The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation awards Master scholarships to applicants from West Africa to pursue a Master’s programme or equivalent at a university in Germany.
The RLS is a German institution for political education, a forum for critical thinking and political alternatives, and a research centre for progressive social development. Through its regional office in Dakar, it works with West African civil society organisations, NGOs and universities on the following topics:
• Peace and security
• Economy, labour and social justice
• Climate justice
• Feminism
• Migration
Anyone who is enrolled or has been admitted to a Master’s programme or an equivalent at a public or government-recognised university in Germany may apply, regardless of their field of study. You will find information on how to obtain this admission on the Uni-Assist website. For many universities, you must also apply via this portal.
We also recommend asking the lecturers at your university about contacts with German universities. These may have been established through academic collaboration or participation in conferences. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) can also provide assistance. It is represented at some universities in West Africa either through an office or a lecturer and is usually found in the Department of German Studies. Please find the contacts known to us below:
· Ghana: https://www.daad-ghana.org/en/
· Senegal: Anna Marquez Garcia dakar.ucad at daad-lektorat.de
· Côte d’Ivoire: Katja Jacobs abidjan.univ-fhb at daad-lektorat.de
· Togo: Marie-Charlotte Zongo lome.univ-lome at daad-lektorat.de
· Benin: Maria Löffler cotonou.abomey-calavi at daad-lektorat.de
· Nigeria: PD Dr. Gerald Heusing lagos.unilag at daad-lektorat.de ; Charlotte Sophie Meyn ibadan.ui at daad-lektorat.de
In addition to enrolment or admission to the degree programme, the following are required:
· Proof of a completed Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
· An excellent academic degree
· Social commitment to social causes in accordance with the values of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
· As a rule, applicants should provide proof of German language proficiency at B1 level. Alternatively, English language at B1 level or native-speaker proficiency may suffice. Applicants should, where possible, acquire or improve their German language skills before leaving their home country. We can fund the relevant courses, e.g. at the Goethe-Institut. This also applies if the selected programme does not use German as a teaching language
· You must reside in Germany for the duration of the funding
Applications are accepted exclusively via the application portal. It is open from 20 August until 1 October 2026, 23:59 Central European Summer Time. The documents required for an application are listed here again in German and English.
