The government of Japan has provided a grant aid package of USD 1.2 million to the Maldives to further promote human resources development in the country.
The grant agreement was signed by Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan and Resident Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Higher Education on September 10. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Embassy of Japan in Maldives and JICA attended the ceremony.
During President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s visit to Japan in October 2019, the Maldivian government expressed its interest to explore the possibility for obtaining scholarships for Maldivian students to undergo higher studies in Japan. In August this year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai concluded the Exchange of Notes relating to the grant aid, at a ceremony held at the foreign ministry. Under the latest agreement, JICA will extend six fully funded scholarships for Maldivian students per year, for a period of four years.
In a press statement released following the extension of the grant, the foreign ministry stated Japan has always been a consistent partner of the Maldives and has contributed immensely to the development of the social, environment and education sectors of the Maldives. The foreign ministry further noted Japan continues to provide development and technical assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic.