​Congratulations to our 2024 Winners

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Watch out for our 2025 Essay Competition Announcement

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Supporting education, youth empowerment and community development

The Francis Ibhawoh Foundation is dedicated to supporting educational achievement for the youth of Nigeria, and developing the capacity of individuals and communities to build a healthy and thriving democracy. Established in 2014, our organization aims to be an active voice in the engagement and empowerment of youth, allowing them to unleash and contribute their full potential to national development. The Foundation is a registered charity in Nigeria and is inspired by the incredible legacy of educationist and public servant Francis Ehidiamen Ibhawoh.

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The Francis 
​Ibhawoh Scholarship

The Francis Ibhawoh Scholarship is awarded annually to the students with the best entries in the Francis Ibhawoh Annual Essay Competition. The scholarship supports a number of high potential students in Edo State to pursue tertiary education. Our Foundation aspires to expand this support across Nigeria in the future. ​The essay competition focuses on topical contemporary issues relating to local community and national development with a view to proffering solutions to these issues.

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The Ibhawoh Foundation Mentorship Fellowship
(In Partnership with Empowerment Squared)

This award is given annually to a current or past participant of Empowerment Squared commencing or currently enrolled in high school and in the judgement of the selection committee, demonstrates character, resiliency and a commitment to improving their skills.

Winning Essays

The Francis Ibhawoh Annual Essay Competition creates a platform that engages undergraduate students and make their voices heard. This promotes and encourages academic excellence and attainment of educational goals, and sheds light on important issues related to the development of their communities, Nigeria as a nation, and Africa and the world. Past winning essays have included topics related to achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals, youth migration from Africa, protecting the rights of the African child, and strategies for addressing the challenges of funding higher education in Nigeria.

View winning essays

Past Scholarship Recipients

Izebe Evbogame (2016)

“Winning the Ibhawoh Foundation Award is one event that really gave me a new sense of direction. It stimulated my passion for writing, especially with regard to Nigeria. I have gone ahead to win or rank highly in quite a few national essay competitions either individually or as a co-writer."

Godswill Ekhator (2018)

“Over the past one year, the Francis Ibhawoh Foundation has inspired me to compete locally and globally for opportunities. I have been motivated to apply for more scholarships and fortunately, I’m currently a beneficiary of the SEPLAT petroleum scholarship scheme…I am most grateful for the opportunity.”

John Ehisuonria (2018)

“The Ibhawoh Foundation added value to me monetarily and psychologically; psychologically in that I had a morale boost to apply for international essay competitions like the Commonwealth Essay competition.

View all Recipients

Contact Us

email

[email protected]
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phone

+234 909 998 1337

address

Francis Ibhawoh Foundation 
8 Obanikoro Street
Off Ikorodu Road
Obanikoro, Lagos
Nigeria