<<Changing Africa and Challenges for Japan>>

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Piers Rodgers
5 years ago
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1 President Tanaka s speech in Pretoria on May 10, 2013 <<Changing Africa and Challenges for Japan>> Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased to be back in Pretoria after such a short period of time. When I came here last February, although I met with many leaders here, including Dr. Mayaki, and visited several places observing some of JICA s activities, I did not have this kind of opportunity to discuss important issues common to us. So I feel very honored and privileged to be able to do so. I feel honored, firstly, because South Africa was the symbol of peaceful democratic transformation of the 20 th century. As a political scientist who has studied cases of revolutions and transformation of political systems, I really admire the transformation that South Africa achieved in the last decade of the 20 th century. I still remember the time I wrote a book review of Mr. Nelson Mandela s Long Walk To Freedom, when its Japanese translation was published in It is good to hear that Mr. Mandela is now back home. I feel honored, secondly, because South Africa was the country where Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshiro Mori, delivered a major speech on Africa. In January 2001, he became the first Japanese prime minister to visit Sub-Saharan Africa. He announced that African renaissance was possible in the 21 st century, and that, without resolving African problems, it would not be possible to ensure a stable and prosperous world in the 21 st century 1. Twelve years after Mr. Mori s speech, Africa continues to grow. I am sure that his conviction was right and that it has become a reality. Africa is much more important both for the world and Japan. JICA continues to contribute to accelerating the growth of Africa and tackling new challenges of a changing Africa and Japan. Some of you may be familiar with what JICA is doing in Africa but some of you 1 私は 21 世紀こそはアフリカの大飛躍が待ち望まれる世紀であるとともにアフリカ問題の解決なくして 21 世紀の世界の安定と繁栄はなしとの確信を一層深めました ( 上記スピーチより ) 1

2 may not. Let me first give you some examples of our activities. In Mozambique, for example, we are working heavily on the development of the corridor from Nacala to Western Mozambique. Our efforts there are comprehensive. We financed port and road construction as well as facilities for education. We are engaged in a technical cooperation project, PROSAVANA, to increase agricultural productivity. JICA has a long working relationship with our Brazilian counterparts in the development project of Cerado, once a barren land - now transformed into one of the largest grain fields of the world. Based on these experiences, Japanese and Brazilian experts are working hand in hand with Mozambique farmers, especially small scale farmers, to introduce innovation in agricultural productivity in these areas along the Nacala corridor. JICA actively promotes regional transport networking in southern Africa. We have financed Chirundu Bridge 2 connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe over the Zambezi River. JICA also financed the Kazungula Bridge 3 which connects Zambia and Botswana over the Zambezi River. We have also been supporting the reconstruction efforts of post-conflict countries such as Angola and Mozambique since the late 1990s, and DRC and South Sudan since the mid-2000s. On the African Continent, JICA delivers 400 million dollars of technical cooperation, 400 million dollars of grant aid, and 800 million dollars of financial commitment to ODA loan projects every year. According to OECD/DAC data, Japan s aid performance, measured in terms of ODA net disbursement, is ranked 5 th among DAC bilateral donors to Africa 4, and is equivalent to that of the African Development Bank 5. When compared to other DAC bilateral donors, Japanese aid to Africa attaches roughly equal importance to economic and production sectors such as transport, energy, agriculture and industry 6 with social sectors including education, health, and water 7. We do not neglect social sectors but we believe that development of economic infrastructure is critical and that promoting intra-regional integration 2 無償資金協力 1999 年 5 月 EN 締結供与限度額億円 3 円借款 ( アフリカ開発銀行協調融資 ) 2012 年 10 月 EN/LA 締結供与限度額億円年 ~2011 年の年平均ネットディスバース額 ( 百万トル ) による順位米 (8,286) 仏 (4,307) 英 (3,093) 独 (2,202) 日本 (1,698) 加 (1,474) 蘭 (1,188) 西 (1,188) スウェーデン (1,047) ノルウェー (977) 5 In 2010, Japan: 1,888 million dollars, AfDB: 1,918 million dollars 6 ODA 合計における経済生産セクターの割合による比較日本 45% DAC 平均 25% 7 ODA 合計における社会セクターの割合による比較日本 50% DAC 平均 65% 2

