In line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Sierra Leone and Hungary in 2021 for the Government of Hungary to be awarding 50 scholarships to Sierra Leonean students on an annual basis under the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme, the Government of Hungary has for the second time awarded another set of 50 scholarships to Sierra Leonean students in different fields of study both at undergraduate and postgraduate level through the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education for the 2023/2024 academic year.

The scholarship aims to promote the internationalization of Hungarian higher education as well as attract top international students from around the world who can establish personal and professional links with Hungary.

Through this scholarship, Sierra Leone and Hungary would be able to build social, political and economic relationships between each other.

According to the Hungarian Embassy’s Head of Consular Section in Ghana accredited to Sierra Leone, Richard Majtan, the already existing diplomatic linkage between the two countries through this scholarship programme would continue without any form of interruption or limitation.

“We are diplomatically and bilaterally still having a valid cooperation with Sierra Leone…this has just started, and officially, there is no interruption. We are happy to pursue this in the future without any limitation,” he said.

The Students’ Secretary at the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), Idrissa Sannoh, said that MTHE is poised to continually build the capacity of Sierra Leonean students in diverse ways with an overriding objective to develop Sierra Leone’s human capital.

He pointed out that the scholarship would be mutually beneficial to both Sierra Leone and Hungary in the sense that it would help the two countries in the transfer of their respective cultural heritage to each other as well as help in the upgrade and capacity development of Sierra Leonean lecturers.