Launched in 1993, TICAD is the key platform to drive Japan’s ongoing development initiatives in Africa. TICAD respects African ownership of its own development path, while tapping into multi-stakeholder partnerships to promote openness.

At TICAD V in 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe predicted that Africa would become a growth center of the world by the middle of the century. His forecast is right on track. Over the past few years, Africa achieved remarkable progress. African nations consistently register more than 5 percent economic growth annually, far beyond most developed countries.

However, several new threats to development have emerged; namely,  the slump in natural resources prices, the spread of violent extremism and terrorism, as well as the Ebola crisis, which exposed vulnerabilities in African health systems.

These challenges set the stage for tomorrow’s TICAD VI, which will focus on three priority areas—resilient health systems, economic diversification and social stability. Specifically, the conference will be an opportunity to advance Japan’s ongoing commitments to Africa in the fields of health, water and sanitation, as well as agriculture.

At TICAD V, Japan committed to providing support to strengthen African health systems, with training for 120,000 healthcare workers, including midwives, pharmacists and administrators. TICAD drives ongoing efforts toward universal health coverage, maternal and child health, as well as the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

Built about 35 years ago with cooperation from Japan, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in Ghana is on the frontline of the fight against Ebola. It was founded to honor Japanese bacteriologist Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, well-known in both Ghana and Japan for his pioneering research on yellow fever. Dr. Noguchi came to Ghana in 1927 to study yellow fever, but was fatally infected with the disease during the course of his research, dying there six months later.

NMIMR conducts medical research and runs technical cooperation projects to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It has 49 researchers drawn from Ghana, other African countries, Japan, and elsewhere around the world, including France and the United States. The research team has delivered numerous successful results over the years and NMIMR is the only institute in Ghana registered for Ebola inspection by the World Health Organization.

“From its inception, the Noguchi Memorial Institute enjoyed Japanese government support and is now known as the preeminent such organization in West Africa,” said NMIMR’s Dr. Mitsuko Ohashi.

“I think the institute can point to a range of achievements. It has done intensive work in areas including Ebola specimen testing.”

Additionally, Japanese public-private partnerships are driving projects aimed at improving sanitation and access to safe water in Africa. According to the UN, almost 650 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to proper sanitation. Often they are forced to defecate in the open, risking diarrheal disease and the danger of assault—particularly women. Many young girls drop out of education before completion due to the absence of safe and hygienic toilet facilities.

In Kenya, LIXIL Group, a Japan-based global leader in housing and building materials, is working with JICA and partners including the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization and the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming to produce a waterless, odorless eco-toilet. The initiative aims to protect water resources and prevent the spread of disease. The toilet system is designed to treat human waste in an environmentally-friendly way by separating liquid and solid waste, and treating solid waste with a local microorganism to kill pathogens. Waste can then be used to fertilize farmland.

Ms. Yamakami advocates adoption of waterless, odorless eco-toilet system throughout Kenya.

LIXIL’s Ms. Yu Yamakami, who leads research for this project in Nairobi, said, “Improving sanitation conditions has a lasting positive effect on the health and wellbeing of communities. It means a reduced risk of disease, but also a safer, more dignified environment for women and girls. We have worked with NGO partners, community groups and local schools to understand the local challenges, develop solutions, and also run education programs for young girls and local residents on issues relating to sanitation and hygiene.”

Equally as important as building resilient health systems and improving sanitation is helping Africans gain economic self-sufficiency. Agriculture is by far the largest employer in Africa, accounting for 65-70 percent of the labor force in most countries. Recognizing this, empowering farmers as mainstream economic actors is also a key objective of TICAD.

Since TICAD IV in 2008, Japan has partnered with the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) to double rice production in Africa from 14 million to 28 million tons by 2018. CARD is helping to implement farming skills programs and develop new varieties of rice like New Rice for Africa (NERICA), offering higher yields. The results have been tremendous. 2014 alone saw a 25 million-ton yield—a 74 percent increase. These higher yields result in more income and opportunities for farming communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Senior rice technical advisor Mr. Tsuboi works alongside African farmers.

Senior rice technical advisor, Mr. Tatsushi Tsuboi explained: “By planting NERICA stem by stem, it has steadily spread throughout Uganda and currently is making inroads in Ethiopia. In West Africa, it’s also doing quite well in Guinea. And right now, cultivation is even starting in Sudan and other desert countries.”

At the upcoming TICAD VI, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and African heads of state will convene in Nairobi with leaders from the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, the African Union Commission, the World Bank, relevant private-sector partners and civil society, to address pressing African development needs and the prognosis for the future.

As the first conference held inside Africa, TICAD VI is set to further advance Africa to become a growth center of the world by the middle of the 21^st century.

To learn more, visit www.japan.go.jp/ticad/

While Africa has made great gains since the turn of the century, the collapse in prices of natural resources, the Ebola crisis and the rise of violent extremism and terrorism have highlighted the fragility of African development. The upcoming conference offers a timely opportunity to address the important challenges Africa faces today.

