International Seminar
Sharing F-DRR approaches and techniques wth developing countries:
Experiences, realities and opportunities of private sectors

SDG Business Support Projects for small and medium
enterprises by Japan International Cooperation Agency
Takahiro IKENOUE
Director
Natural Environment Team 2
Forestry and Nature Conservation Group
Global Environment Department
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
https://www.jica.go.jp/priv_partner/activities/index.htm

Feb. 1, 2023

Index1. Background and Concept
2. Overview of the scheme
3. Examples
4. Application and screening schedule etc.

1. Background and Concept2

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Background and Concept| What is JICA?

JICA assists and supports developing countries as theexecuting agency of Japanese Official Development
Assistance (ODA).
In accordance with its vision of “Leading the world
with trust”, JICA supports the resolution of issues ofdeveloping countries by using the most suitable toolsof various assistance methods and a combined
regional-, country- and issue-oriented approach.

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Background and Concept | What is JICA?
【Human Security】【Quality Growth】

Aiming for a society where all people canprotect themselves from various threats
and live their daily lives in security and with
dignity.

Promoting sustainable growthwith less disparity and withoutharming the environment.

A society where all
can live healthy, safe
lives
- Education- Health- Social Security

A peaceful, justsociety without fear or
violence- State-Building to Prevent the Outbreakand Recurrence of Conflicts- Governance Support- Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women and Girls4

A prosperous,
sustainable economy atharmony with nature andprepared for promoting social
development- Agricultural and Rural Development- Private Sector Development- Urban and Regional Development- Ensure Access to Affordable and Clean Energy- Development of Transport Infrastructure

Care for thePlanet- Environmental Conservation and Management- Water Resources Management- Disaster Risk Reduction- Climate Change

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Background and Concept| What is JICA?

Overview of Operations

JICA uses an array of development assistance schemes to meetthe diverse needs of developing countries around the world

Technical Cooperation

JICA's volunteer programs

Citizen Participation

Finance and Investment
Cooperation(ODA Loans)

Partnership with Nikkei Communities
in Latin America and the Caribbean

GrantsEmergency Disaster Relief Studies andResearch
Public-Private Partnerships

But…..
5for what ?
独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Background and Concept | Basic Concept

Overview of JICA’s Partnership with Private Sector

JICA has increased the efforts to enhance the partnership with private companies withco-creation, rather than simply ordering the business that align with JICA’s priorities anddesigns as conventional ODA.

JICA
Collaboration withpublic agencies
Insight topartner countries

Japanese company
Network andtrust

Experts

SupportTechnologies

Ideas

Knowhow

Funds

Partnership
Expansion of Social Impact through Co-Creation with Companies

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Resolution of various issues of developing countries !

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Background and Concept | An exampleMoremeteorological
data is needed for
implementing
appropriate
climate change
countermeasures

Japanese SME
producesconvenientmonitoring system

Real-time Monitoring system of Japanese company can promote Indonesia’s climate change mitigation
and adaptation effort.

Background and Concept | An example

Business in Indonesia (2016)

Business in Thailand (2017)

Examples of Products and Technologies That May Help Address
Developmental Challenges
ExampleArea

Possible application

Environment and energy

Power generation with renewable energy,
composting toilets, rainfall monitoring
system, dam management, etc.

CO2 emissions monitoring system

Waste treatment

Organic waste treatment, urban waste
landfill recovery, medical waste
treatment, conversion of plastic waste
into fuel, etc.

Water purificationand treatment

Water quality measuring equipment,water purifiers, filtering units, purification
tanks, etc.

Vocational training andindustrial development

Molding, enhanced product transport,
grinders, machine tools, testing andmeasuring instruments, etc.

WelfareWheelchairs, rehabilitation equipment,
nursing equipment, braille mobile
terminals, braille printers, etc.

Plastic liquidation unit

Remotely operated excavator

Tools

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Braille embossing printer

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Examples of Products and Technologies That May Help Address
Developmental Challenges
ExampleArea

Agriculture

Possible application
Rice milling machines, greenhouses,
irrigation pumps, harvesting andprocessing machines, etc.

