Application Guidelines

For

The Project forHuman Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) 2018

Japan International Cooperation Agency

Japan Development Service, Co. Ltd.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.WHAT IS THE JDS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM?

2.FIELDS OF STUDY

3.ELIGIBILITY

4.MILESTONES DURING APPLICATION AND SELECTION

5.HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

6.IMPORTANT RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR JDS FELLOWS

7.SUPPORT TO BE PROVIDED TO JDS FELLOWS

8.INQUIRIES

Attachments

1.WHAT IS THE JDS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM?

The Japanese government is offering the JDS Scholarship Program to government officials in Ghana as a way of providing them with opportunities for academic research at Japanese graduate schools.

The objective of the JDS Programis to support the human resource development of Ghana. The program targets highly capable, young, government officers, who are expected to engage in formulating and implementing social and economic development plans. The successful JDS participants,accepted by Japanese universities to study on master’s degree courses, are expectedto become Ghana’s future leadersin the 21st century.

The JDS Program is now accepting potential applicants, wishing to obtain a Master’s degree at Japanese universities during the academic year 2018, from the government organizations in the Table next page.

The Graduate Program will be instructed in English, will take 2 years, and the total number of participants from Ghana will be 10 per year.

2.FIELDS OF STUDY

The fields of study in the JDS Programare calledSub-Programs(target priority areas) and Components (development issues). By obtaining master’s degrees in these fields, JDS participants from Target Organizations are expected to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for formulating and implementing social and economic development plans in Ghana.See the latter part of this section for more information on the Sub-Programs/Components of the JDS Program.

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Fields of Study and Corresponding Graduate Schools

Sub-Program
(Target Priority Area) / Component
(Development Issues) / Number of Acceptance per batch / Target Organizations / Presumed research fields and preferred major subjects / Corresponding Graduate Schools & URL
1.
Improvement of administrative capacities and institutional development / 1-1
Support for strengthening capacities for administering economic policies / 2 / ●Ministry of Finance (MOF)
●National Development Planning Commission (NDPC)
●Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)
●Bank of Ghana
●Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFARI)
●Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI)
●Ghana Investment Promotion Centre（GIPC） / Strengthening of economic policy management capacity for staff, including, economic officers.
Presumed research fields:
・Economic Policy
・Financial Policy
・Fiscal Management
・Trade Policy
・Investment Policy
・Poverty Reduction
・Quantitative Analysis (Economics, Statistics)
・International Trade
・SMEs Policy / ●Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University
(
●Degree offered
Master of Economics
2.
Revitalization of rural areas / 2-1
Improvement of Basic living environment (Support for strengthening capacities for implementing health policies) / 3 / ●Ministry of Health (MOH)
●Ghana Health Service (GHS) & other agencies / Strengthening the capacity of governmental officers to contribute towards policy-making in the health sector.
Presumed research fields:
●Mother and Child Health
●Community Health
●Health policy making, monitoring and evaluation / ●School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University
Department of Global Health: Tropical Medicine Course,
International Health Development Course and Health Innovation Course
()
●Degree offered
Master of Public Health
Master of Science in Global Health and Medicine
Sub-Program
(Target Priority Area) / Component
(Development Issues) / Number of Acceptance per batch / Target Organizations / Presumed research fields and preferred major subjects / Corresponding Graduate Schools & URL
3.
Agriculture/Rural Development / 3-1
Rice Production and Agriculture Development Support / 3 / ●Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA)
●Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) / ●Agricultural products marketing policy
●Regionaldevelopment and agricultural development
●Administration ofagricultural engineering and agricultural management
●Development of infrastructure for agricultural production,water supply/treatment,including quality control and processing
●Sustainable agriculture / ●Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
()
●Degree offered
Master of Environmental Sciences
4.
Natural Resources and Energy Policy / 4-1
Energy Development Support / 2 / ●Ministry of Energy
●Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
●Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC)
●Volta River Authority (VRA)
●Ghana GRID Company (GRIDCo)
●Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG)
●Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo)
● The National Petroleum Authority (NPA)
●● Energy Commission
● Petroleum Commission / ●Natural resources policies
●Energy policies
●Sustainable development through promoting renewable energy
●Development policy and climate change / ●Graduate School forInternational Development and Cooperation, HiroshimaUniversity
(
●Degree offered
MasterofArts
Master of Science
MasterofInternational Cooperation Studies

The following are Sub-Programs and Components of the JDS Program in Ghana.

