Portugal supported 4,000 Mozambican students with scholarships

Portugal supported nearly four thousand mozambican students in the last 10 years, through scholarship and training programs, including in higher education, science, defense and police sciences, according to data released today by the Portuguese Cooperation.

In the school year 2026/2027, 17 new Mozambican students benefit from scholarships to pursue higher education in Portugal, of which eight are graduates and nine are masters, in universities of Aveiro, Coimbra, Lisbon, Porto and Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.

The eight new undergraduate scholarship holders, from different Mozambican provinces, will leave on Monday for Portugal to attend courses in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CTEM), considered strategic for the formation of staff capable of contributing to the sustainable and inclusive development of Mozambique.

Currently, Portuguese Cooperation supports 109 Mozambican students through scholarships, of which 74 attend higher education institutions in Portugal, 25 study in higher education in Mozambique and 10 attend secondary education at the Portuguese School of Mozambique – Portuguese Language and Teaching Center.

The Portuguese ambassador to Mozambique, Jorge Monteiro, considered education and training one of the fundamental pillars of cooperation between the two countries, arguing that investment in the qualification of young people is one of the most effective ways to contribute to the development of Mozambique.

“ Without qualified human resources, everything that is potential does not come off the paper ", said Jorge Monteiro, during the meeting with the eight new undergraduate scholarship holders, held today at Galeria do Camões – Centro Cultural Português, Maputo.

The diplomat also stressed the importance of preparing young Mozambicans to meet the country's needs, at a time when people under 30 represent more than two thirds of the population, considering that investment in youth produces results in medium and long-term development.

The head of the Department of Cooperation of the Institute of Scholarships of Study (IBE), Isabel Matola, stressed, in turn, that access to a scholarship represents an opportunity, but also a responsibility, and it is up to the beneficiaries to take advantage of the training and to later place the knowledge acquired at the service of the country.

“ The scholarship is an opportunity, but it is also a responsibility ", said Isabel Matola, calling on students to meet the commitments associated with support and maintain their commitment during the academic course.

According to Portuguese Cooperation, the increase in demand for grants led Portugal and Mozambique to strengthen these opportunities, and the selection of beneficiaries is guided by criteria of academic merit, gender equality and geographical balance, to cover young people from different regions of the country.

Portugal has awarded some 2,700 scholarships to Mozambican students in the last 50 years, while 292 students have been placed this year in Portuguese higher education institutions through the special access regime, according to data released in September, in the context of cooperation between the two countries.

Among the new fellows is Marcos Valentim, from the province of Maputo, who will attend Computer Engineering of Computers at the Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon.

The student told Lusa that he intends to acquire skills to apply in strategic areas such as technology, finance and artificial intelligence. Solenia Catija Mondlane, 19 years old, will study Medicine at the University of Coimbra, with the aim of further training in Neurosurgery and contribute to the development of this area in Mozambique.