Chess in Slums Africa founder, Tunde Onakoya, has partnered with Jobs59 founder, Sam Otigba, and AltSchool Africa founder, HackSultan, to launch a ₦250 million scholarship fund designed to equip corps members and recent graduates with in-demand technology skills.
The initiative will award successful applicants ₦160,000 scholarships to study diploma programmes at AltSchool Africa, alongside career mentorship, internship opportunities, job placement support and free laptops for selected beneficiaries.
Announcing the initiative on X on Thursday, Otigba said the programme was aimed at helping young Nigerians build employable tech skills.
“We’re solving the Olodo uprising pandemic, one NYSC at a time. That’s our contribution to society. That’s why Tunde Onakoya, HackSultan and I are launching a ₦250 million scholarship fund to help recent graduates gain real, in-demand tech skills that lead to jobs,” he wrote.
According to the organisers, each successful applicant will receive ₦10,000 toward the application fee and ₦150,000 toward tuition, bringing the total scholarship value to ₦160,000.
Eligibility
The scholarship is open to:
- Current NYSC corps members
- Prospective corps members
- Recent NYSC alumni
How to apply
Interested applicants are required to:
- Visit the NYSC Tech Job Scholarship portal at https://altschoolafrica.com/nysc#scholarship-support.
- Complete the scholarship application form using their NYSC details.
- Select a preferred AltSchool Africa diploma programme.
- Submit the application for eligibility review.
- Await admission guidance and scholarship confirmation if successful.
The organisers also disclosed that applicants who do not own a laptop can apply for a separate Laptop Scholarship Add-on, through which selected beneficiaries will receive free laptops to aid their studies. They noted that the laptop support requires an additional application after the scholarship application has been completed.
Available programmes
Successful applicants can 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 programmes are expected to last between nine and 12 months, with participants becoming eligible to apply for internships from the sixth month.
Career support
Beyond tuition support, beneficiaries will also receive internship opportunities, job placement assistance through Jobs59, career mentorship and guidance on building professional portfolios.
Otigba said the initiative is intended to help corps members and recent graduates transform their service year into a pathway for long-term career success.
“Beyond technical training, participants will also receive career support and internship/job opportunities through Jobs59. We also know that learning without a laptop is a major barrier, so we’ll be providing laptops to a select number of scholarship recipients through an additional application process,” he said.
Onakoya, who is supporting the initiative as a youth development partner, said the programme would help young Nigerians develop discipline, resilience and practical career skills while preparing them for opportunities beyond the NYSC programme.
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