Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Bangladesh on Monday signed a Grant Agreement (G/A) for the 2026 Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) programme, under which 33 government officials will pursue higher studies at Japanese universities.
JICA Bangladesh Chief Representative Takahashi Junko and Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky signed the agreement at a ceremony in Dhaka.
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Under the agreement, up to JPY 567 million, equivalent to around US$3.51 million, will be provided for the scholarship programme.
Of the 33 officials, 30 will pursue master’s degrees while three will undertake doctoral studies at reputed Japanese universities.
The JDS programme provides opportunities for promising young government officials to pursue postgraduate studies in Japan, with the aim of developing human resources capable of contributing to the formulation and implementation of policies for Bangladesh’s socio-economic development.
Besides higher education, JDS fellows will have opportunities to learn about Japanese culture, traditions, food and environment.
Since the programme began in 2002, a total of 623 Bangladeshi government officials have received JDS scholarships.
Earlier, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi and ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky signed the Exchange of Notes (E/N) for the project.