Sub-Program / 1.Improvement of administrative capacities and institutional development
Component / 1-1Support for strengthening capacities for administering economic policies
Background
Currently, stable economic growth is expected in Ghana in the short run due to the international prices of gold and cacao beans that are its major exports (sources of foreign currency revenues) which remain high and the start of oil production in the second half of 2010 as major factors. On the other hand, financial challenges are still large due to problems such as the deficits in the fiscal balance arising from government arrears by the former regime and the excess of government current expenditures. In addition, the method of calculating GDP per capita was changed in 2010 as well, by which Ghana entered the middle-income level as it was revised upward from about 650 US dollars (2009) to about 1,100 US dollars (2010), but the enlarged gap between the rich and the poor is still considered to be a serious problem. In this context, the macroeconomic stability is also listed as one of the most important issues in the second Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDAII), and urgent efforts are required for fiscal consolidation there; however, there is a current situation in which officers with sufficient capabilities are not assigned to related institutions, including the Ministry of Finance.
While the IMF also points out that the public spending is vulnerable, additionally, Japan is implementing a project to improve the overall financial management in the aspects of budget planning, implementation, and monitoring of one ministry (the Ministry of Food and Agriculture) in view of the importance of such public financial management. In conjunction with it, developing human resources that engage in medium- and long-term fiscal reforms in related organizations including the Ministry of Finance has the high cooperation significance as it will lead to providing the entire Government of Ghana with its benefits. Furthermore, since the improvement of the debt sustainability of the Government of Ghana will affect contents of the medium- and long-term assistance to Ghana for Japan scheduled to initiate a yen loan program in the future, there is a high need for its cooperation from such a viewpoint.
Sub-Program / 2.Revitalization of rural areas
Component / 2-1Improvement of basic living environment (Support for strengthening capacities for implementing health policies)
Background
While it is anticipated to be difficult to achieve MDG4 (Reduce child mortality) and MDG5 (Improve maternal health) in this country, the biggest challenge in the health sector is the improvement of maternal and child health (MCH). The health of mothers and children is positioned as a priority issue in the “Ghana Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (2014 - 2017)” by the Ministry of Health in Ghana, and the health sector there (donors, the government) formulated the Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Framework (MAF) and the “Joint Action Plan (JAP) (showing the country’s efforts for MDG4/5) led by the Government of Ghana in a way to coincide with the MDG Summit in September 2010, considering the recent status of the progress of maternal and child health (in particular the delay of achievements in the maternal mortality rate). Building on it, the government promotes (a) the improvement of family planning, (b) an increase in delivery assistance by health care workers, and (c) the improvement of emergency obstetric and neonatal care as priority intervention methods in this country, and thus JICA is supporting the improvement of maternal and child health through implementing the “Program for Strengthening of Maternal and Child Health System in Upper West Region” mainly with the ”Improvement of Maternal and Neonatal Health Services utilizing CHPS (Community Health Planning and Services) system in the Upper West Region.” On the other hand, there is a situation where capacity building is essential for administrative officers’ personnel management, management of logistics (equipment and medicine), management of facilities, financial management (fund management for service delivery), and preparing a planning table or monitoring as an overall level raising measure in order to properly implement these interventions.
Sub-Program / 3.Agriculture/ Rural Development
Component / 3-1Rice Production and Agriculture Development Support
Background
Agriculture in Ghana is a key industry, accounting for 22.7% of the GDP (2012) and 20% of the foreign currency earnings (2011). 90% of those engaged in farming are small farmers with owned land of 2 ha or less. Coupled with the slow progress of mechanization due to dependence on rainfalls and difficult access to credit, the agricultural productivity is unstable, making this sector highly fragile. Since 1988, Japan has been consistently providing ODA to this sector using various schemes to promote sustainable irrigated farming. Such Japanese ODA with the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) acting as the counterpart organization has greatly contributed to the organizational as well as human resources development in the irrigation sector in Ghana. In 2009, Project for Sustainable Development of Rain-Fed Lowland Rice Production targeting Central and Northern regions of Ghana commenced to assist the improvement of rice productivity by smallholder farmers operating in a rain-fed lowland environment. The implementation of the second phase of the project is planned which is aimed at expanding the positive outcomes of this project to other parts of Ghana after its completion in December 2014.
Under these circumstances, JICA’s assistance for the agricultural sector in Ghana for the coming years is planned to assist agricultural infrastructure supporting modern production system and agricultural mechanization, in addition to improvement of the rice quality, consolidation of the value chain, strengthening linkage between farmers and the private sector and promotion of commercial farming. Such a prospect suggests that the fresh development of human resources equipped with expertise in these areas will be truly important in the coming years.
Sub-Program / 4.Natural Resources and Energy Policy
Component / 4-1Energy Development Support
Background
There have been increasing expectation regarding earnings of the natural resources sector in Ghana because of its mineral deposits (gold and bauxite, etc.) and the commencement of oil and gas production in recent years. While some neighbouring countries are already benefitting from the production of natural resources, especially Nigeria with rich oil resources, it is essential for Ghana to carefully consider the possible impacts of new oil production on government finance and the national economy. To minimise the negative impacts of earnings from the production of natural resources which are typically evidenced in the form of the Dutch disease, the likely impacts of new earnings on the national economy must be analysed in detail and the relevant national policies must be formulated in a flexible manner.
In the energy sector (especially the electricity sector) of Ghana, the growth of the national economy and improvement of the standard of living have increased the overall energy demand to the extent that conventional hydropower generation which has long been the primary electricity supply source can no longer meet the demand. The formulation and implementation of the most appropriate energy policy for Ghana, incorporating power generation using locally produced gas and an initiative to pool electric power with other countries in the region is necessary. Meanwhile, the development of highly capable human resources in the electricity sector is urgently necessary in the light of the progressive segregation of power generation, transmission and distribution operations.
Under these circumstances, the development of human resources capable of the formulation, verification and revision of natural resources and energy policies is required and the JDS Programme will meet this challenge.

