In-Country/In-Region Programme Sub-Saharan Africa
Real stories: Scholarship Benefits & Application Tips
Current Calls
Background
In many developing countries, top-level university teachers are scarce, especially in development-related subjects. This limits the quality of university education: due to the small number of highly qualified lecturers, it is not possible to provide enough adequate study places. A well-developed higher education sector is essential for training the professionals and managerial staff that can be highly conducive to the political, economic, and social success of developing countries.
The In-Country/In-Region programme in developing countries ought to contribute to train highly qualified professionals and managerial staff for sustainable development in the partner countries and for the development of top-quality, cosmopolitan universities. The programme thus offers scholarships to future academic and professional leaders from developing countries for postgraduate courses and for doctorates. They study at universities in their home country or at highly qualified institutions in the region.
The partner universities and partner institutions in the respective countries are intermediaries but profit directly from the programme through tuition fees. The regional focus of the programme is Sub-Saharan Africa; however, very similar programmes are run in Central America, South America, South and South-East Asia, and the Middle East.
Programme Objectives
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 developing countries
- Graduates strengthening education and research in developing countries
- 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:
Programme objective 1: Graduates are qualified to take on responsible positions in or for their region of origin. Supported study courses equip graduates for taking on positions of responsibility in development-related areas in teaching and research.
Programme objective 2: The participation of women and underprivileged groups is reinforced.
Programme objective 3: Organisational, financial and personal capacities of partner institutions are strengthened.
This programme strongly encourages mobility of Sub-Saharan Africans to study in participating host institutions within the Sub-Saharan region.
Current Calls for Applications
Please note the calls for the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme are currently closed. The application deadline for the last call was 27 November 2025.
Below is an overview of the host institutions and the funded study courses in the respective institutions under the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme that will open at a later date.
The calls for these programmes are closed and no applications are currently acceptable.
(Post)graduate programmes below in Southern Africa for which DAAD scholarships are offered are now closed. Review the call for applications documents for the programme of interest along with the application information:
| Country | Institution | Degree | Programme | Start of Study (2026) |
| Botswana | Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) | Master | Physics (by Research) | August |
| Malawi | Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) | Master | Environmental Health | October |
(Post)graduate programmes below in West and Central Africa for which DAAD scholarships are offered are now closed:
| Country | Institution | Degree | Programme | Start of Study (2026) |
| Cameroon | University of Dschang | PhD | Parasitology | November |
| PhD | Pharmacology | November | ||
| Ghana | University of Ghana – The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) | Master | Seed Science and Technology | October |
| University of Ghana – The West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCIBIP) | Master | Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases | October | |
| Nigeria | Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (formerly Benue State University Makurdi) | Master | Food Chemistry | October |
| PhD | Food Chemistry | October |
(Post)graduate programmes below in Eastern Africa for which DAAD scholarships are offered are now closed. Review the call for applications documents for the programme of interest along with the application information:
| Country | Institution | Degree | Programme | Start of Study (2026) |
| Kenya | Moi University – East and South African-German Centre for Education Research Methodologies and Management (CERMESA) | Master | Education in Research | September |
| Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) | Master | Food Science and Technology | September | |
| Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) | Master | Energy Technology | September | |
| Master | Soil and Water Engineering | September | ||
| PhD | Soil and Water Engineering | September | ||
| Moi University | PhD | Biostatistics | September | |
| Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) | Master | Research and Public Policy (MRPP) | September/October | |
| Pwani University | Master | Bioinformatics | September | |
| Tanzania | Ardhi University | Master | Geomatics | November |
| Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology | Master | Embedded and Mobile Systems | September | |
| Uganda | Busitema University | Master | Public Health | September |
| Mbarara University of Science and Technology | Master | Biology (Natural Resources Ecology, Management and Conservation) | August/September | |
| Master | Biology (Microbiology and Parasitology[MAP]) | August/September |
(Post)graduate programmes below in Southern Africa for which DAAD scholarships are currently closed. You can still review the call for applications documents for useful programme and application information:
| Country | Institution | Degree | Programme | Start of Study (2026) |
| Malawi | Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) | Master | Aquaculture and Fisheries | January |
| Namibia | Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) | PhD | Computer Science | February |
| South Africa (only In-Region)* | University of Cape Town (UCT) | Master | Urban Studies – Southern Urbanism | February |
| University of the Western Cape (UWC) | Master | Development Studies at ISD | February | |
| PhD | Development Studies at ISD | February | ||
| Stellenbosch University (SUN) | Master | Molecular Biology and Human Genetics (MBHG) | February | |
| South Africa (only In-Country)* | National Research Foundation (NRF) | Master | January | |
| PhD | January |
*Please note that South African (ZA) students cannot apply for In-Region scholarships through this programme tender. In-Country students from South Africa (ZA) can apply through the DAAD-NRF Joint Scholarship Programme.
When to Apply
The call for scholarship applications for West, Central, and Eastern Africa study programmes is generally open in the last third of each year. Please visit this page during this period (Sept-Dec) to see the exact deadlines for the call for the next intake year!
For the MUBAS’ Master in Environmental Health study programme, the call for scholarship applications is generally open in the last third of each year. Please visit this page during this period (Sept-Dec) for the exact deadlines.
For the other Southern Africa study programmes, the call for scholarship applications usually in the first third of each year. Please visit this page during this period (Feb-Apr) for the exact deadlines.
Please note that In-Country scholarships for students from South Africa are administrated by NRF (https://www.nrf.ac.za/)
Please check the call for application documents on this page during the periods mentioned above to confirm the next call.
DAAD Scholarship database: daad.de/go/en/stipa10000486
