Report of the Kick-Off Meeting for the Asia-Africa
Science Platform Program at Misasa
6-7 October 2005
Institute for Study of the Earth’s Interior,
Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
The Asia-Africa Science Platform ProgramThis program (AASPP) is designed by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JSPS) to create high potential research hubs in selected fields within the African region,
while fostering the next generation of leading researchers. It does this by establishingsustainable collaborative relations among core universities and research institutes in Japanand some African countries. Under the program, these "core institutions" will collaborate
in research fields of special importance or significance to Africa and that is deemed to beof high priority within Japan.
A proposal to AASPP by the Institute for Study of the Earth’s Interior, Okayama
University at Misasa (ISEI) has been accepted by JSPS under the subject “Geochemistryof the Lake Nyos gas disaster, Cameroon Volcanic Line-Rift Valley volcanoes and theunderlying mantle” for the period from September 2005 to March 2008, with Cameroon,
Ethiopia and Tanzania as the counterpart countries. We call our program as AASPPMisasa.

Kick-off Meeting
Coordinators and sub-coordinators from Cameroon, Ethiopia and Tanzania wereinvited to ISEI, Okayama University at Misasa for the Kick-Off meeting for this program.
The meeting was organized and chaired by M Kusakabe (ISEI, chief coordinator of theprogram) on 6-7 October 2005 at ISEI. They were from IRGM (Cameroon), Mekelle
University (Ethiopia), and University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). E. Nakamura, T.
Moriguti and K. Kobayashi (all from ISEI, Japan) also participated.

Conclusions
Discussion was focused on the specific research subjects to be pursued under AASPP
that need to be consistent with the work plans submitted to JSPS. The following researchsubjects were proposed. They were; 1. Geochemical study of Lakes Nyos and Monoun,Cameroon, 2. Geochemical study of the Cameroon Volcanic Line volcanoes and theunderlying mantle, 3. Geochemical study on the mantle-derived xenoliths from Ethiopian
Plateau, and 4. Evolution of rift-zone, upper mantle and continental crust in Tanzania.
These subjects were accepted by the participants.

The major goals of AASPP are to create high potential research hubs in selected fields
within the Asian and African regions, while fostering the next generation of leading
researchers, and to establish sustainable collaborative relations between universities andresearch institutes in Japan and those in Asian and African countries. To achieve the goals
the participants agreed with the basic guidelines that follow;
1. The AASPP scholarship should be divided into 3 countries,
2. The AASPP scholarship should be used to foster young and motivated scientists/
students,
3. Persons who are selected during the kick-off meeting can stay in Misasa for 2-2.5 years
and should achieve the goals given in the work plan approved by JSPS.
Following the guidelines, potential young scientists including students were nominatedby the coordinators of Cameroon, Ethiopia and Tanzania. After discussion on theirscientific capability with evaluation of their research proposals, the participants agreed to
select the following persons.
Cameroon: A young, motivated researcher working for the Institute of Research for
Geology and Mining (IRGM). This person will be responsible for the geochemical study ofLakes Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon.
Ethiopia: A young, motivated researcher working for Mekelle University. He will be
responsible for the geochemical study on the mantle-derived xenoliths from EthiopianPlateau.
Tanzania: A young, motivated researcher working for University of Dar es Salaam. He will
be responsible for the geochemical study on evolution of rift-zone, upper mantle andcontinental crust in Tanzania.
Chief coordinator of the program will officially inform all coordinators of the decision
reached by the kick-off meeting participants, and will start taking action to invite the above
mentioned persons as soon as possible.
12 October 2005
Minoru Kusakabe
Chief coordinator of AASPP at Misasa