Nigeria’s Bilateral Education Agreements and Scholarship Access for Ebonyi State Students: Opportunities and Gaps

Bilateral education agreements and international scholarship programs represent a well-established instrument of educational diplomacy, enabling students from developing countries to access higher education opportunities abroad while strengthening interpersonal and institutional ties between partner nations. Nigeria maintains education cooperation agreements with numerous countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and South Africa, which generate scholarship opportunities accessible to Nigerian students. This study examines the awareness, accessibility, and utilization of international scholarship opportunities arising from Nigeria's bilateral education agreements among students and graduates in Ebonyi State, focusing on the period from 2020 to 2024. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining survey data from 180 respondents at Ebonyi State University and Alex Ekwueme Federal University with interviews of officials at the Nigerian scholarship agency and Ebonyi State Ministry of Education. The study draws on human capital theory and educational diplomacy literature as its theoretical foundation. Findings indicate low awareness of bilateral scholarship programs among Ebonyi students, particularly those from rural and low-income backgrounds, reflecting inadequate information dissemination by both federal scholarship agencies and state educational authorities. Eligible students who are aware of opportunities frequently encounter barriers related to language proficiency requirements, documentation costs, and limited guidance on application processes. The study concludes that Nigeria's educational diplomacy outcomes are constrained by weak subnational implementation linkages and recommends dedicated state-level scholarship liaison offices to bridge this gap. Keywords: bilateral education agreements, scholarships, educational diplomacy, Ebonyi State, human capital