N250m Scholarship Portal Opens for Nigerian Corps Members: How to Apply

Tunde Onakoya, founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has partnered with Jobs59 and AltSchool Africa to launch a N250 million scholarship programme for NYSC corps members and recent graduates. Each successful applicant will receive N160,000 covering the application fee and tuition, plus access to career support and internship opportunities.

What the Scholarship Covers

The N250 million fund is aimed at helping young Nigerians develop digital skills that improve their employment prospects. Under the initiative, each successful applicant receives N160,000 in funding. That includes N10,000 for the admission application fee and N150,000 toward tuition. The scholarship can be used to study any eligible diploma programme offered by AltSchool Africa.

Selected beneficiaries who do not own a laptop can apply for a separate Laptop Scholarship Add-on. According to the organisers, laptops will only be awarded to selected beneficiaries after an additional review.

Eligibility and Programmes Available

Applications are open to serving NYSC corps members, prospective NYSC members, and recent NYSC graduates. Successful applicants may enrol in any of the following diploma programmes: AI-Powered Fullstack Engineering, Cybersecurity, Cloud Engineering, Data Analysis, Technical Product Management, Digital Marketing, Automation and Sales.

The courses are expected to last between nine and 12 months. Participants can begin applying for internship opportunities from the sixth month of study.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should follow these steps: visit the NYSC to Tech Job Scholarship application portal, fill in the online application using your NYSC information, select your preferred diploma programme, and submit the application for assessment. Successful candidates will receive further instructions on admission and scholarship processing.

Applicants who need a computer for their studies may also submit a separate application for the Laptop Scholarship.

Additional Support for Beneficiaries

In addition to financial assistance, successful applicants will receive internship opportunities, job placement support through Jobs59, career mentorship, and professional portfolio development guidance. Speaking about the initiative on X on Thursday, July 23, Jobs59 founder Sam Otigba said the programme was created to give young Nigerians a practical route into technology careers by combining technical education with employment support.

The organisers said the initiative is designed to help young Nigerians acquire industry-relevant skills while creating a pathway into employment after completing the NYSC programme.

What This Means for Nigerian Youth and Businesses

The scholarship comes at a time when Nigeria is pushing to bridge the digital skills gap among young graduates. By combining funding, mentorship, internships, and job placement, the programme directly addresses the challenge of finding quality tech jobs after the one-year national service. For businesses, it creates a pipeline of trained talent ready to work in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and data analysis. This could ease the pressure on the naira by reducing the number of young Nigerians seeking opportunities abroad, while helping local tech firms grow with homegrown expertise.