What Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) actually covers.

The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is a prestigious award established through a partnership between the Government of Japan and the World Bank Group, specifically designed to support mid-career development professionals from eligible developing nations — including countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and East Africa — who seek to advance their expertise through master-level study at participating universities worldwide. Unlike many government scholarships, JJ/WBGSP is distinguished by its emphasis on real-world professional experience: applicants must already be working in a development-related field and must demonstrate a clear commitment to returning to their home country or another developing nation to continue contributing to public or private sector development after graduation.

The program funds graduate study in a curated portfolio of master's programmes offered at accredited institutions located in the United States, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Japan itself — covering disciplines such as economics, public policy, environmental science, infrastructure, urban planning, public health, and agricultural development. Recipients receive coverage of tuition and mandatory academic fees, a monthly living stipend, round-trip economy airfare, health insurance, and an allowance for thesis or dissertation research costs.

Applications are accepted through two competitive windows each academic year. Prospective candidates must first secure unconditional admission to one of the JJ/WBGSP-listed partner programmes; the participating university then nominates eligible applicants to the World Bank for final selection. This two-step process ensures that successful awardees meet both the academic standards of a top graduate programme and the development-focus criteria of the scholarship itself.

For African professionals working in government ministries, international development organisations, NGOs, research institutes, or the private sector, JJ/WBGSP offers a transformative opportunity to gain globally recognised qualifications while remaining connected to the development agenda of their home regions. Priority is given to candidates who lack access to comparable funding from their employers or home governments.

Who can apply.

Open to masters applicants seeking to study in Japan. Eligible nationalities are listed below.

46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.

Every academic discipline is accepted.

This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.

What we checked, when we checked it.

Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live and an admin manually reviews every scholarship submitted by providers. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) has been reviewed and verified by our team. Five deeper checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, formal audit) are on the roadmap.

Other scholarships worth a parallel application.

Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.