For TICAD, which values African ownership, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the development implementing agency of the African Union, is one of its key partners.JICA and AUDA-NEPAD, which have had a business cooperation agreement since 2014, will hold their annual consultation in November 2023 in the Republic of South Africa, where AUDA- NEPAD’s annual consultation in the Republic of South Africa, where NEPAD is headquartered. JICA Director Naoki Ando, who participated in the consultation on site, spoke with Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Director General of AUDA-NEPAD, about the achievements made so far in the TICAD process and the development utilizing the power of African youth through “Energize Africa,” an initiative promoted by AUDA-NEPAD. The interview was conducted by Mr. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Secretary of AUDA-NEPAD.
Nardos Bekele-Thomas Director General, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)
High value-added of industry, utilization of youth, and improvement of agricultural productivity are major issues.
Director Ando:
Today, for the first time, AUDA-NEPAD and JICA were able to hold their annual consultation in South Africa. We had a frank exchange of views during the morning meeting, but once again, as the Director General of AUDA-NEPAD, please tell us what you think about the most serious challenges that Africa is facing today.
Secretary Bekele-Thomas:
I would like to begin by sharing with you a review of the past decade. In 2013, the African Union launched Agenda 2063, a long-term vision for Africa’s growth over the next 50 years. It is a comprehensive development plan based on the ideas of African-led self-reliance, resilience, and integration that Africa desires to achieve and the well-being of the African people. This was triggered, among other things, by the fact that the Lagos Action Plan, which aimed to establish an African common market by the year 2000, had not been realized, and intra-African partnerships for development had not progressed well.
Ten years have passed since the launch of “Agenda 2063,” and a detailed review of the progress of this development plan over the past 10 years shows that about 40% of the plan has already been achieved, indicating that the plan is making significant progress. On the other hand, there are three major challenges that Africa must overcome in order to further realize Agenda 2063.
The first is that Africa exports its abundant resources and agricultural products as raw materials without adding value, which limits the profits that can be gained from trade. Industrialization is the key to changing this situation. Exporting high value-added products through processing and manufacturing would greatly boost Africa’s economic growth.
The second point is Africa’s population growth. A rapid increase in the youth population can be a demographic bonus, but if they cannot be integrated into social change, they pose a threat not only to Africa but also to the world. In Africa, 60% of the population is young. It is very important to empower youth, especially young women, so that they can be integrated into social transformation and contribute to the economy.
Third, agricultural productivity, which supports African economies, has declined and production has not kept pace with population growth. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize technology and develop infrastructure to improve agricultural productivity and increase production.
In addition to these challenges in the socioeconomic sector, another major threat is climate change. Although Africa emits less than 4% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers tremendous loss and damage as a result of its adverse effects. Therefore, Africa is seeking partnerships with other countries around the world to correct this inequity and cooperation to increase its resilience to withstand the impacts of climate change.
Japan is a faithful partner with whom we can have honest and frank discussions.
AUDA-NEPAD Director-General Bekele-Thomas and then-Ambassador Toshihiko Horiuchi, Permanent Representative of Japan to the AU, celebrate the completion of the 10-year performance report on infrastructure development in Africa.
Director Ando:
Solving these challenges will not be easy, but at the same time it is a great opportunity. Throughout TICAD, we have always stated the importance of partnership with Africa and African ownership. How do you yourself, Mr. Secretary, evaluate the process in TICAD so far? Also, what are your expectations for TICAD to solve the challenges?
Secretary Bekele-Thomas:
The TICAD process is based on a history of cooperation between Africa and Japan. Japan’s commitment to being an honest partner with whom Africa can have frank discussions is at the root of the TICAD process. At a time when Africa was questioning its relationship with the rest of the world, the Japanese government was willing to work with Africa on development in an equitable partnership. And the TICAD process has become a great team at the table, not only with Japan, but also with other partners who support Africa’s development.
Since the start of TICAD, not only the establishment of AUDA-NEPAD, a development implementation agency, but also the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which promotes intra-African trade liberalization, and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and many other specialized agencies have been created out of a strong desire for the integration of the African continent. The African CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the start of TICAD, AUDA-NEPAD and JICA look back on their past collaboration and share the recognition that they will further deepen their cooperation. TICAD is a platform for Africa to pursue the achievement of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Director Ando:
Both JICA and AUDA-NEPAD are development implementing agencies and our collaboration has produced a variety of tangible results. What are your thoughts on Japan, the TICAD process, and the characteristics of your work with JICA?
