This year marks the 30th anniversary of the TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), which began in 1993 at the initiative of the Japanese government. Through the discussions at TICAD, which have been held eight times so far, Japan has continued to provide development cooperation that has always been close to African countries. In these times of complex crises such as climate change, pandemics, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, what should our efforts toward Africa be? We asked President Tanaka about the importance of Africa in the international community, the significance of TICAD, and JICA’s role in relations with Africa.
Akihiko Tanaka, JICA President
There is no country called “Africa.” It’s a tremendously large, diverse, and potential aggregate.
–As JICA President, you have visited many African countries yourself, what are your impressions of Africa’s potentials and challenges?
Tanaka My first visit to South Sudan after reappointment as JICA President in 2022 was to attend the completion ceremony of the Nile Bridge, a project that JICA has been supporting since just after independence in 2012. This was a project that had been 10 years in the making and had been suspended three times due to repeated conflicts and the Corona disaster. The president and first vice president of JICA, who have been at odds with each other for many years, also attended the ceremony. As the bridge is named “Freedom Bridge,” we hope that it will become a symbol of freedom and peace in South Sudan, and we also felt the potential for the future of South Sudan.
President Tanaka (center), President Kiir (left), and First Vice President Mashaal at the completion ceremony of the Nile Bridge in May 2022.
I have visited about 20 African countries so far, and what I have realized is that Africa is incredibly vast and incredibly different. There is no single place that can be called “Africa,” and each country has its own language, climate, religion, national character, and so on. This vastness and diversity is one of the major attractions of Africa.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the situation in many countries has become unstable due to frequent natural disasters stemming from climate change, worsening medical conditions caused by the spread of a new type of corona, soaring energy and food prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and worsening debt problems in developing countries due to global inflation and rising interest rates in developed countries. Numerous countries are on the verge of a serious situation in which “human security” is threatened, and the challenge is how to overcome this situation.
–Why is it that Africa is said to be of growing importance at a time when the international community is facing a complex crisis?
Tanaka: One is the response to the humanitarian crisis. This is a challenge shared by all humankind that must be addressed as a matter of course. The reduction of Africa’s extremely impoverished population is also essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, which the international community is aiming for.
Another is population growth. Currently, the population of Africa as a whole is about 1.4 billion, the same as that of India and China, but it is expected to grow to about 2.5 billion by 2050. It is expected to become a huge market in the future and will be the most dynamically developing region on earth. It is very important for the long-term prosperity and stability of the world, including developed countries, to realize the potential of Africa, which has a high potential for growth.
TICAD has built a relationship of trust through dialogue with Africa
–This year marks the 30th anniversary of TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), which started in 1993. Please tell us about the significance of TICAD as a framework for cooperation between Japan and Africa.
Tanaka When TICAD began, Japan did not have very strong ties with Africa. However, it was a wise choice to establish a framework for dialogue 30 years ago to deepen relations with Africa, which was considered to have potential for long-term growth. I also believe that it was very important to build a relationship of trust through dialogue with Africa over a long period of 30 years.
TICAD has taken the approach of not having so-called developed countries assist developing countries, but rather to listen to the opinions of African leaders and people and work together to address a variety of issues. From the beginning, TICAD has been held jointly with international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, and is characterized by a more open form of dialogue with Africa than the frameworks currently being promoted by other countries.
Against the backdrop of the growing awareness of the importance of private investment in Africa since the beginning of the 2000s, TICAD is now a forum for discussing not only development cooperation but also broader contributions to Africa’s economic and social development.
TICAD 8 was held in August 2022 in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, the second time it has been held in Africa since TICAD VI was held in Kenya in 2016.
–How can Japan’s longstanding cooperation through TICAD help Africa recover from the complex crises it faces?
Tanaka What is important is the perspective of how we can withstand crises in the medium to long term. Rather than investing huge amounts of money to do something all at once, I believe that improving the situation through human resource development and the accumulation of technology and know-how, and widely disseminating methods to cope with crises will help strengthen the resilience of society as a whole.
