ISLAMABAD, July 16, 2025 – In a significant move to enhance public sector capacity building, Pakistan and Japan have signed a ¥379 million (approximately USD 2.4 million) grant agreement to provide higher education scholarships for young civil officers under the 2025 Human Resource Development (JDS) Scholarship Program.
Key Highlights:
- Total Grant: ¥379 million (approx. USD 2.4 million)
- Scholarships: 16 Master’s + 1 PhD for Pakistani civil officers
- Duration: Starting 2025 academic session
- Host Institutions: Leading universities in Japan
- Partners: Ministry of Economic Affairs (Pakistan), JICA (Japan)
- Program Start: 2018 (ongoing collaboration)
- Other Offerings: Short-term JICA training for policy and technical skill-building
The agreement was signed during a formal ceremony held at Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. Economic Affairs Secretary Kazim Niaz and Japanese Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi exchanged the official documentation. Also present were Miran Mohiyuddin Somroo, Senior Joint Secretary at the ministry, and Naoaki Miyata, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), who jointly signed the grant agreement.
The 2025 JDS program will fund 16 Master’s degrees and one PhD scholarship for federal government officers and ex-cadre officers, enabling them to pursue advanced studies at top-ranked Japanese universities. This initiative reflects a deepening of bilateral cooperation in human resource development and governance reform.
This is the eighth installment of the grant program since its inception in 2018, demonstrating consistent support from Japan for Pakistan’s public sector development. Over the years, more than 125 Pakistani officers have benefited from this program, bringing back advanced knowledge and global perspectives to contribute to Pakistan’s policymaking and administrative systems.
Apart from the long-term degree scholarships, Japan—through JICA—also provides short-term professional training programs for Pakistani civil servants in fields such as governance, public finance, health, education, and disaster management. These capacity-building initiatives are designed to improve institutional efficiency and foster leadership among future decision-makers in Pakistan.
Kazim Niaz expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for its unwavering support and emphasized the importance of such international partnerships in achieving Pakistan’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). He highlighted the impact of this collaboration in nurturing a new generation of professional public administrators.
Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi, while reaffirming Japan’s commitment to Pakistan, stated that this partnership reflects Japan’s broader strategy of enhancing people-to-people ties, educational exchanges, and institutional linkages. JICA Chief Naoaki Miyata echoed these sentiments, noting that investing in human capital is a cornerstone of development cooperation between the two countries.
This education-focused initiative is part of Japan’s wider assistance program to Pakistan, which spans infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, health systems, and vocational training. It showcases how soft diplomacy and knowledge exchange can reinforce bilateral relations while delivering tangible outcomes for governance reform.
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