2016 African Business Education Initiative for youth (ABE Initiative) Master’s Degree and Internship Program for Africans to Study in Japan (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: October 30th 2015

African Business Education Initiative for youth (ABE Initiative) Master’s Degree and Internship Program

At the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held in Yokohama in 2013, the Japanese Government stated its policy of strengthening support for the on-going dynamic growth of Africa with stronger public-private partnerships.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo ABE announced the “ABE Initiative” or “African Business Education Initiative for Youth“, 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 to foster Africa’s sustainable and sound industrial development.

African Business Education Initiative for Youth. 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 contributing the development of industries in Africa.

Eligibility:

Followings are basic eligibility requirements written in General Information as guidance. For making sure, please refer to JICA office in your country for details.

Nationality : Citizens of one of the 54 African countries
Age: Between 22 and 39 years old (as of April 1st in the year of your arrival in Japan
Degree: A bachelor’s degree holder
Job experience
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
English ability : Have adequate English proficiency, both in written and oral communication (IELTS score of over 5.5 is preferred)
Clear understanding of the objective of the Program
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
No other scholarship programs : Not currently applying or planning to apply to scholarship programs offered by other organizations
Health condition: Have good health condition, both physically and mentally, to complete the program
Other: Not Military personnel

Expected Participants

Following three (3) types of personnel are expected as Participants;

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.
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.
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.

Scholarship Worth:

Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide the following

expenses for participant of the program which are equivalent to similar JICA schemes.

Tuition at Japanese university master’s degree programs
Allowances for living expenses, outfit, shipping etc.
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

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

Application Documents:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2016 ABE Initiative for study in Japan