KATHMANDU: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Nepal (GoN) have signed a Grant Agreement for “The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS)” for Fiscal Year 2025.
The agreement, valued at 572 million Japanese Yen (JPY 572,000,000), was signed today, reaffirming the commitment of both governments to enhancing the capacity of Nepal’s civil service through advanced education. The Government of Japan (GoJ) has been providing this scholarship continuously since 2016.
The Exchange of Notes regarding the assistance was signed by Ghanashyam Upadhaya, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the GoN, and Maeda Toru, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, on behalf of the GoJ.
Similarly, the Grant Agreement was signed by Dhani Ram Sharma, Joint Secretary, International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division (IECCD), Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the GoN, and Matsuzaki Mizuki, Chief Representative of the JICA Nepal Office.
Each year, the scholarship offers 20 seats for a two-year master’s degree course (since 2016) and 2 seats for a three-year doctoral-level course (since 2019) at reputed universities in Japan.
These scholarships enable participants to study at prestigious Japanese universities, enhancing their expertise in fields such as judiciary and economic policy, while also expanding their global professional networks. Since 2016, 209 civil servants have been awarded scholarships through the JDS Grant Aid program.
On the occasion, Mizuki emphasized JICA’s commitment to strengthening human resources in Nepal.
The JDS program aims to bolster the administrative capacities of young and promising civil servants by equipping them with advanced skills to become future leaders.
Upon completion of the program, they are expected to contribute significantly to Nepal’s social and economic development within the federal structure by actively engaging in national policy formulation and implementation.
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