African Business Education Initiative for Youth (ABE Initiative) Masters Scholarship + Internship Program 2019 for African Students – Japan

The “African Business Education Initiative for Youth (hereafter, referred to as the “ABE Initiative”), is a strategic five-year plan providing 1,000 youths in Africa with opportunities to study at Japanese universities as well as do internships at Japanese enterprises.

Application Period: Late November 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries:  African countries

Eligible Group: Target participants are from among the following three types of personnel.

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1. Persons from the Private Sector
   Young individuals who are or will be involved in economic activities in the local private sector maintaining and developing strong ties with Japanese companies.
2. Governmental Officials
   Young officials, such as civil servants, who take part in governance and policy-making in order to enhance industries to whose development Japanese companies can contribute, and has a recommendation by a Japanese company.
3. Educators
   Young individuals who are responsible for educating in Higher Education and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institutions in Africa, in order to enhance capacity building in related industries, and has a recommendation by a Japanese company.

To be taken at (country): Japan

Eligible Field of Study: In this program, participants will be accepted in any fields of study for master’s courses at Japanese universities while engineering, agriculture and economics/business administration are specified as key fields. Proposed research topics must be relevant to the program objectives to form network of potential contributors to the development of African industries, who have strong ties with Japanese companies.

A full list of eligible study fields can be found on the scholarship webpage (link below)

About the Award: The objective of the ABE Initiative master’s degree and internship program is to support young personnel who have the potential to contribute to the development of industries in Africa. This programme offers opportunities for young African men and women to study at master’s courses in Japanese universities as international students (hereafter referred to as participants) and experience internships at Japanese enterprises. The aim is for them to develop effective skills in order for them to contribute to various fields. Beyond acquisition of skills and knowledge, this program also intends to cultivate excellent personnel who can recognize and understand the contexts of Japanese society and systems of Japanese enterprises. The expected outcome of the program is a network of potential contributors to the development of African industries who will also lead Japanese businesses to engage further in economic activities in Africa.

JICA has been appointed to implement a master’s degree and internship program within the ABE initiative framework developed for countries whose official requests have been approved by the Government of Japan.

Offered Since: 2011

Type: Masters, Internship

Eligibility: 

1. 1. Citizens of one of the 54 African countries
   2. Between 22 and 39 years old (as of April 1st in the year of you arrival in Japan)
   3. A bachelor’s degree
   4. Applicants from government sectors/ educators who have both of the following:

-At least 6 months working experience at their current organization -Permission from their current organization to apply

1. Have adequate English proficiency, both in written and oral communication (IELTS score of over 5.5 is preferred)
2. Clearly understand the objective of this program and have a strong will to contribute to the industrial development of their country while broadening and strengthening the linkage between their country and Japan
3. Not currently applying or planning to apply to scholarship programs offered by other organizations
4. Have good health condition, both physically and mentally, to complete the program

Number of Awardees: 200 participants from the 54 countries in Africa

Value of Scholarship and Internship: JICA will provide the following expenses for participant of the program which is equivalent to similar JICA schemes.

• Tuition at Japanese university master’s degree programs (and research student)
• Allowances for living expenses, outfit, shipping etc.
• A round-trip airfare
• Expenses for support programs during the study in Japan, including the costs of observation tours and internship
• Other costs should be covered by the participants’ organizations or other individuals.

Participants are not allowed to work while their stay in Japan.

Duration of Scholarship and Internship: It is expected that the duration of stay in Japan will be a maximum of 3 years. (6 months as a research student, 2 years as a student for master course and 6 months as an intern)

How to Apply: Visit the scholarship webpage to apply

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: The African Business Education Initiative for Youth (ABE Initiative)