Milling machine for long-grain rice

Health and medicine

Electronic health records, medical network
systems, X-ray diagnosis units, delivery
monitoring units, mobile medical devices,
etc.

Education

Voice pens, e-learning systems, sciencelearning aids, scientific experiment kits,etc.

Disaster preparedness
and response

Alarms, provisional lighting, disaster relief
equipment, etc.

Total blood bilirubin measuring instrument

Science and mathematics learning aids

Multifunctional filter sheets

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独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Background and Concept | Achievements and challenges
Challenges for the future

Achievements to date
• In the 12 years since the start of the Program, 1,389
projects (including 1,065 small and medium-sizedenterprises) have been adopted (companies in all
prefectures have joined the Program).

• The number of proposals was 173 in the peakfiscal 2019, but due to the impact of the COVID19,
the number of proposals decreased to 56 in fiscal
2021.

• Memorandum of Understanding on Business• Feedbacks from user companies are as follows:Collaboration and Cooperation with a Total of 56 Regional✓ It takes time to conclude a contract with JICA
Financial Institutions
Concluded (as of March 2022)✓ The burden of settlement procedures is large• 70% of companies that have completed the survey arecontinuing to develop their business Generated profits 13% (43✓ More knowledge required for developing businesscases)

Withdrawed 31%(106 cases)
Made sales17%(58 cases)
N=337

Adapting to the changes in external environment andaddressing challenges above,
there is a need to improve JICA’s Program

Continue business (but no profits nor
sales) 39% (130 cases)

Source: JICA "FY2021 Post-Mortem Monitoring Survey: Analysis Report of Questionnaire Survey Results」
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Selected results (support for SMEs throughout the country)

Hokkaido Region 42 case(e.g potato Harvester)

Chugoku Region 67 case(e.g. Landslide Prevention in
Yamaguchi)

Kinki Region
166 case(e.g. septic tank in Shiga)

Tohoku Region 56 case(e.g Fruit processing)

Kanto Region 380 case(e.g Underground tunneling in Tokyo)

Kyusyu Region 109 case(e.g Pollution treatment in
Okinawa)

Shikoku Region 57 case(e.g Shipbuilding Inspection in Ehime)
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Chubu Region 188 case(e.g Tea Ingredient meter in Shizuoka)
独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

2. Overview of the scheme

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独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Overview of SDGs Business supporting Survey
Datacollection,
Early stages

Basic
information gathering,
Business development
hypothesis formulation

New

•
•
•
•

Needs Verification
Solution Validation

Gather basic information and needs in developing countries
Verify compatibility with products and services
Develop an initial business plan
Duration: About 8 months
Up to 10 million yen + consulting service(About 4 person-months)
SMEs and SU※SU
Start Up Company※SME
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
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Start
Business

SDGs Business Verification Survey

Needs Confirmation Survey

New

Establishment ofprovision system,
Operations Design/
Improvement

Acceptability
Verification,
Profitability Verification• Through verification and dissemination activities of technologies,
products, and business models, develop a business plan
• Duration: About 1~3 years
Up to 100 million yen / 150 million
yen / 200 million yen (Consultantrelated expenses included)
SMEs and SU

Up to 50 million yen(Consultant-related
expenses included)

Other support
organizations

Large company

SDGs Business Validation Survey

・After confirming the customer‘s acceptability of the product/service, secure local partners,
formulate a business model, verify profitability, and develop operations to provide
products/services.
・Develop a more sophisticated business plan
Up to 20 million yen + consulting service
・Duration: about 1 year and 4 months(About 8 person-months)

SMEs and SU

Large company

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Overview of the scheme

Needs Confirmation Survey• Gather basic information and needs in developing countries• Verify compatibility with products and services• Develop an initial business plan
• Duration: About 8 months
Up to 10 million yen+ consulting service (About 4 person-months)

