Japan Africa Dream Scholarship (JADS) Program

Who can apply

National of an African Development Bank regional member country
Hold at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent in energy, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, engineering or a related area, with excellent academic records and a history of supporting your country's development
At least 1 year of paid employment in your home country or another African country after your bachelor's degree, as the official page words it: within the past 3 years
35 years old or younger, and in good health
Not already enrolled in a graduate degree programme; not an AfDB Group Executive Director or staff member, or a close relative of one
Gain admission to an approved master's course at a partner university, applying directly to the university; today every university on AfDB's list is Japanese, and the list says African partners are still being agreed
Commit to returning to your home country after your studies to contribute to national and continental development
Must disclose any other source of financial support; JADS may reduce or withdraw its stipend if it finds evidence of undisclosed additional funding

Five priority fields, tied to AfDB’s own development strategy

JADS funds a two-year master’s degree in Japan for African professionals in one of five priority fields: energy, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, and engineering. These aren’t an arbitrary list: AfDB’s own page ties them directly to its “High 5” strategic priorities, Feed Africa, Light Up and Power Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life of the People of Africa, and states these also align with Japan’s own development assistance priorities. The scholarship itself is comprehensive, tuition, a monthly living stipend, health insurance, and air travel to Japan and back, plus up to an extra six months for preparatory study or an internship after you finish, and a possible research grant if your programme involves a thesis. AfDB also notes an exception to its usual exclusions: computer literacy, preparatory language, and similar courses aren’t normally covered, but can be in special circumstances.

The application route is indirect, and this trips people up

The application route is indirect, and this is the detail most likely to trip people up. You do not apply to JADS directly. You apply for admission to a master’s programme at one of the partner Japanese universities in your field, and it is that university’s nomination that puts you forward for the scholarship. Each partner university runs its own admissions timeline: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, for instance, lists 15 September 2026 as its deadline for an April 2027 intake, with separate later windows for a September 2027 intake. The AfDB’s own JADS page does not publish a single central deadline, so the university you are targeting, not AfDB, is where you find your actual date.

Which universities are on the list

AfDB’s list of partner universities names six Japanese institutions with specific approved programmes: the University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, Division of Environmental Studies), Sophia University (Green Science and Engineering, Global Environmental Studies), Kyoto University (five programmes, including International Energy Science and Special Course in Agricultural Science), Hiroshima University (energy engineering and transdisciplinary science and engineering), Kogakuin University (electrical engineering and electronics) and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (international cooperation policy and an MBA). Your intended programme has to be one of the approved ones, not just any course at those universities.

The list also says African universities will be added once the Bank finalises agreements. It names two that had expressed interest, the University of Zambia and the Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology, with agreements still under discussion. The eligibility page refers to “a Japanese or African partner university”, so an African option may exist in future, but the list itself shows only Japanese universities.

Eligibility is stricter than the summary suggests

Beyond the bachelor’s degree, AfDB asks for at least one year of paid employment in your home country or another African country after that degree, and the official wording ties this to “the past 3 years”. You must be 35 or younger and in good health, and you cannot already be enrolled in a graduate programme. AfDB Group Executive Directors and staff, and their close relatives, are excluded.

Eligibility also centres on professional track record as much as grades: AfDB wants a demonstrated history of contributing to your country’s development, and you commit to returning home afterward to put the training to use. One condition is worth knowing before you accept: JADS wants to know about any other funding you receive, and can reduce or withdraw its stipend if it finds undisclosed support.

How the selection works

Eligible applications are compared by a project implementation unit hired by AfDB, and the JADS Secretariat approves the final selection. AfDB says the evaluation focuses on educational and professional excellence, commitment to your home country’s development priorities, the quality of your statement of purpose, financial status and geographic diversity. Management’s decision also considers gender balance, equity and inclusiveness where an applicant has faced unusual hardship, financial need, and special consideration for applicants with special needs. Since financial status is a stated factor, a strong statement of purpose that shows real need and a clear development plan matters as much as a strong transcript.

What is not covered, and how current this is

The benefits page is specific about exclusions: visa application costs, expenses to bring or support family members, extra-curricular courses, language training not provided by the degree, additional travel during the programme, supplementary materials, field trips, workshops, seminars and internships, and equipment such as computers. Budget for these separately.

Most of AfDB’s JADS pages show last-updated dates from November 2022 and January 2023. That does not mean the programme has closed, but it does mean the university list and criteria should be confirmed with the JADS Secretariat or the partner university before you rely on them. AfDB runs a comparable scheme in China: the African Development Bank Group-Shanghai Ocean University Scholarship Programmes fund African students in fisheries and marine science there, worth checking if your field fits.

For African applicants, JADS is not the only Japanese master’s route. The ABE Initiative Master’s Degree and Internship Program is run through JICA and your own government instead, with no university-first admission step, though no next round has been announced yet.