Profiles of Panelists of Japan Special Room, AIF2023
Opening Remarks

African Development Bank Group President Dr Adesina is a highly
acclaimed leader who is passionate about transforming Africa. He is widely
recognized for his visionary leadership, which has brought aboutsignificant improvements in Nigeria’s agricultural sector during his term as
Agriculture Minister from 2011-2015. Through his bold reforms, Dr
Adesina put an end to 40 years of corruption in the fertilizer sector by
implementing an innovative electronic wallet system that provided farmers
with subsidized farm inputs using their mobile phones. The system reached
15 million farmers and dramatically improved their lives.
Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina
President
African Development BankGroup

Dr Adesina was first elected President of the African Development Bank
Group on 28 May 2015. He was unanimously re-elected for a second fiveyear term on 27 August 2020. Dr Adesina has been instrumental in driving
the African Development Bank Group’s successful High-5 strategy, which
focuses on key priority areas for development in Africa. Dr Adesina is thedriving force behind the Feed Africa initiative, which is a key element of
the High-5 strategy. He has also launched an innovative methodology torevitalize Country Compacts, placing Heads of State at the forefront of
pragmatic efforts to improve food and nutrition security in their countries,
with support from the African Development Bank Group.
Dr Adesina graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics(First Class Honors) from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo
University), Nigeria, in 1981. Dr Adesina holds a master’s degree (1985)
and a PhD in Agricultural Economics (1988) from Purdue University,
United States of America, where he won the Outstanding PhD thesis award
for that year. Dr Adesina won the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Social
Science Fellowship in 1988, which launched him into his international
career.

Presentation Session 1: Health Sector

Mr. Tsubaki established now Asia Africa Investment and Consulting(AAIC) in 2008, taking up the position of CEO/representative partner. Mr.
Tsubaki has handled consulting and investment in support of projects suchas new business nurturing, market entrance, M&A/partner search andbusiness conversion in emerging regions including Africa.
Before AAIC, as a partner and managing director at The Boston Consulting
Group (BCG), Mr. Tsubaki worked on projects such as business strategies,
M&A strategies, new business development, globalization in various fields
including healthcare/healthcare devices.

Mr. Susumu TSUBAKIManaging
Director/
Representative Partner
Mr. Tsubaki holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from The
Asia Africa Investment & University of Tokyo. Mr. Tsubaki is a professor at the BBT University andConsulting
entrepreneur course of the BBT Graduate School.

Mr. Hara is CEO of AA Health Dynamics Co., Ltd., and is implementing
medical training business.
After graduating from Tokyo University of Agriculture Graduate School
Master's Program (International Agricultural Development), Mr. Hara
started his career as an assistant at the same university. In 2014, as a JICA
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, he was assigned to the Independent
State of Samoa for health promotion through vegetables.
Mr. Kenta HARA
CEO/Founder
AA Health Dynamics

Before launching AA Health Dynamics Co., Ltd, Mr. Hara engaged insolving medical issues and promoting health in Kenya and East Africa as
the general manager of AfricaScan, a social marketing company.
Mr. Shimada is founder and CEO of Connect Afya Ltd., clinical diagnostic,
research and drug discovery start-up company based in Japan and Kenya.
Connect Afya has been committed to deliver world class diagnostic
solutions to enhance the management of health and longevity of people in
Africa since 2018.

Mr. Yoichi SHIMADAFounder/CEO
Connect Afya Ltd.

Mr. Shimada has a unique experiencing combining his exposure to
healthcare and life science field for more than 10 years as management
consultant at ZS Associates, a U.S. based strategy consulting firm withexperience as founding member in SENRI, Japanese IT start-up based in
Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
Mr. Shimada holds a Master of Public Policy at University of Tokyo and
M.BA. at HEC Paris.
Ms. Kasai is CEO and Co-founder of Spiker ltd. She has been in Rwanda
for 9 years and more than 10 years engaged in projects in many countriesof Africa.
Spiker has been established by 3 co-founders in Japan and Africa, who had
previously experienced the sad loss of a child in their lives. Spiker
developed an AI software that allows us to analyze uterine contractions andabnormal signals in a fetal heart rate. This AI software can realise safedelivery without Doctor in the hospital.

Ms. Ayako KASAI
CEO and Co-founder
Spiker ltd.

