The Niger Delta Development Commission has announced intentions to restructure its foreign postgraduate scholarship program to incorporate a tracking system for monitoring its scholars’ progress after graduation.
Seledi Thompson-Wakama, the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, confirmed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the statement, NDDC Managing Director Samuel Ogbuku, while speaking to nearly 200 scholars studying at various universities in the United Kingdom, particularly at Coventry University, claimed that the new tracking system would improve the existing scholarship program.
Ogbuku added that the system will compile a thorough record of over 2,900 scholars who have benefited from the program since its inception 14 years ago.
He stated that it would aid in assessing the scheme’s impact on human capacity development in the region, as well as providing vital insights for post-scholarship initiatives.
“The tracking system is part of our innovative approach to align the scheme with the technological needs of the Niger Delta. Another key change is the focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine) courses,” he stated.
In his remarks, Dr. George Uzonwanne, NDDC Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, disclosed that only 200 of the 56,000 applicants for the 2024/2025 program were chosen through a “transparent” electronic evaluation process.
Speaking on behalf of the scholars, Blessing Menim, a recipient, described the program as a success story and thanked the NDDC for swiftly paying fees and allowances.