The Government of Japan has extended a significant grant aid of one hundred and sixty-one million Japanese Yen (JPY 161,000,000) to the Maldives for the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS). The Exchange of Note was formalised today in a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended by Her Excellency Mrs. Takeuchi Midori, Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives, and His Excellency Mr. Moosa Zameer, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This assistance is aimed at offering fully funded scholarships for master’s degrees in social sciences at top universities in Japan to eligible Maldivians. The programme, which spans four years, commenced in 2020 and selects six Maldivians each year. For the Japanese fiscal year 2024, the total value of the grant is approximately USD 1.2 million.
The scholarships are designed to support the development of highly capable young civil servants who are expected to play pivotal roles in policy formulation and implementation of social and economic development policies in the Maldives. Additionally, JDS fellows are anticipated to contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between Japan and the Maldives through their comprehensive understanding of Japan.
Since its inception in 1999, the JDS project has been implemented in 21 partner countries. In the Maldives, the project is executed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education of the Maldives.
This initiative highlights Japan’s ongoing efforts to support socio-economic development in the Maldives.
