On March 25, 2017, AY 2016 Certificate Presentation Ceremony for Gifu University Rearing Program for Basin Water Environmental Leaders (BWEL) was held at Nagaragawa Convention Center. The ceremony was joined by President Hisataka Moriwaki, members of BWEL General Committee, supervisors and members of BWEL Promotion Office.

There are 5 students completed a doctoral course (1 Japanese, 3 Chinese, 1 Indonesian) and 16 completed a master's course (10 Japanese, 2 Chinese, 1 Indonesian, 2 Vietnamese and 1 Bangladeshi). Of them, one student completed the program in September, 2016.

President Moriwaki handed the certificate to each student and gave a congratulatory message to them in English.

On behalf of the students, Mr. Zuhud Rozaki (from Indonesia, doctoral course, the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science) and Mr. Masaya Toyoda (Japan, master's course, the Graduate School of Engineering) made their speeches in English in reply to the President.

Gifu University Rearing Program for Basin Water Environmental Leaders is designed to produce environmental leaders who can properly assess and evaluate issues related to the water environment from multiple perspectives. Such environmental leaders are expected to address problems of water quality, water resources and irrigation management and protection of ecosystem that Asia and Africa nations are facing today. They will plan and implement strategic solutions to these issues and prevent potential risks to the environment. For five year period from 2009 to 2013, the program was conducted under "Strategic Environmental Leader Development Base Project" financed by Science and Technology Strategy Promotion Fund of the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). Even after the period was over, Gifu University continues to implement the program by its own. A total of 157 students have completed the program since its start in 2009, and many of them have already been playing an active role as environmental leaders in many parts of Asia.