Award-winning Nigerian dancehall artiste, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie popularly known as Patoranking has announced 10 African students as 2020 winners to get full scholarships to the prestigious African Leadership University (ALU).
The 10 Africans were selected from the hundreds of applications from exceptional young people across Africa.
The music star had announced back in 2019 that he will be offering 10 fully-paid scholarships for promising students from across Africa to study at the Rwanda and Mauritius campuses of the ALU.
The scholarship scheme is part of a partnership with the African Leadership University.
The lucky students are Chidera Nnadozie, Emmanuel Markwei, Hardness Range, Hanisani Nleya, Amos Kusamba, Emmanuel Okorwoit, Sandra Mugeniwayesu, Abdulmaleek Usman, Kafumba Daramay and Youssouf Ouedraogo.
The beneficiaries were selected from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Kenya.
According to the music star, the recipients of this scholarship will receive full coverage for their tuition and other study-related costs to study at the institution.
“These young Africans have distinguished themselves through their vision, resilience, and the impact they have
already made in their communities despite their financial limitations. They have demonstrated exceptional potential
in becoming part of the next generation of leaders that will greatly improve the continent, and it’s the potential
impact that I see them making that gets me excited”, said Patoranking.
“I will be following up personally with each Patoranking Scholar throughout the duration of their study at ALU, and
will support their development into entrepreneurial leaders,” he added.
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Reacting to the development, Tino Elgner, the Director of Admissions at ALU, said; “We are excited to receive these 10 Patoranking Scholars to both our Rwanda and Mauritius Campuses for the 2020 session. The scholarship was highly contested and these young Africans were able to stand out clearly with
an impressive story.”
“We are even more confident that they will go on to create positive change starting from their communities.”
The Patoranking Scholarship was set up in partnership with ALU to identify young Africans in low-income areas
with an exceptional track record of impact within their communities and connect them with a world-class education
that will enable them to scale this impact.
Patoranking has made major waves over the last few years with his unique blend of Dancehall, Reggae, and Afrobeats that has allowed him to create a distinct sound recognized by many.
Since his emergence, Patoranking has accumulated a massive following online with over 160 million views
on YouTube.
He was recently announced as a recipient of the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 class of 2020, which is such a huge
accomplishment for him.