Secretary Bekele-Thomas:
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Japan for the contributions it has made to African development. Among them, the cooperative relationship between JICA and AUDA-NEPAD should be called a true partnership based on sincere trust, a relationship that other donors should emulate when working with AUDA-NEPAD. The various collaborations have produced tangible and impactful results.
For example, JICA has been cooperating with the Home Grown Solutions Accelerator Program (HGS) promoted by AUDA-NEPAD since its inception. As the name suggests, this is a program to support local private companies that aim to solve problems in Africa with products and services originating from Africa. In the Africa Infrastructure Development Program (PIDA), it is also important to develop infrastructure to support economic development, such as the introduction of the One Stop Border Post (OSBP), which enables customs clearance and immigration procedures to be done in one place, and the development of economic corridors, which JICA is promoting. In addition, the Africa Kaizen Initiative, which promotes kaizen in the manufacturing industry by adopting Japanese-style quality and productivity improvement methods, has produced significant results in the development of young human resources.
What can be said as a characteristic of Japanese assistance is that the projects are concrete and people-centered cooperation. That is why it reaches people where their needs are and improves their lives. This is very important. Another feature is that Japan plays a central role in working with governments and relevant organizations to address critical issues related to Africa. For example, it is wonderful to see that Japan is continuing its people-centered cooperation in countries like South Sudan, where people need cooperation despite the many problems they face.
We hope that the TICAD process will continue to play a role as a platform for engaging the various institutions involved in the realization of Africa’s Plan and Agenda 2063.
Toward an African Future Where Youth Shine
JICA, AUDA-NEPAD and other stakeholders at the Annual Kaizen Conference in Ethiopia in 2023
Director Ando:
Human-centered development is a fundamental stance of JICA’s cooperation, and is shared by AUDA-NEPAD, and I understand that AUDA-NEPAD’s current initiative, “Energize Africa,” is a development goal with a particular focus on youth. What do you hope to achieve with “Energize Africa,” which has affinity with JICA’s efforts?
Secretary Bekele-Thomas:
As we have discussed, Africa’s population continues to grow, and 60% of its population is youth. However, every year in Africa, many students graduate from school but are unable to find work. Furthermore, there are many young people who cannot finish school and cannot find jobs. Energize Africa is an effort to solve the problem of how to incorporate these young people into socioeconomic transformation. The energy of the youth is the energy of the continent, and we do not want to waste it.
This Energize Africa will focus on harnessing innovation and creativity by youth as a driver of economic growth and development in Africa, while at the same time expanding income opportunities for youth through entrepreneurship and job creation. As part of this effort, we will promote the development of hubs that will facilitate the innovation needed to advance Africa’s development. With the support of governments and various organizations, including JICA, there are currently about 2,900 such centers in Africa. In the future, it will be necessary to clarify whether each of these centers is functioning properly, referring to the standards of other countries. We hope to be able to draw on Japanese techniques and approaches in this process. Youth-led startups that utilize this innovation center will also receive support from companies participating in the HGS.
By bringing together and scaling up these various efforts, we can empower and energize African youth to pave the way for the future development of Africa and its youth in an effective way.
Director Ando:
The Secretary’s strong and heartfelt commitment to youth is very impressive and inspiring and makes me personally respect him. Is it your own experience that has influenced you to promote support for young people in Africa?
Secretary Bekele-Thomas:
First of all, it has to do with the fact that I am a mother myself. Every mother wants her children to be happy and does not want them to be unhappy or not included in the productive processes of society. It is with this in mind that I have become passionate about youth empowerment.
But most importantly, I believe that for almost 40 years now, I have worked in various positions in UN agencies, mainly focusing on youth entrepreneurship, empowerment and employment. This experience has led me to believe that the most important resource is human capital. Education is important, but just as important is ensuring that young people are not isolated from socio-economic transformation. This will enable young people to make a positive contribution to their society and at the same time prevent them from being exposed to various risks and negative influences and from engaging in anti-social behavior.
While working as a private sector policy advisor in Uganda in the immediate aftermath of the civil war, I worked specifically to support youth entrepreneurship and private enterprise. This was because there was no such mechanism in place. Through this process, I realized that supporting youth entrepreneurship is very important for the economic development of the country.
Thus, throughout my career, I have focused on how to make the most of the human resource that is our youth. Young people are like our children and grandchildren. As parents, we are most happy when our children and grandchildren can live happier and more dignified lives than we can. In the same way, I believe that it should be the goal of every community and country to make the future of the next generation of young people brighter.
Director Ando:
Young people are very important for the future of Africa. We at JICA also believe that the success of young people is the key to future development cooperation. We would like to further strengthen our cooperation and work together with like-minded directors. Thank you very much for your time today.
At the time of the interview (left: JICA Director Ando)
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