TAGDev 2.0 Scholarships 2026/2027 | Fully Funded Across 12 African Universities | RUFORUM and Mastercard Foundation

Omran Aburayya
1 day ago
7 min read

If you are a young African with academic potential, a passion for agriculture and food systems, and a background of economic hardship — your opportunity to study at a world-class university, completely free of charge, is now open. The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has officially launched the Open Call for TAGDev 2.0 Scholarship Applications for the 2026/2027 Academic Year. This fully funded, life-changing scholarship is available across twelve partner universities spread from West Africa to Southern Africa and the Maghreb, covering undergraduate and postgraduate studies in agriculture, agribusiness, food systems, and related disciplines. The programme especially encourages women, refugees, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities to apply. The submission deadline is 1st May 2026 — so the time to act is now.

🎓 Scholarship Summary

Locations: Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, Morocco (12 universities across Africa)
Host Institution: Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and 12 African partner universities
Study Level: Bachelor's (BSc) and Master's (MSc)
Target Group: Economically disadvantaged but academically competent young Africans; with special priority for women, refugees, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities
Fields of Study/Focus: Agriculture, Agribusiness, Food Science, Animal Science, Crop Science, Fisheries, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Science, and related disciplines (varies by university)
Value & Coverage: Fully Funded — tuition, accommodation, living stipend, laptop, research costs, internship and field attachment, community engagement, workshop and conference costs, and entrepreneurship training
Award Duration: Full duration of the enrolled programme, renewed annually based on academic performance
Application Deadline: 1st May 2026
Start Date: 2026/2027 Academic Year
Programme Duration: 10 years (2023 – 2033)
Eligible To: Nationals of countries where partner universities are located; refugees and internally displaced persons residing in those countries are also eligible
Official Application Portal: https://rims2.ruforum.org
Contact: mcf@ruforum.org

📚 Scholarship Overview

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), operating in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has opened applications for the TAGDev 2.0 Scholarship Programme for the 2026/2027 academic year. The call covers twelve partner universities spread across Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, positioning the TAGDev scholarship 2026 as one of the continent's most geographically broad agricultural graduate funding initiatives currently accepting candidates.

The TAGDev 2.0 Programme is a 10-year initiative (2023–2033) designed to strengthen universities and technical institutions across Africa. It focuses on equipping students with skills to drive inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient agricultural transformation. The scholarship is targeted at academically capable but economically disadvantaged students.

Now in its second phase, TAGDev 2.0 builds on an earlier RUFORUM-Mastercard Foundation collaboration by expanding institutional reach and reinforcing a pipeline of technically skilled, locally embedded graduates who can contribute to food security and rural economic growth on the continent.

This is not merely a scholarship — it is a continental movement. TAGDev 2.0 is designed to produce a generation of agricultural champions, entrepreneurs, and community transformation leaders who will drive Africa's food security agenda for decades to come. Scholars are embedded in a rich ecosystem of academic learning, practical training, community engagement, and international networking — all supported through a robust institutional framework backed by one of the world's most powerful education funders.

🧩 Structure, Curriculum & Activities

The TAGDev 2.0 scholarship is a comprehensive, full-board academic programme that goes far beyond standard financial support. Successful scholars benefit from a holistic learning experience designed to produce job-ready, entrepreneurial, and community-focused graduates. The programme integrates the following components:

Degree-level Academic Training — Scholars pursue structured BSc or MSc programmes in agriculture and related fields at their chosen partner university.
Research Support — Dedicated funding enables scholars to conduct original research relevant to African agricultural challenges.
Internship and Field Attachment — Organised placements expose scholars to real agricultural value chains, industries, and rural settings.
Community Engagement Activities — Scholars are required to participate in outreach services, applying knowledge to solve local problems throughout their studies.
Entrepreneurship Training — A dedicated programme equips scholars with the mindset and tools to build agri-based enterprises and create employment.
Workshop and Conference Participation — Scholars attend relevant national and international academic events; indirect costs such as international conference participation are covered directly by the RUFORUM Secretariat.
Laptop Provision — Every successful scholar receives a laptop for academic work.
Virtual Information Sessions — RUFORUM organises information-sharing sessions to guide prospective applicants. Past sessions are available at https://bit.ly/47Nmgpw.
Alumni Network Membership — Successful graduates remain connected to RUFORUM and their universities as part of the Programme Alumni network spanning twelve African countries.

Scholarships are renewed annually subject to satisfactory academic performance at a minimum grade B level. Retaking more than four courses in any academic year may result in withdrawal of the scholarship.