Spiker’s major goal is saving the baby's life and decreasing perinatal deathin the whole world.

Mr. Furuta is the dynamic CEO of SOIK Corporation, dedicated toadvancing medical solutions for developing nations. In 2019, Mr. Furuta
established SOIK in Okinawa, Japan, and the Democratic Republic ofCongo, championing the innovative digital obstetrics solution, SPAQ, toimprove healthcare standards in the region.
Before SOIK, Mr. Furuta served COO for Lequio Power Technology in
Okinawa Japan. He also worked at Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) including JICA’s offices in Burkina Faso and Democratic Republicof Congo.
Mr. Kuniyuki FURUTACEOSOIK Corporation

Mr. Furuta graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Agriculture
and holds MBA from IMD, Switzerland.

Mr. UMEDA, Director and Vice CEO at SORA Technology, is adistinguished professional who has made significant contributions to theworld of innovation in public health in Africa. Mr. Umeda's commitment
to SORA Technology dates back to the company's inception, where heproudly served as its first full-time employee. Within his role, he ispredominantly focused on driving business development initiatives inAfrican countries.
What sets Mr. Umeda apart is his expansive and interdisciplinary
background, which includes policy research in various countries at energy
think tanks and public interest foundations, coupled with his invaluablebusiness development experience in Africa at another Japanese start-up.
Mr. Masaki UMEDA
Director and Vice CEO
SORA Technology

Mr. Umeda earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the
Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Tokyo.
Dr. Dunford is the African Development Bank’s Vice President for
Agriculture, Human and Social Development. She is responsible for the
Bank’s strategy, lending, and other activities in the agriculture, water andsanitation, human capital, education, and health sectors. She covers Bankwide work on employment, civil society, and gender equity.

Dr. Beth Dunford
Vice President for
Agriculture, Human andSocial Development
African Development BankGroup

Dr. Dunford’s portfolio includes managing implementation of the Dakar 2
Summit Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts - that mobilized $52
billion of government resources, development partner and private sector
financing to unleash Africa’s food production potential
Prior to joining the Bank, Dr. Dunford, held senior level leadership
positions in the U.S. government where she managed large programs
working with the private sector, civil society and multilateral institutions.
She has worked with African governments to deliver agricultural, socialand human development impact at scale.

Presentation Session 2: Energy and Infrastructure Sector
Mr. Akita founded WASSHA Inc. in 2013, with a strong passion for solvingsocial problems, such as poverty and lack of various access opportunities,
in Africa through profitable and sustainable business and mission “POWER
TO THE PEOPLE”. In the “Energy as a Service” business, a solution for
the vulnerable people who have no electricity access in the rural part ofAfrica, he is providing affordable solar device rental service to microentrepreneurs and households through local retail stores. The number ofthese stores reached 5,300 and is now spread across five countries,
Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, DR Congo, and Nigeria.
Mr. Satoshi AKITACEOWASSHA Inc.

Before founding WASSHA, Mr. Akita worked as a business consultant for
IBM Japan and he co-founded soket.org, a not-for-profit consulting
company.
Mr. Azad is an international marketing and business development manager
of a Japanese SME company KENS.CO; LTD since 2013.

He has vast professional experience with ODA, GGP, UNDP, JICA,
JETRO, JICS and counterpart projects in Africa for over 10 years. Project
management, project design, technical training to local partners in Africa
as well as international shipment from Japan are the key areas of his work.
Amorphous flexible solar streetlight (1mm thin) was installed for the firsttime in Nigeria in 2015 where he was involved as a project manager as well
Mr. Abu Zahed AZADInternational Marketing and as technical chief. Mr. Azad loves to work for a project to achieve SDGs
Business
Development and light up all of Africa in the future.
Manager,Mr. Azad achieved MBA in Marketing and M.Sc. in Economics from
KENS.CO; LTD
Bangladesh.
Originating from Yokohama, Mr. Sato’s entrepreneurial journey led him to
Paris in 2008, where he founded an ICT company. Moved by thechallenging conditions in unelectrified African clinics in 2015, Mr. Sato
initiated solar and telecommunications ventures in Japan and Senegal tosave lives and empower education. Mr. Sato’s efforts earned his company
a special prize at the Japan SDGs Awards.

Mr. Koichi SATO
Co-Founder & CEO
SUCRECUBE Japon Inc.