3.ELIGIBILITY

Applicants should be/have:

citizens of Ghana.

between the ages of 22 and 39(both inclusive) as of April 1st,2018.

bachelor’s degree holders

at least 3 years of work experience (4 years’ experience for Bank of Ghana), as full-time staff, with the respective Target Organizations.

a strong will to work for the development of Ghana after their return home.

in good health, both mentally and physically.

English language proficiency sufficiently fluent for studying in Japan.

Applicants should not be/have:

serving in the military.

previously acquired a master’s degree after studying abroad on a scholarship awarded by other foreign assistances.

currently receiving, or planning to receive, another scholarship through other foreign assistances.

4.MILESTONESDURING APPLICATION AND SELECTION

English Examination (Jan 2018)

● Nagasaki U. students are required to take IELTS only the first selection successful candidates.

Details will be informed of by the JDS Project Office.

5.HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

Before starting toprepare application documents, you MUST read this section of the Guideline carefully. This will avoid unnecessary disqualification due to missing or incomplete documentsor information.

■Checklist for Application Documents to be submitted

No / Documents / Remarks / Check
1 / Application Form (Item 1~8)
with your Photograph4cmx3cm / (Prescribed Form 1)
●You are required to write yoursignature in the lower right-hand corner of EACHPAGEincluding any additional sheets of paper.
●If necessary, you may add separate sheets of A4 sized paper for items 5 & 6 of the Application Form.
Your Research Plan (Item 7) / ●On separate sheets of A4 sized paperwrite a brief proposal outlining your research plan (no more than 700 words).
●You are required to writeyour signature at the lower right-hand corner of each page of the Research Plan.
2 / Confidential Statement of REFERENCE for MASTER’S LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP (from employer) / (Prescribed Form 2)
●To be completed by your current supervisor.
●Must be enclosed within a sealed envelope.
3 / Bachelor/ Certificate of degree / A Certified copy of degree from your university.
4 / Official Transcript (University-level) / Original or acertified copy of the official transcript from your university
5 / Identification Document (ID) / Colour-Photocopy of valid Passport orVoter's Registration ID if you don’t have a passport.
6A / Proof of your English language competenceor Certificate of English Proficiency at University(For Kobe U and Hiroshima U) / (Prescribed Form 3a)
●To be completed by officials from your organizationwhich you work for.
●You do not need to submit Prescribed Form 3 if you hold a Bachelor’s degree from a university in the US, Canada, UK, or Australia; or (2) if you submit a Colour-Photocopyof your English language test score (TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS) undertakenwithin the past two years.
6B / Certificate of English Proficiency Waiver Request
(For U of Tsukuba) / (Prescribed Form 3b)
●You do not need to submit Prescribed Form 3 if you hold a Bachelor’s degree from a university in the US, Canada, UK, or Australia; or (2) if you submit a Colour-Photocopy of your English language test score (TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS) undertaken within the past two years.
7 / Appointment Letter / Photocopy
8 / Registration Form
with your Photograph 4cm x 3cm / (Prescribed Form 4)
9 / Checklist / (Prescribed Form 5)
Checklist for Application Documents to be submitted

■Instructions for Preparing Application Documents

Please find below important instructions on how to prepare your application documents.

Do not use a staplerto compile documents, where necessary, use paper clips.

Applications must be submitted to the JDS Project Office (Room no. 11) Human Resources Directorate at GHS by 17:00 by November 3rd, 2017. Late submission and/or incomplete application documents shall NOT be accepted.

Please type your application. The useof a typewriter or word processor isvery much preferred.

Use A4 size (210mm x 297mm) paper only. DO NOT use letter sized paper. When making photocopies of small sized original documents, such as passports, Please DO NOT enlarge thesize.

Application documents will NOT be returned for any reason.

Use glue to attach your photographsto the documents, do notstaple.Make sure that your name, and the University to which you are applying, are written on the rear of the photograph.

Please compile documents in the order illustrated below.

No. 1 / No. 2 / No. 3 / No. 4 / No. 5 / No. 6A / No. 6B
No. 7 / No. 8 / No. 9

No. 6A: Kobe University andHiroshima University

No. 6B: University of Tsukuba

■Guidance for Writing a Research Plan (Item 7 of the Application Form)

The purpose of the research plan is to help its readers (facultymembers of the accepting graduate schools) evaluate the significance and potential of your proposedresearch topic.It is suggestedthat, as a minimum,you should include the following elements within your research plan:

Your reason for applying to the JDS Program

A statement of problems within Ghana and the purpose of your study

An outline and methodology forthe research (e.g. how to research, analyse, and undertake)

The expected outcome from your research and how the results will be utilized after your return to Ghana.

It is strongly recommended that the research plan should also be in line with;

A sub-Program/component (See Section 2 for details).

Your current duties and future career plans(It is desirable to discuss your research plan with your immediate supervisors upon application).

The graduate school Programto which you wish to apply.