A pioneering initiative launched by Japan in 1993, TICAD draws up concrete action plans for African development with follow-up through regular progress reports. The TICAD initiative is not limited to Japan and African countries. It is also open to international organizations, donor countries, relevant private-sector partners and representatives from civil society, while retaining ownership of projects by Africa.

When TICAD V was held in 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe predicted Africa would become a growth center of the world by the middle of the century. His forecast is right on track. But, several new challenges have emerged; namely, the slump in natural resource prices, the Ebola outbreak, and the spread of violent extremism and terrorism.

To address these challenges, TICAD VI will be a forum to discuss how the TICAD mechanism and Japan’s strengths can contribute to sustainable African development with a focus on economic diversification, resilient healthcare and social stability.

Economic diversification is a particularly important pillar of TICAD VI. Looking back on its own development path since the end of World War II, Japan—a nation without rich natural resources—has put great emphasis on human resources. For example, accuracy, teamwork and the “kaizen” approach, the process of workers onsite continuously brainstorming ideas to improve productivity, have enabled Japan to create high-quality products.

Japan has long believed that highly-skilled human resources hold the key to economic diversity in Africa. Demand from African countries in this area is growing, and Japan is ready to share its experience and expertise. TICAD drives Japan’s ongoing efforts to empower young Africans through human resource development programs.

To cultivate a strong human network between Japan and Africa, at TICAD V, Japan launched the African Business Education Initiative for Youth, or “ABE” Initiative. Extending from 2013 to 2017, this initiative provides 1,000 young Africans with an opportunity to study at Japanese universities and participate in internships at Japanese enterprises. This public-private partnership exemplifies Japan’s openness and dedication to equipping the African workforce of the future. The program aims to share Japanese professionalism at work with African interns.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivering an address at the TICAD V, in Yokohama, 2013

Tokyo-based KOYO Corporation participated in the ABE Initiative for the first time this year, hosting five interns from Nigeria, Mauritania, Tanzania, Mozambique and Burundi. The interns visited the company’s mega solar power plant in Tochigi, about 60 miles north of Tokyo, and were tasked with presenting reports about potential opportunities in their home countries for the technology they observed.

Mr. Mansour Diagne of Senegal, Manager of KOYO’s International Division, praised the program.

“As an African, I do appreciate the ABE Initiative because it allows more Japanese companies to know about Africa. And it gives participants the opportunity to learn about the Japanese way of doing business. In particular, the attention Japanese firms pay to customer service and their commitment to follow-up and after-sales service. The ABE Initiative interns have built relationships that will allow them to become bridges between Africa and Japan, both at government and private-sector levels.”

At TICAD V, Japan also committed to train 30,000 local people in Africa to help them acquire professional skills. Japan pledged to set up TICAD human resource development centers for business and industry in 10 locations across Africa and dispatch job training experts.

The Centre de Formation Professionnelle et Technique Senegal-Japon (CFPT) is a role model for these hubs. Founded in 1984 by the Japanese and the Senegalese governments, the CFPT is one of the leading vocational and training centers in West Africa. More than 2,500 intermediate and advanced engineers, as well as around 300 trainers from 16 French-speaking African countries have completed training at the CFPT.

At the beginning, training content was heavily influenced by Japanese experts’ insights. With time, various innovations were created to cultivate homegrown technical training systems with local instructors. This is in line with the center’s original concept that Senegalese trainees would best thrive under their own leadership and principles. The CFPT’s focus on empowering Africans to take ownership of training programs is completely in line with Japan’s approach to development programs and the TICAD process.

In partnership with government agencies, the Japanese private sector plays a driving role in human resource development in Africa. One example is the Toyota Kenya Academy operated by Toyota Tsusho Group. In addition to technical automotive training and managerial staff development, since 2014, the academy has offered African trainees business management, agri-mechanization, and agri-preneurship courses in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenyan universities and government agencies. By supporting the next generation’s development, Japan’s private sector is investing in Kenya’s long-term economic growth and sustainable development.

Toyota Kenya Academy in Nairobi

By offering 14 courses to entrepreneurs and businesspeople, the academy is building an educational system that meets a diverse range of needs, continually developing human resources to support Kenya’s future. Based on the Japanese “kaizen” approach, participants are encouraged to develop problem-solving skills critical for starting businesses. The academy welcomed 381 students through to 2015 and expects to receive 750 students this year.

At the upcoming TICAD VI, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and African heads of state will convene in Nairobi with leaders from the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, the African Union Commission, the World Bank, relevant private-sector partners, donor countries, and civil society to discuss pressing African development needs and the prognosis for the future. About 6,000 delegates are expected to attend.

As the first conference held inside Africa, TICAD VI is set to further advance Africa to become a growth center of the world by the middle of the 21^st century.

To learn more, visit www.japan.go.jp/ticad/

Top image licensed by: ©Kenshiro Imamura