The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded scholarships to 18 Nigerian professionals and students under various education and human-resource development programmes.

The programmes are aimed at strengthening capacity, promoting innovation and deepening cooperation between Nigeria and Japan.

The beneficiaries were unveiled on Wednesday at the orientation and send-forth ceremony for the 13th batch of the Africa Business Education Initiative (ABE Initiative) in Abuja.

The ceremony also featured participants in the Agri-Net, PREPARE, KIZUNA, and Education and Governance Long-Term Programmes.

Amb. Suzuki Hideo, Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, said the ABE Initiative represented an investment in Nigeria’s young professionals and the country’s future.

He congratulated the beneficiaries and commended JICA and the Kakehashi Africa-Nigeria Initiative (KANI) for supporting human-resource development.

Suzuki said human-resource development was recognised as a foundation for sustainable growth, economic transformation and resilient societies at TICAD 9, held in Yokohama, Japan, in August 2025.

He urged the beneficiaries to maximise their time in Japan through learning, discipline, teamwork and the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, known as Kaizen.

“Return to Nigeria with more than academic qualifications; bring back broader perspectives, renewed confidence and fresh ideas that could contribute to national development,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Keiji Ishigame, Chief Representative of JICA Nigeria Office, said the ceremony was organised to send off the 13th batch of ABE Initiative participants and other beneficiaries.

Ishigame said the ABE Initiative was introduced at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in 2013 to develop human resources capable of supporting Africa’s industrial and economic growth.

He said the programme provided 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.

Ishigame urged the beneficiaries to maximise their interactions with Japanese companies, private-sector participants and scholars from other countries.

He said such engagements would deepen their understanding of the private sector’s role in Nigeria’s development and strengthen business ties between Nigeria and Japan.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Maimuna 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 programme was linked to her interest in promoting trade and investment between Nigeria and Japan.

She said she hoped to use the knowledge gained to support economic diplomacy and strengthen business ties between the two countries.

Another beneficiary, Dr Mary Chukwudi, a veterinarian with the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration, said she would study Veterinary Epidemiology at Rakuno Gakuen University.

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

She said the study would compare disease surveillance and reporting systems in Japan and Nigeria.

She said she hoped to apply the knowledge gained to improve disease reporting and veterinary public health in the FCT.

The two-year programme is scheduled to run from September 2026 to September 2028.

The beneficiaries are expected to return to Nigeria and contribute to agriculture, education, environmental management, human resource development, innovation, and economic cooperation. (Nigerian Tribune)

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