African Business Education Initiative for youth (ABE Initiative) Master’s Degree and Internship Program for Africans to study in Japan

This Program offers opportunities for young and eligible African men and women to study at Master’s courses in Japanese universities as international students and to experience internships at Japanese enterprises in order to develop effective skills and knowledge in various fields for them to contribute to industrial development of home country and wider African region. This program aims at human resource development in both private and public sectors of Africa while establishing strong economic ties between Africa and Japan.

Target Participants

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

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.
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.

Eligible applicants

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
5. Not Military personnel

Number of Participants/ Durations

Participants will be selected and dispatched to Japan in 4 batches and the number of participants for each batch is planned as follows.

• 1st batch (arrival in Japan in 2014): 150 participants from 4 countries (Republic of Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Mozambique and Republic of South Africa)
• 2nd batch (arrival in Japan in 2015): 350 participants from 54 African countries
• 3rd batch (arrival in Japan in 2016): 300 participants from 54 African countries
• 4th batch (arrival in Japan in 2017): 100 participants from 54 African countries

Expenses:

• Tuition at Japanese university master’s degree programs
• Allowances for living expenses, outfit, shipping etc. See the box below for more details.
• Living Allowance: 144,000-147,00 yen/month
• Air Fee: Return Ticket (Arrival and Return)
• Outfit Allowance: 106,000 Yen – One Time (Month of First Arrival)
• Preparation Allowance: 54,000 yen – One Time
• Moving Allowance- 190,000 Yen
• Books Allowance- 30,000 Yen – One Time/Year
• Interior Research – 50,000 Yen – One Time/Year
• 
• Around-trip airfare
• Expenses for support programs during the study in Japan, including the costs of observation tours
• Other costs should be covered by the participants’ organizations or other individuals.

Application Documents:

• Application Form
•  Application Form (PDF)
•  Recommendation Letter (Word)
•  Recommendation Letter (PDF)
• University Information for the Applicants (PDF)
•  (Application documents to be submitted) (PDF)

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the  Master’s Degree and Internship Program of the African Business Education Initiative for Youth (ABE Initiative)