In 2023, Mr. Sato took a pivotal step towards driving economic
independence in Africa by launching a solar power business. He set todevelop a solar power plant, projected to generate up to 150MW, and alarge-scale cold storage warehouse in Sandiara, Senegal. These future
projects will synergize with irrigation agriculture to reduce food loss,
ensuring that produce reaches the market, thereby invigorating the local
economy and syncing with Sandiara's forward-looking plans.

Ms. Robert is Co-Founder & Strategy Officer of SUCRECUBE Japon Inc.
She is the founding leader of TUMIQUI Japon, the Senegal subsidiary of
SUCRECUBE Japon Inc, for empowering Africa's development throughsustainable energy and telecommunication.
Ms. Robert has been dedicating herself to deciphering the complex tapestryof African markets and crafting bespoke strategies for Japanese enterprises
venturing into this rich cultural landscape. Her mission is to create adynamic fusion of these diverse worlds, orchestrating a symphony of
Ms. Lina ROBERT
Co-Founder&
Strategy intercontinental cooperation. Every step in this journey has solidified herrole as a catalyst for innovative partnerships, ensuring our shared
Officer
aspirations translate into tangible success.
SUCRECUBE Japon Inc.
Mr. Hirose is Technology Cooperation Manager at Steinmüller EngineeringGmbH, an IHI’s subsidiary company based in Germany. Based on his deep
technical background, Mr. Hirose is now actively seeking the opportunities
to introduce IHI’s decarbonization technologies, such as ammonia gas
turbines, to the European and African markets. Mr. Hirose is also
responsible for the maintenance projects of the power plants that IHI has
supplied in Europe and Africa, especially in Morocco.
Mr. Hirose started his career in IHI Corporation, a Japanese engineering
Mr. Takuya HIROSE
company based in Tokyo, Japan. He has more than 10 years of experience
Technology
Cooperation
as a combustion engineer in the power sector.
ManagerSteinmüllerEngineering Mr. Hirose holds Master’s Degree in engineering.
GmbH
Ms. Suda is in charge of marketing and business development in Africa and
APAC, in Tsubame BHB Co., Ltd, a Climate Tech from Tokyo Institute ofTechnology, which promotes the Small-Scale Decentralized Green
Ammonia and Low Carbon Fertilizer production system.

Ms. Hiromi SUDA
Marketing and Business
Development in Africa and
APAC
Tsubame BHB Co., Ltd

Before joining Tsubame BHB, she has been engaged in SME development
and entrepreneurship promotion both in Japan and ASEAN countries formore than 15 years and also supported Japanese SMEs’ businessdevelopment in the developing countries as a Project Formulation Advisor
for private sector engagement at JICA in the last 4 years. She joined
Tsubame BHB in January 2022, with the passion to create new business,
industry and employment opportunities in Africa and APAC with Japanese
cutting-edge technology.

Mr. Terakubo is CEO & general partner of UNCOVERED FUND. He
founded the company in 2019 and started investing in Africa with the first
fund in 2020. Mr. Terakubo aims to make collaboration with African
startups and major Japanese companies to contribute to the growth of thedigital economy and the company is currently investing in 29 startup
companies in Africa. He realizes business co-creation between Japanesecompanies and African startups.

Mr. Takuma TERAKUBOCEO&GENERALPARTNERUNCOVERED FUND
Ms. Ikedo is the Director and COO at Index Strategy, Inc., specializing in
global public-private partnership (PPP) projects for social and civil
infrastructure. A University of Tsukuba graduate, her international project
management career is shaped by living in Indonesia, Peru, Singapore, and
the Philippines, fostering her appreciation for diverse cultures and global
cooperation.

Ms. Airi IKEDO
Director & COO
Index Strategy, Inc.

In 2019, Ms. Ikedo achieved a career milestone by facilitating an MOU
with Ghana's government, initiating a preparatory study for the Ghana Toll
Road PPP project. The project is now in the feasibility study phase,enhancing regional transportation networks and sustainable development.