3 through supporting NEPAD and RECs 8, is very important. Some of you may have read the most recent Human Development Report prepared by UNDP entitled the Rise of the South. According to this report, the rise of the South is both the result of continual human development investments and achievements, and an opportunity for still greater human progress for the world as a whole. Over the last decade, all countries accelerated their achievements in the education, health and income dimensions. No country for which data was available had a lower Human Development Index in 2012 than in Investing in people s capabilities through health, education and other public services is an integral part of this growth. Africa is also making progress in this aspect. However, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa may find it difficult to achieve many of the MDGs by We are determined to support African efforts to achieve the MDGs. According to OECD/DAC data, Japanese aid commitment to health, education and water sectors in Africa has been increasing in recent years; from 369 million US dollars in 2008 to 691 million US dollars in In the last five years, JICA has supported the training of 800,000 math and science teachers and 220,000 health and medical workers. In the same period, JICA also financed safe water supply projects for 10,000,000 people in total 10. In my view, the growth center of the world economy is now beginning to shift from the Pacific region to a much broader area which I call the Indo-Pacific region. In the Pacific region, Japan, the United States, China, and Korea are the current economic powers. When we see the Indian Ocean region, we find more new economic powers emerging whose potentials are yet to be fully developed, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, and Madagascar, in addition to India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. As the Indo-Pacific becomes the broader region of economic dynamism, African countries will become invaluable to Japan in the coming decades, as growing business partners with a huge potential market. 8 Regional Economic Communities の略 9 国連によれば 2015 年までにサブサハラで達成見込みの MDGs は 2 つのみ ( 初等教育就学率におけるジェンダー平等 HIV/AIDS 感染の停止反転他の 14 目標は改善はみられるものの 2015 年までの達成は困難 10 理数科教師訓練人数保健医療従事者訓練人数安全な水供給人数は TICADIV 我が国支援策の数値目標 2008~2012 年度の 5 年間の実績人数はいずれも数値目標を超過達成 3

4 Obviously, we should not forget about the various developmental challenges that Africa faces. Let me point out several principles in growing development. The first principle is that of inclusive development. As I said before, JICA has been emphasizing the importance of economic infrastructure but this is because we believe the right kind of infrastructure is critical in order to disseminate the fruits of growth to all segments of society. In agriculture, we emphasize the importance of including smallholder farmers in our projects. In education, we emphasize the importance of science and math for both boys and girls. In health, we emphasize the importance of keeping hospital services clean and safe for mothers and babies. The second principle is that of sustainable growth. Africa is in need of energy. While access to electricity remains a huge challenge, Africa is rich in many sources of energy. We need to create a system whereby energy produced in Africa is utilized in Africa. This energy consumption should be friendly to the environment. JICA emphasizes the importance of renewable energy. Where applicable, geothermal power production has great potential in Africa. Solar power production is also attractive in many countries. The third principle is that of good governance. Man shall not live by bread alone. People living in a growing Africa deserve better governance. Good governance is the accelerator of further growth. I believe that the private sector is critical for the future growth of Africa. But the private sector prospers only where governance of political, economic and social systems is effective. The fourth principle is that of human security. Although the number of civil wars has decreased in recent years, violence continues in several countries. There are many post-conflict countries where development cooperation in line with peace-building needs is desperately needed. Japan can support African efforts to promote peace and stability in Africa. JICA staff are working very hard shoulder to shoulder with Japan s peace keepers in South Sudan. We focus on peace building efforts in the post-conflict stage to help countries shift seamlessly from the humanitarian relief stage to the development stage, and to prevent them from returning back to conflict. It is also critical to support neighboring countries to avoid the risk of a regional spillover of conflict. 4

5 Finally, Japan should promote business partnerships between Africa and Japan. As the global growth center is shifting to the Indo-Pacific region, the Japanese business community is focusing their eyes on Africa. JICA will continue to support Africa in creating enabling business environments and building infrastructure to promote private investment from Japan to Africa. In addition to the business sector, other non-state actors such as civil societies, academics, artists, entertainers and athletes, etc. are also invited to jointly promote the Africa-Japan partnership. In 2010, when South Africa hosted the Soccer World Cup, JICA, UNDP and Sony, a Japanese electronics maker, jointly organized the events of Public-Viewing in Africa in remote areas in Ghana and Cameroon, where people had no access to TV. This event also aimed at providing HIV/AIDS anti-infection measures and knowledge to the local populations gathering at the events in collaboration with a local NGO - the Ghana Family Planning Association. In total, 26 games were broadcast by Public-Viewing, 24,000 people joined the events and 4,800 received HIV/AIDS health checks. At these events, JICA and UNDP provided their basis of operation at country-level, the NGO provided its local network and know-how, and Sony provided its technology voluntarily. This example of a joint venture encourages us to further link Africa and Japan across the Indo-Pacific Oceans and strengthen ties between us through collaboration with more varied stakeholders. Thank you 5

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