The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Egypt office has announced the second call for the scholarship programme for African countries at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST).
The scholarship programme is one of the activities to cultivate Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) skills which will contribute to Africa’s development, which was raised at the “Yokohama Plan of Actions 2019” during TICAD7 in August 2019.
E-JUST will expand on the number of African students by cost sharing between Egypt and Japan, through the practical assistance of JICA Technical Cooperation.
The first batch includes 27 students from eight countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, who have already enrolled and started research activity with state-of-the-art equipment in E-JUST’s new labs.
The university was established in 2010 in New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, and is based on a bilateral agreement between the governments of Egypt and Japan.
The Japanese government has been implementing technical cooperation projects through its cooperation arm, JICA. With the cooperation of Japanese Cooperation Universities, which account for 13 universities as of January 2021, JICA has been supporting the establishment and operation of departments and schools including implementing practical engineering education, lab education and a seminar system.
In addition, E-JUST aims to be a Center of Excellence in higher education and advanced research by receiving students not only from Egypt but also the Middle East and Africa.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi visited E-JUST on 16 September 2020, to attend the new E-JUST campus’ opening ceremony, which took place with the attendance of 14 Ministers.
In his speech at the ceremony, Al-Sisi described the E-JUST project as a symbol of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Japan, based on mutual cooperation and trust.
Enrolment in the scholarship programme started in September 2020, and aims to receive 150 students from across Africa at E-JUST post-graduate schools. The details are as follows.
In terms of eligibility, JICA said that the applicants shall be researchers or instructors (or potentially expected to become those), who belong to universities or research institutions in Africa, and outside Egypt.
Applicants, who should already have a BA degree in engineering or science related fields with a GPA of at least 3, should be willing to obtain MSc degrees.
JICA explained that the tentative schedule includes:
Early December 2020: Call for application
International Admission page: https://ejust.edu.eg/international-admission-general-admission/
International Admission Policy
31 December 2020: Application open
13 February 2021: Deadline for online application
September 2021: Class starts