Beyond Ghana, Ms. Ikedo actively collaborates with Japanese ministries,
reinforcing Japan's commitment to international development. Her
dedication to environmental sustainability is evident through her
negotiations for the waste-to-energy PPP project in the Philippines,
promoting responsible waste resource management.
Mr. Wale Shonibare has over three decades experience spanning Asia,
Europe, Middle East and Africa in Investment Banking and Consulting. He
joined the AfDB in 2017 as the inaugural Director responsible for Energy
Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation. The Financial Solutions teamhas since established itself as a leading transactions team across Africa,
having undertaken several Mandated Lead Arranger roles and facilitatedtotal investment of approximately USD 29 billion in numerous projects
ranging from solar PV, concentrated solar, hydro-electric dams, gas-fired
power plants, LNG facilities, battery storage solutions and geothermalenergy plants. The Policy, Regulation and Statistics team has, under his
Mr. Wale Shonibare
Director for Energy Financial leadership, launched well-acclaimed flagship initiatives such as the
Solutions,
Policyand Electricity Regulatory Index to improve the enabling environment for
private sector investment in the energy sector.
Regulation
African Development Bank
Prior to joining the AfDB, he held various senior management-levelGroup
positions at Investment Banks and Consulting Organisations in the UK,
UAE and Nigeria.
Wale holds a B.Eng (hons) in Civil Engineering from Glasgow University
and an MBA from Imperial College, University of London.

Roundtable Discussion: Feedback to the Presentation Sessions 1 and 2 from business leaders and large
companies
Mr. Shibusawa founded in 2001, Shibusawa and Company, Inc., a strategic
advisory firm for alternative investments, ESG/SDGs alignment andhuman resource development. He also founded in 2008, Commons AssetManagement, a mutual fund dedicated to deliver long term investment
opportunities to the Japanese household. In 2023, he founded &Capital,
Inc., an impact fund management company for Africa.
Mr. Shibusawa is also trustee and co-chairperson of the Global South
Africa Committee of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate
Executives), and is a member of numerous government committees,
Mr. Ken SHIBUSAWA
including the Council for New Form of Capitalism, established by Prime- Chief Executive Officer,
Minister Kishida. He also serves as a member of Asia Advisory Board of
Shibusawa and Company,
Chirate Venutres, a leading venture capital fund in India investing in techInc.
startups.
- Founder and Chairman,
Commons
Asset He has extensive market experience at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs aswell as Moore Capital, a global macro hedge fund, where he was theManagement
representative managing director of the Tokyo Office.
- FounderandCEO,&Capital, Inc.
He was educated in the United States from second grade elementary- Senior Advisor, Brunswick through college (University of Texas, BS Chemical Engineering, 1983),
and then returned again for graduate school (University of California Los
Group- Co-chairperson of the Angeles, MBA, 1987).
GlobalSouth
Committee of
Doyukai

AfricaKeizaiMr. Saida was appointed as Managing Director of Sumitomo Corporation
Africa (Pty) Ltd as of April, 2020, and has been in charge of overseeing allof Sub-Sahara Africa.
Prior to this position, Mr. Saida was Managing Director, Sumitomo
Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation.
In his professional career, Mr. Saida has been involved in thesemiconductor materials business in the electronics sector, and in the areaof mineral resources, he has worked on projects in Chile and Madagascar.