For Start Up Company and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

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Model schedule: Needs Confirmation Survey
2023

February

March

April

May

June

July

AugustSeptember

October▼ Notification of Company Adoption ▼ Support started

contract

contract
conclusion

Budget & Research
Policy Agreement

November December
Completion of contract ▼Budget, survey policy, and staffing plan updated as needed
Survey period(*)

task
Business
Development
Supportdevelopment
ImpactAssessment

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Details of
Supporttask
Details of
SupportBasic information gathering
Goal Setting
Strategic Consideration
Survey Detail Designneeds
verification

Solutionverification

Business plan creation• Provision of knowledge and support for business strategy construction by consultants• Provision of knowledge and support on various verification methods by consultants• Support for information gathering by JICA/consultants• JICA/Consultants Introduce Local Partner Candidates• Support for local activities by consultants, management of survey funds, etc.
Information Gathering
JICA/Consultants support the collection of
information on local information and related casestudies, etc., and provide knowledge

Logic model creation
Logic model by JICA/Consultant
Creation support

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Overview of the scheme

SDGs Business Validation Survey
・After confirming the customer‘s acceptability of the product/service,
secure local partners, formulate a business model, verify
profitability, and develop operations to provide products/services.
・Develop a more sophisticated business plan・Duration: about 1 year and 4 months
Up to 20 million yen+ consulting service (About 8 person-months)
For Start Up Company, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
and Large Company

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Model Schedule: SDGs Business Validation Survey
2023

Februar MarcyhDetails of
Support

task

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June

July

Augu Septe Octob Nove Dece Janua Febru Marc
st
mber
er
mber mberryaryhDetails of
SupportGoal setting・ Basic information
Surveygathering
Detail Design
Strategic
Consideration

April

May

June

Completion of contract ▼contract Budget & Research ▼ Support started
conclusion Policy Agreementtask

development
ImpactAssessment

May▼ Notification of Company Adoption

contract

Business
Development
Support

April

2024

Budget, survey policy, and staffing plan updated as needed
Survey period(*)

Solution
Verification

business plancreation

Solution
Verification (2)Acceptability・Profitability
Verification

Establishmentof aprovision system・operationbusiness planrenewal• Provision of knowledge and support for business strategy construction by consultants• Provision of knowledge and support on various verification methods by consultants• Support for information gathering by JICA/consultants• JICA/Consultants Introduce Local Partner Candidates• Support for local activities by consultants, management of survey funds, etc.
Structural factors that cause social issues
Analyzing Correlation

JICA/Consultant
Provision of knowledge and data collection of
impact estimation methods

Business through Developing Countries
Creation of problem-solving scenarios (logic models)

Logic model by JICA/Consultant
Creation support

Development Impact Estimation・
Designing Impact KPIs

JICA/Consultants support the collection of information
on local information and related case studies, etc., andprovide knowledge
独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Merits to use the scheme

There are96
Overseas offices(as of July
1,2020)

1,929
Staff m em bers
(as of July
1,2020)19

14
dom estic offices(as of July 1,2020)

150developing countries andregions that received
assistance( d ur i ng f i s c a l y e a r
2019)

独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Merits to use the scheme
1

2
JICA's Trust andNetwork Utilization

3
Professional
Business
Advisory

Corporate
Recognition
Improvement

Users can conduct surveys withutilizing the trust that JICA has
built up with developing
countries.

Users will get professional
advisory from experienced
consultants.

By disseminating the resultswith JICA, users will have wider
recognition both domesticallyand internationally.

• Users can access wider local
partners which privatecompanies can hardly reach.

• Get professional advisories forcommercialization indeveloping countries• JICA can introduce key local
partners such as central
governments, local governments,
industry groups, etc.

• In support of JICA andconsultants, scenario forsolving problems in developing
countries (Logic model) can beformulated• As a result of the survey, JICA
helps dissemination of therealized business development
and development impact
creation both domestically andinternationally.