🎁 Scholarship Benefits

This is a comprehensive scholarship with direct and indirect costs that will be covered by the TAGDev 2.0 programme through the implementing university where the student will be studying. Indirect costs such as participation in the international conference will be directly covered by the RUFORUM Secretariat. Uniba

Here is the full breakdown of coverage:

Full Tuition Fees — All academic fees for the entire programme duration
Monthly Living Stipend — Regular financial support for daily needs
Accommodation / Hostel — Housing fully covered
Laptop — Provided to every successful scholar
Research Costs — Funding for academic and field research
Internship and Field Attachment — Costs of practical learning placements
Community Engagement Activities — Support for outreach components
Workshop and Conference Costs — Including international conference participation, covered by RUFORUM
Entrepreneurship Training — Full access to enterprise development programmes

ℹ️ Important: Students already holding any other scholarship are not eligible. Anyone found to be a double scholarship beneficiary will be automatically discontinued. Previous TAGDev scholarship recipients are also not eligible to re-apply.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the TAGDev 2.0 Scholarship 2026/2027, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Nationality — Must be a national of the country where the chosen partner university is located, or a refugee/internally displaced person residing in that country.
Economic Background — Must come from an economically disadvantaged and/or marginalized community, including conflict and post-conflict areas.
Age Limits:
- Undergraduate applicants: below 25 years at the time of application (up to 30 for refugees/IDPs)
- Master's applicants: below 30 years at the time of application (up to 35 for refugees/IDPs)
Academic Recency — Must have completed secondary school or diploma not more than two years before this call (up to four years for refugees/IDPs).
University Admission — Must meet and obtain admission into one of the eligible programmes at the chosen partner university.
Interest and Commitment — Must demonstrate genuine interest in agriculture, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship; show leadership qualities; and have a clear commitment to agricultural value chains and community transformation.
No Existing Scholarship — Applicants currently holding any scholarship of any kind are ineligible.
Female applicants, refugees, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

🏛️ Participating Universities

The 2026/2027 cohort will be enrolled across twelve universities spanning West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, and the Maghreb. Below is the full list of partner universities and their respective countries, along with their dedicated application links:

East Africa

Gulu University — Uganda
Uganda Martyrs University — Uganda
Egerton University — Kenya
University of Eldoret — Kenya

Southern Africa

University of the Free State — South Africa
Africa University — Zimbabwe
Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) — Malawi

West Africa

University of Port Harcourt — Nigeria
University of Cape Coast — Ghana
National University of Agriculture — Benin

Central Africa

University of Bamenda — Cameroon

North Africa

Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P) — Morocco

Each university has its own call document, eligible programmes, admission requirements, and application process. Prospective applicants are strongly advised to visit the RUFORUM website and their chosen university's official portal for institution-specific details, as programmes and entry criteria vary.

📁 Access the call documents for each university here

📝 Application Procedure

The application process has two concurrent stages that must be completed simultaneously — university admission and scholarship application. Both must be submitted before the deadline.

Stage 1 — Apply for University Admission

Apply for admission directly to your chosen partner university through that institution's official admission portal or process. Admission requirements vary by university and programme level. Check your chosen university's website or the official call document for institution-specific requirements.

General documents typically required include:

Academic certificates (O-Level, undergraduate degree, or equivalent)
Birth certificate or affidavit of age declaration
National ID or valid international passport
NYSC discharge certificate (where applicable, e.g. Nigeria)
Marriage certificate or proof of name change (where applicable)
Local government identification letter (for applicable countries)
Certified transcripts
Receipts of payment for application forms

Stage 2 — Apply for the RUFORUM TAGDev 2.0 Scholarship via RIMS

The procedure for submitting the TAGDev 2.0 scholarship application through the RUFORUM Information Management System (RIMS) is as follows:

Access the RIMS Web Portal at https://rims2.ruforum.org
Create your account by clicking "Register Here" and activate it via the confirmation email sent to you (check your Spam/Junk folder if the email does not appear in your inbox)
Log in using your registered email and password
Navigate to Calls > Scholarship Calls
Select the relevant Call ID for your chosen university (e.g. RU/2026/TAGDev-2.0/001)
Click Apply and begin filling the application form — click "Save Draft" regularly to avoid losing progress
Download and print the completed form, then submit it alongside your university admission application — either in hard copy or by attaching it on the university's online portal

For technical assistance with the RIMS portal, contact: mcf@ruforum.org

ℹ️ Note: Referees are required to send the confidential report directly to the TAGDev Centre either as a hard copy or an email attachment. Ensure your referees are aware of the deadline.

🚀 Extra Tips & Important Notes

The Mastercard Foundation, which backs the TAGDev 2.0 scholarship programme, has committed billions of dollars to African tertiary education over the past decade and is among the most consequential funders of African student access globally. This scholarship carries real institutional weight and long-term backing.
Successful scholars will be expected to become champions and transformative leaders, and will remain in communication with RUFORUM and their universities as part of the Programme Alumni network — a powerful community of agricultural change-makers across the continent.
All submitted information is subject to verification. Any falsification of documents will lead to immediate disqualification, and misconduct during studies results in automatic loss of the scholarship.
RUFORUM organises information-sharing sessions to guide prospective applicants in submitting a strong application. Watch for announcements on RUFORUM's official channels for upcoming session dates.
Eligible programmes, admission requirements, and available slots vary by university — always refer to the specific call document for your chosen institution.
The deadline of 1st May 2026 applies across all partner universities. Begin gathering your documents immediately to avoid last-minute delays.