INTRODUCTION
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) was instituted in 1959 to give practical expression to the declared intention of Commonwealth countries to contribute to the provision of high-level education and training by sharing their resources and their facilities. Since inception, it has been managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), London, United Kingdom (UK). This scholarship is an annual Programme mainly for Post Graduate applicants, i.e Masters and Doctoral.
Mandate of the Commonwealth Division
Commonwealth and Multilateral Division of Federal Scholarship Board is Responsible for the implementation and processing of Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship plan (CSFP) programmes, and Multilateral Scholarship ten able in other Commonwealth countries. It organizes and conducts the nomination interviews of eligible Nigerian candidates for the Commonwealth Scholarship.
The Division also advertises processes and endorses Multilateral Scholarship application forms tenable in other Commonwealth and African Union countries. The call for nomination could be sent from any of the Commonwealth or African Union countries to Nigeria. However, since inception, the following nations have been ma king request for nomination to Nigeria. They are: United Kingdom (UK), Mauritius and New Zealand while endorsement of Application forms, for Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka etc.
KEY ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2015 TO DATE
Commonwealth Scholarship Awards to Nigeria, from 2015 – Date
3.0 ON-GOING PROJECTS, PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES
3.1 West African Agricultural Production Projects (WAAPP)
Twenty-two (22) scholars of the Benin Republic are currently undergoing a two (2) years Master’s Degree Programme in the university of Ibadan, under the West African Agricultural Production Project (WAAPP). Federal Scholarship Board (FSB) is expected to monitor the welfare and academic performance of the scholar while the programme last.
The 2019/2020 nomination interview was conducted from the 7th – 10th January, 2019 and forty-three (43) candidates were nominated and names forwarded to Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), London, UK. The outcome of the number of candidates awarded the scholarship is still being awaited by the board.