Both countries signed an Exchange of Notes and Grant Agreement on Sunday at the National Economic Council in Dhaka.

Economic Relations Division (ERD) Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin signed them on behalf of Bangladesh government. The signatories for Japan were Masato Watanabe, Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka and Mikio Hataeda, the Chief Representative at JICA's local office.

Mejbahuddin said, “With this grant, government officials will be sent to Japan for higher and improved studies to enhance their skills, which they will use for the development of different sectors after returning.”

It was said at the signing ceremony that ‘The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship’ was launched in 2002. Japan provides grant for this project every year.

The ERD senior secretary said officials chosen from BCS cadres and Bangladesh Bank’s first class staff are generally sent to various Japanese universities for a two-year master’s course under this project.

So far, 226 officials have returned after finishing higher studies in those universities.

Hataeda said the Japanese government was funding this scholarship project to help Bangladesh’s officials improve their skills.

Japan was also interested in assisting Bangladesh’s human resource development in any other way, he added.