RUFORUM and Mastercard TAGDev 2.0 Scholarships for 2026/2027 Across 12 African Universities Open
The TAGDev 2.0 scholarship programme has returned its open call for the new academic year, giving students across Africa a structured route into agriculture and development-focused graduate study — with a deadline that demands early action.
KAMPALA — The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), operating in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has opened applications for the TAGDev 2.0 Scholarship Programme for the 2026/2027 academic year. The call covers twelve partner universities spread across Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, positioning the TAGDev scholarship 2026 as one of the continent’s most geographically broad agricultural graduate funding initiatives currently accepting candidates.
The Problem This Funding Solves?
Graduate study in agriculture and rural development remains chronically underfunded across much of Africa, particularly at institutions outside of established research hubs. The TAGDev programme — an acronym for Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Better Contribute to Growth and Development — was designed precisely to address that gap.
Now in its second phase, TAGDev 2.0 builds on an earlier RUFORUM-Mastercard Foundation collaboration by expanding institutional reach and reinforcing a pipeline of technically skilled, locally embedded graduates who can contribute to food security and rural economic growth on the continent.
Where Applications Are Being Accepted?
The 2026/2027 cohort will be enrolled across twelve universities: Gulu University and Uganda Martyrs University in Uganda; Egerton University and the University of Eldoret in Kenya; Africa University in Zimbabwe; the University of the Free State in South Africa; Malawi University of Science and Technology; the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria; the University of Cape Coast in Ghana; the University of Bamenda in Cameroon; the National University of Agriculture in Benin; and Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique in Morocco. Together, these institutions represent a spread from West Africa to Southern Africa and the Maghreb — a range that reflects TAGDev’s ambition to develop agricultural capacity at a continental scale.
Eligibility and Access Priorities
Applications for the TAGDev 2.0 RUFORUM scholarship are open to both male and female candidates, though the programme explicitly prioritises women, refugees, internally displaced persons, and applicants with disabilities. This targeting reflects a wider Mastercard Foundation commitment to equity-centred higher education access across the continent. Prospective applicants should review the specific academic and professional requirements published by their preferred partner university, as entry criteria and available programmes vary by institution.
Programme Reputation and Institutional Backing
RUFORUM’s work in agricultural higher education has been recognised across the continent as a sustained effort to raise the quality and relevance of university-level agriculture training. The Mastercard Foundation, which backs the TAGDev 2.0 scholarship programme, has committed billions of dollars to African tertiary education over the past decade and is among the most consequential funders of African student access globally. Scholarships funded under this partnership carry weight not only in terms of financial support, but also through the professional networks and institutional credibility they offer graduates entering the agricultural and development sectors.
Who Should Apply?
The TAGDev 2.0 Mastercard Foundation scholarship is best suited to African students at postgraduate level who are serious about agricultural science, agri-business, rural development, or related disciplines, and who intend to work on the continent after graduation. Given the programme’s equity mandate, candidates from displaced or marginalised backgrounds who meet academic criteria should treat this as a competitive opportunity to pursue graduate training they may otherwise be unable to fund. The multi-country structure also means applicants can target institutions best matched to their academic background rather than being confined to a single university’s intake.
Deadline and Next Steps
The submission deadline for all TAGDev scholarship 2026 applications is 1 May 2026. Given the multi-university structure, candidates are advised to apply directly through the relevant partner university portal rather than through a single centralised system. Each institution has published its own application requirements and process. With less than three weeks to the close of applications, prospective candidates should begin gathering documentation immediately. The RUFORUM website provides navigational links to each partner university’s dedicated application page.