Mr. Tadao SAIDA
Corporate Officer, Managing
Director
Sumitomo Corporation Africa(Pty) LtdMr. Yamamoto is Regional CEO for Africa and General Manager ofJohannesburg Branch Marubeni Corporation.
Mr. Yamamoto joined Marubeni Corporation in 1989. In Marubeni, Mr.
Yamamoto has been leading its global operations as, for instance, General
Manager, Inorganic & Agricultural Chmicals Dept. (2016-17), General
Manager, Asia & Pacific Agri-Input Business Dept. (2017-18), General
Manager, Specialty Chemicals Dept.-Ⅱ(2018-19), and General Manager,
Chemicals Dept. -Ⅳ (2019-20). He is also a member of Keizai Doyukai.
Mr. Yusuke YAMAMOTO
Regional CEO for Africa andGeneralManagerofJohannesburg Branch
Marubeni Corporation
Mr. Tatsumi is Chief Representative in Paris at Japan Bank for International
Cooperation (JBIC) and covers JBIC’s finance in Europe and Africa. He
joined JBIC in the year 2000 and since then has worked for infrastructure
finance in EMEA regions as well as for energy finance for oil and gas
development.
Mr. Tatsumi worked closely with African Development Bank when he wasleading JBIC’s finance for LNG project in Mozambique and concluded
Africa’s largest project finance that saw its finance close in 2020. Mr.
Tatsumi also worked in JBIC’s corporate planning department and has
elaborated JBIC’s most recent mid-term business plan with its focus on
green and transition. He was in JBIC’s Paris Office from 2012 throughMr. Tomonori TATSUMI2015 and has recently moved back to Paris to cover European andChief Representative in Paris, francophone African region.
Japan Bank for International
Mr. Tatsumi studied at University of Tokyo and at Paris-Panthéon-Assas
Cooperation (JBIC)
University.
Mr. Nomoto is the Executive Director representing Argentina, Austria,
Brazil, Japan and Saudi Arabia since July 2021. Prior to his current positionat the Bank, he served as the Senior Advisor to Executive Director forJapan, World Bank Group since July 2018. He also served as Economist at
Asian Development Bank between 2011 and 2014.
Mr. Nomoto began his professional career in the Ministry of Finance of his
native country Japan in 2004, and undertook various positions in Japanese
Government: Budget Examiner on Multi-Ministries Budget and the Healthand Welfare Budget; Deputy Counsellor on Domestic Policy Coordination
at Cabinet Secretariat; Deputy Director in the Governmental Financial
Mr. Takaaki NOMOTO
Institution Division; Tax Examiner at Kanazawa Regional Taxation
Executive
Director Bureau; Development Institutions Division (MDBs Office) at International
representing
Argentina, Bureau; Co-ordination Division, the Legal Division at Budget Bureau.
Austria, Brazil, Japan and
Mr. Nomoto holds an LLB. from the University of Tokyo, MSc in
Saudi Arabia
Economics, University College London (UCL) and MSc in Economic
African Development Bank
History (Research), London School of Economics and Political Science
Group(LSE).

Mr. Quaynor is the Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure &Industrialization at the African Development Bank. He joined the Bank in
May 2020. He has over 25 years of experience in development finance andinvestment banking.

Mr. Solomon Quaynor
Vice-President Private Sector,
Infrastructure&
Industrialization
African Development BankGroup

Mr. Quaynor worked at IFC in various capacities for several years,
becoming an emerging markets specialist investor with experience indeveloping business and investing across financial institutions, includingbank & non-bank financial institutions, telecoms, media & technology, andinfrastructure.
Mr. Quaynor is a graduate of the JL Kellogg Graduate School ofManagement at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He also
holds an MSc in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute ofTechnology, as well as a BS in applied physics from Atlanta University
Center.

Event MC and Co-MC
Mr. Mugera was appointed Director, Communication and External
Relations, for the African Development Bank Group in 2021.

Mr. Solomon MUGERA
Director, Communication andExternal Relations
African Development BankGroup

Mr. Naoshige KINOSHITA
Officer in Charge at Asia
External Representation
OfficeAfrican Development BankGroup

Before that, he was Head of Journalism for the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) Africa, and presided over the largest expansion of the
BBC on the African continent since the 1940s, supporting the corporationin reaching a weekly audience of more than 100 million across 12
languages on radio, television, digital and social media. With an annual
budget of $42 million, Mr. Mugera managed a team of 600 staff in the UK
and across Africa. He has extensive experience in leading multimedia
operations, and an excellent track record of editorial leadership,communication, budget management, and stakeholder outreach. Mr.
Mugera joined the BBC in September 1998 and worked with various
departments of the corporation, including as Editor of the BBC Swahili
service in 2006 and then as the first African to head the African region of
the BBC World Service in 2011.
Mr. Kinoshita is the Officer in Charge (OIC) at the Asia External
Representation Office of the AfDB. He has been in the office since 2021.
With over 25 years of professional experience in the private sector and
MDB, he specializes in the energy and infrastructure business in Africa.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Kinoshita served as the Chief Investment
Officer at the Energy Complex of the AfDB. He has spent a total of 10
years at the AfDB HQ since 2011, working on private sector transactions,originating and closing debt financing for energy and infrastructure
projects, as well as providing equity investments in private equity funds.
Before joining the AfDB in 2011, Mr. Kinoshita gained professional
experience working for various organizations, including the Japanesetrading firm, ITOCHU Corporation, Enron Japan, and a Japanese satellitecompany. He holds an MBA from the University of California and an MSc
from the University of London.