TICAD II Follow-up Measures

V. Strengthening Partnership

V-1. Bases for African Human Capacity Building (Model Case: AICAD (African Institute for Capacity Development), Kenya)

Japan will establish bases for human capacity building in Africa. Building on the successful model of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) to which project-type technical cooperation and \10 billion in grant aid have been extended over nearly 20 years, Japan is considering to establish a human capacity building base for African countries, named AICAD, which will function as a center for training, joint research and development, collection and dissemination of information and so on. In this process, Japan will coordinate with other donor countries and consider the ways to benefit the other countries around.

Japan has dispatched two experts to prepare AICAD project for the first phase (from August 2000 to July 2002). The following plans have been considered in which this project will be enlarged to full-scale for EAC countries (second phase, five years) and the target countries will be expanded to Anglophone African countries (third phase, five years).

V-2. Establishment of research network

Japan will build an international network among African, Asian, and donor countries' research and training institutes to carry out research, training and education for African development.

A network management committee, composed of at least one person from each of the four African regional networks of research/training institutes and several persons from European/Asian research organizations, was organized on September 22, 1999 in Tokyo (at FASID, which will function as the secretariat). And the committee approved the establishment of the network. Also, the committee discussed and agreed on the network's objectives (human resources development), added values (both Asian and African perspectives), initial research topics (globalization and poverty reduction the role of rural communities), rules, future schedule, etc.

On the day before the founding meeting, on September 21, several representatives from African research and training organizations (candidates for the network management committee who were approved on the 22nd) held an open seminar on the theme of "Research Results and Policy Implementation." Based on respective experience, they discussed a possible mechanism to ensure that the research results are effectively reflected in development policies and programs. Committee members appointed by the management committee would review previous research and make a framework for joint research. Based on the results of their work, selected African research advisors (selected thorough advantage of existing African-based research networks) and European and Japanese researchers will meet and hold a workshop together with the network committee members on the contents and methods for full-fledged joint research to be carried out from next fiscal year.

V-3. Japan-Africa exchange programme

To gain and maintain the momentum for support to Africa after TICAD II, it is indispensable to deepen understanding among the Japanese public on African development. Unlike the other TICAD follow-up initiatives, the main objective of this programme is to enhance Japanese people's understanding on Africa and to arouse more interest in Africa. With this program, the GOJ is trying to attract as much attention and participation of the general public as possible.

In fiscal 1999-2000, MOFA held Africa-related lectures, symposiums, and events introducing African culture in cooperation with local governments and others at three different locations throughout Japan. Fukuoka (September), Nagoya (October) and Tokyo (March) were selected.

V-4. Regional workshops on special topics

Japan has organized working-level workshops for three African regions (namely, southern, eastern and western regions), inviting the countries in the region and the regional organizations such as SADC, to address region-wide issues including environment, infectious diseases, road and transportation network infrastructure, etc. These workshops are aimed at finding and formulating specific projects through creating common understanding on the issues unique to the region.

The one held in South Africa in February, 1999, focused on transportation and traffic, being attended by 13 member countries of SADC, except for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the SADC secretariat, SATCC, the EU and other donors. Based on the results of the workshop, Japan carried out a project formulation study from March to May, 1999, to form a transportation and traffic project benefiting the region. The "Development Study of the Kazungula Bridge Construction over the Zambezi River" is being carried out.

Moreover, a workshop focusing on western Africa, the "Water Management Workshop in West Africa," was held in March 2000. Japan is preparing to send a project survey team following this workshop in this fiscal year.

V-5. Follow-up Mechanisms

Regional Review meetings on the targets of the Tokyo Agenda for Action
A regional review meeting of the Tokyo Agenda for Action, focusing on education, health and population, was held in Zambia in November, 1999 (covering eastern and southern African countries). The results of the meeting are described below.

a. Ownership by the African countries
African countries repeatedly expressed that they themselves should take actions on their ownership to fulfill the targets held up in the Tokyo Agenda for Action. As African ownership and international partnership are the two major pillars of the Tokyo Agenda for Action, such voices of African countries are very encouraging factors for the future African development.

b. Sharing of the Asian experience
Experiences in Asia over the past decades, both success and failure, were shared with the African countries in each session. For example, Japan's experience in education, the Philippines in supplying safe water, Thailand in combating HIV/AIDS and so on. Comparing such Asian experiences with African situations, the participants discussed the measures and policies to be taken in the future.

c. Deepening understanding among international organizations and donors
The participants from various UN organizations, donor countries NGOs and private sector also reaffirmed and deepened their understanding on the spirit of the Tokyo Agenda for Action. Furthermore, various organizations active for African development demonstrated their own activities and achievements, as well as difficulties and points to improve.

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