Embassy of India hosted a reception at its Chancery premises to honour twenty Liberian scholars who have been awarded the prestigious Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) India–Africa Maitri Scholarships for the Academic Year 2026-2027.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador of India H.E. Manoj Bihari Verma congratulated the scholars on their outstanding achievement and described the occasion as the beginning of “twenty individual journeys” that would enrich Liberia’s pool of knowledge and leadership.
Highlighting the growing educational partnership between India and Liberia, Ambassador announced that the number of ICCR scholarship slots allocated to Liberia have increased to twenty this year. He disclosed that the Embassy received 219 scholarship applications this year, comprising 15 applications for PhD programmes, 114 for master’s degrees and 90 for undergraduate studies, making the selection process highly competitive.
“When I arrived in Liberia last year, one of the first news reports that caught my attention was that the University of Liberia had launched its first-ever PhD programmes in 2025,” the Ambassador said. “It was therefore particularly gratifying to see six Liberian scholars selected for doctoral studies under the ICCR programme.”
The six doctoral scholars will pursue research in public policy and governance, environmental engineering, geography and natural resource management, social work, political science and history. Fourteen additional scholars will undertake master’s programmes in disciplines including renewable and hydro energy, geotechnical engineering, economics, development studies, ecology and environmental studies, pharmaceutical chemistry, applied geology, soil science, international relations & peace studies.
The scholars will study at some of India’s premier institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and IIT-ISM Dhanbad), University of Delhi, Delhi Technological University, the Central University of Punjab, Nalanda University, the University of Mizoram, the National Forensic Sciences University, Savitribai Phule Pune University and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
The Ambassador noted that these institutions span the length and breadth of India—from Chennai in the south to Delhi and Punjab in the north, Bihar in the east, Mizoram in the northeast, Pune in the west and Jammu and Kashmir in the far north—offering students an opportunity to experience India’s academic excellence and cultural diversity.
He also observed that the selected fields of study closely align with Liberia’s national development priorities and the Government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, covering areas such as public policy, natural resource management, renewable energy, environmental sciences, economics, governance, pharmaceutical sciences and international relations.
The Ambassador expressed hope that the scholarship allocation would continue to expand in the coming years to include undergraduate students, noting that the exceptionally strong pool of postgraduate applicants had resulted in all available scholarships being awarded for Master’s and PhD studies this year.
Encouraging the scholars to make the most of their time in India, he urged them to excel academically while embracing India’s diverse cultures and traditions.
“While you are in India, you will also serve as ambassadors of Liberia,” he said. “Your conduct, dedication and achievements will strengthen the goodwill between our two countries and inspire future generations of Liberian students.”
He assured the scholars that the Embassy of India would remain closely connected with them throughout their studies and encouraged them to become active members of the growing network of Liberian alumni of Indian institutions.
The Acting President of the Liberia Alumni of India Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (LAITP) congratulated the awardees and encouraged them to make full use of the academic and professional opportunities available in India. Drawing on the experiences of Indian alumni in Liberia, he said education in India had equipped many Liberians with valuable knowledge, skills and lifelong friendships.
Speaking on behalf of the scholarship recipients, the scholars expressed gratitude to the Governments of India and Liberia and to the Embassy of India for the opportunity. They pledged to study diligently, serve as worthy ambassadors of Liberia during their stay in India, and return home equipped with the knowledge and expertise to contribute to national development.
The reception concluded with informal interactions among guests over a selection of Indian refreshments, including the popular samosa and the traditional Indian dessert gulab jamun, giving many attendees an opportunity to enjoy a taste of Indian cuisine alongside an evening celebrating educational partnership and friendship.
The ICCR India–Africa Maitri Scholarship Programme is one of the Government of India’s flagship initiatives for strengthening educational cooperation with Africa. Through fully funded scholarships, the programme enables African students to pursue higher education at leading Indian universities and institutions across a wide range of disciplines.
India and Liberia enjoy warm and friendly relations founded on shared democratic values, mutual respect and a longstanding commitment to development cooperation. Education remains one of the strongest pillars of this partnership, with an increasing number of Liberian students benefiting from scholarships and capacity-building opportunities in India each year.
