
For certain strategic fields outside the UEMOA area, particularly artificial intelligence, support may reach 656,000 CFA francs per month. Doctoral students may also receive up to 5 million CFA francs for research work upon presentation of official supporting documents.
At the same time, Mali continues its participation in the Year of Education and Culture initiative, which aims to encourage academic mobility and promote regional expertise.
This cooperation forms part of UEMOA’s IMPACT 2030 strategic plan, which seeks to improve the quality of higher education, promote student mobility and develop a highly qualified workforce within the regional bloc.
For Mali, the partnership represents a major opportunity for the development of human and scientific capital. It offers Malian students access to high-level training and professional prospects in strategic sectors such as health, engineering, agriculture and information technology.
Through this initiative, the country also strengthens its role within UEMOA and contributes to the development of a regional elite capable of addressing West Africa’s economic, social and technological challenges.
MD/te/Sf/lb/as/APA