Deadline: October 7, 2022
Overview
At the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), held in Yokohama in 2013, then Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced the “African Business Education Initiative for Youth” (hereafter referred to as the “ABE Initiative”). This is a strategic five-year plan providing 1,000 youths in Africa with opportunities to study at Japanese universities as well as to do internships at Japanese enterprises. ABE Initiative builds on the concept that there is a need for human resource development in both private and public sectors of Africa through cultivating a strong human network between Japan and Africa.
At the TICAD 7 held in Yokohama in 2019, the initiative was renewed as “ABE initiative 3.0” which would provide opportunities for 3,000 youths in Africa to study and intern in Japan over the next 6 years. Since 2014, more than 1,400 participants from all the 54 countries have ever joined the program, and over 1,200 participants have completed. This has resulted in establishing a wide range of human resource network of ABE Initiative participants. Furthermore, many Japanese companies and ABE Initiative participants have collaborated in various ways to promote the development of private sectors in Africa.
Objectives:
- To support young generation willing to contribute to the development of industries in Africa.
- To foster persons that bridge between Africa and Japan through deep understanding of Japanese society and Japanese business culture
Language: English
Duration of Scholarship (Standard Timetable):
- September 2023 – August, 2026 (Maximum period)
– 6 months as a research student if applicable
– 1 or 2 years as a Master’s student
– Internship after graduation for the limited participants only (details are to be determined)
Requirements
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be citizens of one of Africa’s 54 countries.
- Age- less than forty (40) years of age (as of April 1st, 2023)
- Educational background – Bachelor’s degree (equivalent to at least 16 years of academic background) For more information, please check the website of the Universities.
- Working experience /status- Applicants for the category of “From the Private Sector” are required:
– to have working experiences,
– not to be employed by Japanese companies at the timing of joining the program (arriving in Japan). - Applicants for the category of “From Government” are required:
– to have more than 6 months working experience at their current organizations and
– to obtain permission for application, and
– to secure reinstatement from their current organizations.
※Any employment before university completion is not considered as working history. Only full-time working with acquisition of diploma, such as night school, is approved as working experience.
English language Proficiency: Adequate English skills both in written and oral communication to complete the Master’s Degree such as; TOEFL iBT :80 / CEFR :B2 (estimated score)
*The required level of English for admission may differ according to university
Others
Applicants must:
- Be in good health condition to physically come to Japan and complete the program.
- Contribute to networking with Japanese companies
- Not receive or plan to receive a scholarship offered by other organizations
- Attend the activities on the weekends once or twice per year unless applicants have unavoidable circumstances
- (If accepted to the program) , cooperate in answering questionnaires regarding the participant’s current status, while participating and after completing the program, which will be sent out periodically
Recommended Qualifications
Gender Equality and Women‘s Empowerment:
Women are encouraged to apply for the program. JICA makes acommitmentto promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, providing equal opportunity for all applicants regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Internship at Japanese Private Companies
- All participants are expected to do internships at Japanese companies during their stay in Japan (ex. summer break, after graduation, etc.).
- Internship programs are carried out in English. In principle, any reward or compensation should NOT be paid to both the companies and the participants. Details of the internships will be fixed at the hosting
Application Documents:
(1) Application Form for ABE Initiative Program FY2023 consists of:
▪ Personal Information
▪ Educational Background
▪ Present Organization and Nomination
▪ Work Experience
▪ Declaration
▪ Check List
▪ Declaration of desired university placement
▪ Details of Current and Previous Work, Research Plan and Career Plan after Graduation
▪ Medical History
▪ Score of English examination (if any)
(2) Undergraduate Graduation Certificate
* A copy of “Officially certified copies of the original” is acceptable
* Must be written in English or be accompanied with official translation in English
(3) Academic transcript
* Must contain all the grades earned in the university attended by the applicant.
* A copy of “Officially certified copies of the original” is acceptable
* Must be written in English or accompanied with official translation in English
(4) A copy of Valid Passport with photo (for checking nationality, name, sex, and date of birth). Valid National ID and birth certificate are acceptable if you do not have Passport. Certified English translation must be attached if ID is not written in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish)
(5) 2 ID Photos(4 cm×3 cm) pasted on application form (Original and copy).
(6) Photocopy of the certificate of official English Tests etc. (if any)
(7) Health certificate (in JICA format) to be submitted after the 4th Selection (applicants who cannot provide certificates may be rejected)
Download Documents: [ABE Initiative FY2023]
1. General Information
2. Application Form
- A-3. 2023 Application Form for ABE Initiative (includes Annex1&3) (Excel/316KB)
- A-5. Annex.2 Details of Current and Previous Work, Research Plan and Career Plan after Graduation (Word/22.0KB)
- C-4. Application Form_Cover (ABE, SDGs) (Japanese) (PDF/153KB)
- C-5. Example of Application Form (PDF/916KB)
3. University Information for Applicants
- B-1. 2023 University Information for ABE Initiative (Excel/142KB)
- B-3. Question form for University (Excel/11.7KB)
For inquires regarding the General Information, contact the below
JICE: africa@jice.org
All applications should be submitted by email to the following addresses: kouakouchantal.co@jica.go.jp / co_oso_rep@jica.go.jp
The subject of the email should be as follows : “[ABE Initiative FY2023] Submission of Application”
Visit the ABE Initiative Master’s Degree and Internship Program 2023 website for additional details.
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