On Monday, May 25, 2026, the Brazilian government announced a new milestone in Brazil–Africa relations through the launch of Move África, an educational cooperation initiative coordinated by CAPES. The program will provide 2,600 postgraduate scholarships for African students, allowing them to undertake part of their academic and research training at Brazilian universities.
The initiative was formally introduced during the First Brazil–Africa Rectors’ Forum, an event that brought together government representatives, Brazilian academic institutions, and leaders from African universities with the goal of strengthening educational exchange, scientific collaboration, and long-term academic partnerships across the South Atlantic.
According to the announcement, the Brazilian government will invest R$47.4 million to fund master’s and doctoral exchange programs, enabling African postgraduate students to study in Brazil for periods of up to ten months. The initiative seeks to expand academic mobility, encourage collaborative research projects, and deepen institutional cooperation between Brazil and African nations.
An important aspect of the initiative is that its reach extends beyond Portuguese-speaking African nations. Countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and several other countries along the West African coast are expected to form a significant portion of participating students, reflecting the program’s broader continental vision. By opening opportunities to students from non-Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil expands academic cooperation beyond historical linguistic ties and promotes greater integration across different educational and cultural traditions of Africa.
For many academics, historians, and public commentators, the significance of this initiative extends beyond higher education. Brazil is home to the largest population of African descent outside the African continent, and its social, cultural, and economic foundations were profoundly shaped by centuries of transatlantic slavery and African contributions.
Within this historical context, educational initiatives such as Move África are increasingly interpreted as part of a broader effort toward historical recognition, reconnection, and the strengthening of shared intellectual futures between Brazil and Africa.
Rather than presenting international cooperation solely through the lens of aid or development, Move África proposes a model of mutual exchange and partnership. African students gain access to Brazilian academic institutions and research networks, while Brazil strengthens intellectual, cultural, scientific, and diplomatic ties with a continent that has played a central role in its historical formation.
Brazilian authorities also emphasized that welcoming African researchers and postgraduate students into Brazilian universities is intended to generate long-term outcomes: expanding joint publications, building sustainable research networks, promoting innovation, and producing knowledge capable of addressing social, economic, environmental, and developmental challenges shared across both regions.
The initiative aligns with Brazil’s broader commitment to postgraduate education and international cooperation. CAPES continues to play a central role in financing graduate education and expanding international academic exchange, positioning education as a strategic instrument for international dialogue and knowledge production.
Whether understood as educational diplomacy, South–South cooperation, or a symbolic act of historical reparation, Move África represents one of Brazil’s most ambitious recent academic initiatives directed toward the African continent—opening a new chapter in the relationship between Brazil and Africa through education, research, and shared opportunity.
