Japan Awards Scholarships To 18 Nigerians For Human Resource Devt

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded scholarships to 18 Nigerian professionals and students under various Japanese education and human resource development programmes to strengthen capacity, promote innovation and deepen bilateral relations between Nigeria and Japan.

The beneficiaries were unveiled yesterday at the orientation and send-forth for the 13th batch of the Africa Business Education Initiative (ABE Initiative), alongside participants in the Agri-Net, PREPARE, KIZUNA and Education and Governance Long-term Programmes, held at the JICA Nigeria Office in Abuja.

At the ceremony in Abuja yesterday , the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria Suzuki Hideo described the programmes as more than scholarship opportunities.

He said they represented an investment in Nigeria’s young professionals and the country’s future.

The ambassador congratulated the beneficiaries and commended JICA and the Kakehashi Africa-Nigeria Initiative (KANI) for their commitment to developing future leaders and strengthening human-resource capacity across Africa.

He noted that human resource development was recognised as one of the foundations for sustainable growth, economic transformation and resilient societies at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held in Yokohama, Japan, in August 2025.

According to him, investing in talented young Nigerians would produce innovators, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and leaders capable of tackling emerging challenges.

“These programmes are therefore much more than scholarship opportunities. They represent Japan’s confidence in the potential of Nigeria’s young people and our belief that a nation’s stability and prosperity are built not only through infrastructure or investment, but also through people,” he said.

The ambassador urged the beneficiaries to maximise their time in Japan by embracing learning, discipline, teamwork and the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, known as Kaizen.

He also introduced them to the Japanese expression ichi-go ichi-e, meaning “one time, one chance,” urging them to regard every experience in Japan as a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth.

He challenged the scholars to return to Nigeria with more than academic qualifications, urging them to bring back broader perspectives, renewed confidence and fresh ideas that could contribute to national development.

“You are expected to act as a bridge, ‘Kakehashi,’ between Japan and Nigeria. But even that is not enough. I hope that you will soar to great heights as leaders who will shoulder the future not only of Nigeria, but of the entire African continent,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Representative of the JICA Nigeria Office, Mr. Keiji Ishigame, said the ceremony was organised in collaboration with the Kakehashi Africa-Nigeria Initiative to send off the 13th batch of ABE Initiative participants and beneficiaries of the Agri-Net, PREPARE, KIZUNA, and Education and Governance Long-Term Programmes.

Ishigame explained that the ABE Initiative was introduced at TICAD V in Yokohama in 2013 following recommendations from the Japanese private sector, with the objective of developing human resources capable of supporting Africa’s industrial and economic growth.

He said the programme provides participants with opportunities to pursue master’s degrees in Japan and undertake internships of up to six months with Japanese companies.

“In Nigeria, since 2015, more than 180 talented young Nigerians from both the public and private sectors have been dispatched to Japan through the ABE Initiative,” he said.

The JICA chief representative urged the latest beneficiaries to maximise their interactions with Japanese companies, private-sector participants and scholars from other countries, saying such engagements would deepen their understanding of the role of the private sector in Nigeria’s development.

He said the experience would also enable them to contribute to stronger business ties between Nigeria and Japan, including the promotion of Japanese businesses and investment opportunities in Nigeria.

Ishigame urged the beneficiaries to use the knowledge, skills and networks acquired in Japan to address development challenges and explore opportunities to collaborate with JICA projects and activities in Nigeria after their return.

One of the beneficiaries, Maimuna Muhammed Lawal, Special Assistant to the President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said she would pursue a master’s degree in International Relations at the International University of Japan.

Lawal said her choice of programme was closely linked to her professional responsibilities, particularly her interest in promoting trade and investment between Nigeria and Japan.

“I want to see how we can bridge the gap, how we can do a lot with trade and investments between Nigeria and Japan. And then when I come back here, I want to see how I can apply that knowledge and how we can explore economic diplomacy and how we can bring businesses together between Nigeria and Japan,” she said.

She said she had been inspired by colleagues who previously benefited from the initiative and returned to Nigeria with knowledge and experiences that positively influenced their work.

Another beneficiary, Dr. Chukwudi Mary,  said she would undertake a programme in Veterinary Epidemiology at Rakuno Gakuen University.

Mary said her proposed research would focus on the impact of climate change on tick-borne animal diseases using a One Health approach.

She explained that vector-borne diseases remained a major challenge to animal health globally, stressing that changes in rainfall, humidity and temperature could influence the spread and prevalence of diseases transmitted by ticks and other vectors.

Mary said the two-year programme, scheduled to run from September 2026 to September 2028, would enable her to contribute to improved veterinary and public health outcomes in the FCT upon her return.

The beneficiaries are expected to return to Nigeria as alumni and contribute to agriculture, education, environmental management, human-resource development, innovation, economic cooperation and stronger people-to-people relations between Nigeria, Japan and the wider African continent.