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Uganda Expanding bilateral exchanges - ODA and Private sector -
A commemorative photo of Mr. Kashiwada and the former founder-president
For the people of Uganda, Japan is a faraway country in Asia; people-to-people exchange between two countries is still limited. However, there is a Japanese called the “Father of Uganda” and respected by Ugandan people. He is Yuichi Kashiwada who dedicated himself to producing Ugandan specialty clothing using local organic cotton. He also became a model of the character known as the plant chief Matsuda of Fuji Dress Shirt firm that appears in the Africa section of Toyoko Yamazaki’s novel “Shizumanu Taiyo.”
In 1965, Kashiwada started leading the manufacture and sales of “Yamato shirts” that were popular back then, but he left Uganda and came to Japan in the 1980s due to the civil war. Later, he returned to Uganda in 1999 responding to the request from President Museveni, where he once again established a clothing factory. However, he returned again to Japan in 2015 because his company fell on hard times due to low price cloths imported from China.
To carry on Kashiwada’s great achievement, Tatsumasa Oku took acton. He is the president of Smileyearth Co., Ltd., in Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture. The company imports Ugandan organic cotton and manufactures and sells high quality eco-friendly cotton products such as towels, using the unique refining techniques with cotton grown in northern Uganda. The company was founded by Oku’s father Ryuichi Oku in 2008 aiming to create truly authentic organic cotton products after Oku’s father met Kashiwada during a trip to Africa in 2005 and was moved by his story.
Later, Smileyearth’s proposal was selected for the JICA’s Support for Japanese SMEs Overseas Business Development Program (feasibility survey) in FY 2015, and ”Feasibility Survey for Adding Value to Cotton Products with Organic Scouring Method” was carried out in northern Uganda where is organic cotton production center.
Interesting enough, this study helped to create exchanges between Izumisano City, which is the first location to manufacture towels in Japan, and Gulu City in northern Uganda. This demonstrates that the initiatives of one company connected the local governments.
In April 2016, a delegation from Gulu City including the mayor came to Japan and visited Izumisano City. In July 2016, the mayor of Izumisano City paid a visit to Gulu City. In July 2017, the two cities concluded a friendship city agreement, deciding Izumisano City to be served as a host town for Uganda athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to take place in 2020.
In this manner, relations between two cities have been developing to have cultural exchange such as sports events.
In recent years, there are an increasing number of young Japanese entrepreneurs establishing business in Uganda. Among them, former JICA volunteers are using their knowledge developed through their volunteering experience closely working with Ugandan people and contributing to Japan’s business expansion in Uganda.
According to Country Assistance Evaluation of Uganda, ODA has created opportunities for Japanese companies to expand business in Uganda and for the local governments in Japan and Uganda to connect for cultural exchange and more, which is a significant diplomatic effects of ODA.
Source: Interview with Smileyearth conducted by the evaluation team (September 21, 2017) ,the website of the Japanese Embassy in Uganda (Kampala Correspondence – From Nakasero Hill [2nd and 15th articles]; authored by Ambassador Kazuaki Kameda).
Note: Smileyearth received the METI Minister’s Award at the 19th Japan Water Prize in July 2017 and the METI Minister’s Prize for the 7th Monozukuri Nippon Grand Award in February 2018. On September 3, 2018, the company was awarded the 1st Ambassador’s commendation (Embassy of Japan in Uganda).
Mr. Chiyomatsu, the mayor of Izumisano city, welcomed in Gulu city. (Photo: Embassy of Japan in Uganda)