Josephine Kponee Fellowship Award 2026: For Ogoni Women
If you're an Ogoni woman working toward your first university degree in Nigeria, the Josephine Kponee Fellowship Award is one scholarship opportunity worth putting at the top of your list.
Administered by the Kponee-Shovein Foundation, this fellowship covers full tuition and a yearly stipend for the entire duration of an undergraduate programme.
About the Scholarship
The Josephine Kponee Fellowship Award (also referred to as the Josephine Kponee Memorial Grant), offered by the Kponee-Shovein Foundation.
The award was created to sponsor academic, research, and technological projects that support higher education for Ogoni women. It's named after Josephine Kponee, an Ogoni woman remembered for the value she placed on educating young women.
In that spirit, the fellowship exists to empower promising young Ogoni women to complete their degrees and go on to make a lasting impact in their fields.
It's worth noting that the Kponee-Shovein Foundation also runs a separate, genderless award, the Kponee-Shovein Scholars Award, for students at Nigerian universities more broadly. The Josephine Kponee Fellowship is the Foundation's dedicated award specifically for Ogoni women.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the 2026 Josephine Kponee Fellowship, applicants should meet the following criteria:
Nationality/Ethnicity: Must be an Ogoni woman
Level of study: Applicants pursuing their first (undergraduate) degree
Year of study: Open to students in any year of their program
Subject area: All academic disciplines are eligible; there's no restriction to specific fields
Institution: Any accredited university in Nigeria
Beyond these baseline requirements, the Foundation evaluates candidates against several deeper criteria:
Financial need: particular weight is given to applicants who would be unable to pursue their education without this support.
Demonstrated academic ability: shown through standardised test scores, prior academic achievements, and letters of recommendation.
Leadership and community commitment: a genuine dedication to uplifting the Ogoni people, the Nigerian nation, and the African continent more broadly.
Future promise: evidence that the candidate is likely to make continued, distinctive contributions marked by creativity, originality, and initiative in her chosen field.
Alignment with broader goals: the relevance of the candidate's studies to her future career aspirations and potential for lasting impact.
Maintaining the award: This isn't a single payment. To keep the fellowship for subsequent years, recipients must maintain first class honours or high second class upper division honours (roughly a 4.0+ equivalent) each academic year.
Award Details
Coverage: Full university tuition, paid directly to the institution by the Foundation
Stipend: A yearly stipend for academic materials and living expenses, transferred directly to the recipient
Duration: The full length of the recipient's first degree, contingent on satisfactory academic progress each year
Application Process
Visit the official application page and complete the "Apply to be a Fellow" form linked directly on the Foundation's site.
Prepare supporting materials. While the exact checklist is confirmed once you start the application, based on the foundation's stated selection criteria, be ready to demonstrate the following:
Proof of your academic standing and achievements
A statement addressing financial need
Evidence of leadership or community involvement
Letters of recommendation
Information about your prospective academic and career goals
Submit before the deadline. Late submissions are unlikely to be considered, so aim to apply well ahead of the September 15, 2026, cutoff.
Await the Foundation's decision. Selected recipients typically have their tuition disbursed directly to their university by the foundation's chief operating officer, with stipend funds transferred separately to the recipient.
The Josephine Kponee Fellowship stands out because it's not just a scholarship; it's a yearly commitment to a single student's success, covering tuition and living costs for as long as she keeps her grades up.