JICA’s role in promoting the creation of a foundation for growth in Africa and supporting further strengthening of partnerships
–Please tell us about the history of TICAD and the specific efforts that JICA has made to strengthen ties between Japan and Africa.
Tanaka The Community for the Advancement of Rice Cultivation in Africa (CARD) was launched in preparation for population growth, and was announced at TICAD IV in 2008. Rather than investing large amounts of money, the project is promoting yield improvement by communicating detailed know-how on efficient rice planting methods and irrigation systems.
One of the leading initiatives in human resource development is the “Industrial Human Resource Development Initiative for Young Africans (ABE Initiative),” which was proposed at TICADV in 2013. More than 1,600 people have participated in this program, which offers master’s degrees at Japanese universities and internship opportunities at Japanese companies. After returning to their home countries, many of the graduates have maintained ties with Japanese companies and have gone on to start their own businesses in their home countries or serve as intermediaries between Japanese companies and their home countries, truly building bridges between Japan and Africa.
A Japanese expert instructing on how to observe ears of rice in rice paddies in Cameroon, where rice consumption is on the rise (photo courtesy of PRODERIP).
Trainees from Mauritania participating in the ABE Initiative and receiving guidance from artisans at a Japanese company as interns (photo courtesy of Suntec Corporation).
Kaizen” projects, which incorporate Japanese-style quality and productivity improvement methods to foster manufacturing, have also spread to many African countries since TICADVI in 2016, starting with Tunisia and Ethiopia in the 2000s. Japanese experts provide detailed advice on how to produce efficiently and without waste according to local conditions.
JICA is not alone in any of these efforts; we are also working with private companies and universities in Japan, as well as with other countries and development agencies, to spread the good practices of one country to other countries.
–What initiatives will JICA focus on in the future for Africa’s future growth and socioeconomic stabilization?
Tanaka: There are growing expectations from the African side for an increase in private investment. In order to do so, it is essential to create a foundation on which Japanese private companies can do business in Africa. However, it is difficult for African governments alone to establish such a foundation, including infrastructure development and the creation of institutions and mechanisms. I believe it is necessary for development institutions such as JICA to cooperate in building such a foundation.
Of particular importance are efforts to “strengthen connectivity” between the vast African countries. We will develop critical trunk lines, or “corridors,” to improve infrastructure such as ports, roads, and power lines, and to reduce disparities between coastal and inland areas, and between urban and rural areas.
Another example is support for startups (emerging companies) originating from Africa. The success rate of start-ups may be low. However, if you are afraid of failure, you will not be able to create startups that will truly grow. Therefore, it is important to first provide support for ecosystem building, such as access to “seed” funds that will enable startups to take on challenges, as well as capacity building and institutional development of relevant institutions that support startups’ challenges.
How to utilize new technologies such as information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) will also be important in Africa’s future development. In Africa, the introduction of advanced technologies is creating a movement to quickly advance economic and social systems without following the same path as Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Asia. In Kenya, the widespread use of cell phones has enabled the world’s first service that allows people without bank accounts to send small amounts of money. Support for such innovations will greatly support Africa’s future potential.
–How will Japan’s cooperation with Africa lead to global stability and prosperity?
Tanaka: Today’s complex crises are connected even though they are far apart. For example, the issue of climate change will bring extreme weather and natural disasters to all parts of the world, including Japan, if greenhouse gases are not reduced across the globe. If an activity that threatens sustainability takes place anywhere on the planet, it will directly affect us here in Japan.
In addition, the results and innovations achieved by working with local people to address social issues in Africa will not be limited to Africa, but may improve the lives of people in Japan and around the world in the future. There are many examples of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) working in Africa who have returned to Japan, launched start-ups, and carefully built relationships between Africa and Japan.
We would like to continue to build a stronger relationship with Africa, which is becoming increasingly important, and at the same time, we would like to encourage the dynamic changes that are taking place in the region to move in a positive direction.
© Source JICA
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