20• It is expected to expand
domestic and overseas
partners and improve corporate
recognition.
独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Domesticaly
はばたけ中小企業2018
はばたけ中小企業2018
300社に選定（経産省）
300社に選定（経産省）

21
21

21
21

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Internationally

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3. Examples

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独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

SDGs Business Verification Survey with the Private Sector for Erosion
Control and Vegetation Mat for Slope Protection in the Philippines
Takino Filter Inc. (Kudamatsu-shi, Yamaguchi Pref.)Development Issues Concerned in Infrastructuredevelopment and Disaster Prevention Sector
・Increased demand for technologies effective in preventing and protecting
erosion of road slopes and other slopes that occur as a result of road
construction and other infrastructure projects
・Increased demand for technologies to effectively prevent sediment disasters
caused by frequent heavy rains and larger typhoons due to global warming
・Increased demand for stable slope revegetation technology as an alternative
to conventional coconut matting and hydroseeding

Products/Technologies of the Company

・ Erosion control mat (Takino Filter SP type) with erosion control
function by high rainwater drainage function, mainly consisting of
non-woven fabric (web) with extremely high porosity and flexibility
made of polyester, to which seeds, fertilizers, and soil amendments
are attached to add "greening function".
・Easy installation by human labor without the need for heavymachinery or plant equipment

Survey Outline• Survey Duration：October 18, 2022～February 14, 2025
• Country/Area：All of the Philippines• Name of Counterpart：Bureau of Research and Standards, Department of Public Works andHighways (DPWH-BRS)・ Survey Overview： This is SDGs Business Verification Survey with the Private Sector for Erosion Control
and Vegetation Mat for Slope Protection concerning the technology transfer to local government agencies
based on an innovative technology that can simultaneously and easily realize soil erosion prevention andplanned vegetation of slopes. The project aims to obtain a Certificate of Conditional Approval to Use theProduct in DPWH Projects of slope protection mats as public works materials during the project. After thisproject, we aim to obtain Department Order (DO), expand nationwide sales of the product and thereby
contribute to the reduction of sediment disaster risks occurred in slopes of the Philippines.

Takino Filter MF type

How to Approach to the Development Issues

Expected Impact in the Country

・ Business strategy in target countries: use as public works materials
for road construction and other infrastructure projects based on theissuance of DO by the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH) and publication in the Blue Book
・Clients: DPWH's 16 Regional Offices and 183 District Engineering
Offices, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local
governments, private companies, etc.
・Profit structure: Local production and distributor sales by local
business partner companies

・Realization of effective and efficient erosion control andgreening of slopes in bare land such as road slopes
occurred as a result of infrastructure development projects
・Reduction of the risk of sediment disasters caused byfrequent heavy rains and larger typhoons
・Positive effects on the local economy accompanying with
the increase in demand for local materials such as cocopeat and other local materials and employment

As of October, 2022

Indonesia

4. Application and screening schedule etc.

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独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency

Eligible Countries, Target Fields, and Application Schedule■Eligible Countries
In principle, ODA target countries where JICA's overseas bases(overseas offices and branch offices) are located■Target Fields
No special restrictions■Application and Screening Schedule (in case of FY2022)
Preliminary
consultation period(*1)

Early August 2022
Pre-public notice(*2)

September15th 2022
This Public Notice

Photo courtesy of Kenshiro Imamura/JICA

Late September,2022
Pre-registration
deadline

October 31, 2022
Application
Deadline

Middle of February, 2023
Mid-March 2023~
Notification of Screening Start of assictance (*3)
Results■（*1) We strongly recommend applying companies to consult with JICA domestic offices about the planned detailsof your application before the start of this public notice.
■An advance announcement will be made on the JICA website regarding the public notice.
■The same application and screening schedule above is applied with SDGs business verification survey as well,while it may take longer time to start the survey of this scheme after contract negotiations and the relevant
coordination including minutes conclusion with partner countries (if necessary).
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Thank you

https://www.jica.go.jp/priv_partner/activities/index.htm

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独立行政法人 国際協力機構 | Japan International Cooperation Agency