Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded scholarships to 18 Nigerian professionals and students under various Japanese education and human-resource development programmes aimed at strengthening capacity, promoting innovation and deepening bilateral relations 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), held in Abuja alongside participants in the Agri-Net, PREPARE, KIZUNA, and Education and Governance Long-Term Programmes.
In his remarks, Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, said the ABE Initiative was more than a scholarship opportunity, describing it as an investment in Nigeria’s young professionals and the country’s future.
He said 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.
Hideo 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 urged them to return to Nigeria with broader perspectives, renewed confidence and fresh ideas that could contribute to national development.
Earlier, Chief Representative of the JICA Nigeria Office, Mr. Keiji Ishigame, said the ABE Initiative was introduced at TICAD V in Yokohama in 2013 to develop 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.
Ishigame urged the beneficiaries to maximise their interactions with Japanese companies and scholars from other countries, saying the experience would help deepen business ties between Nigeria and Japan and promote Japanese investment opportunities in Nigeria.
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 she hoped to use the knowledge gained to promote trade, investment and economic diplomacy between Nigeria and Japan, particularly in supporting Nigerian businesses and MSMEs.
Another beneficiary, Dr. Chukwudi Mary, a veterinarian with the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat under the FCT Administration, said she would study Veterinary Epidemiology at Rakuno Gakuen University.
Mary said her research would focus on the impact of climate change on tick-borne animal diseases using a One Health approach.