Special Topics • Partnership Between Africa & Japan • 6Interview with Juvencia Deschamps Ralay Harisoa from Madagascar working in the Public
Relations Group, Administration Department, of GPSS Holdings Inc. in Japan

Learning Management Will
Help Bridge Madagascar &JapanBy Japan SPOTLIGHT
Juvencia Deschamps Ralay Harisoa from Madagascar talked about her experience in Japan through theABE Initiative, the “African Business Education Initiative for Youth”, and her work with a Japaneserenewable energy company, GPSS Holdings Inc., following her studies. She also discussed her plans after
she returns to her country.
(Interviewed on July 17, 2019)

Self-Introduction

View of ABE Initiative

JS: Could you please briefly

JS: You studied under the ABE

introduce yourself and tell us why
you became interested in studying
in Japan, and why you decided tostay and work in Japan?

Initiative, and you are continuing towork for a Japanese company as a
graduate from this initiative. How
do you see the outcomes of theABE Initiative in terms of your own
studies?

Deschamps: I was born and raised inMadagascar where I had all my formal
Deschamps: The initiative provides moreeducation. I worked in Madagascar foropportunities not just for Japan but foraround nine years before coming to Japan,
African countries too. I think I would not havemainly in sales and marketing, and mosthad this opportunity to develop connections
recently quality management. That position
with other African countries if I was not inbrought me to Japan for two reasons – firstly,
Japan. It is amazing that outside of Africa
I was training people about the Plan-DoI can have the opportunity to meet people
Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and the Ishikawa
Juvencia Deschamps
from 40 countries at the same time. The ABE
Diagram, and also the theory of continuous
Initiative has provided me with a very valuable experience in thisimprovement, and secondly, I got a scholarship from JICA to myregard.
current company. I chose Japan because I wanted to deepen myknowledge about leadership as part of my MBA. I was looking at
JS: The Abe Initiative has produced many people whodifferent scholarships in various countries, but received aare now active in Japan and other countries. Humanscholarship to Japan and that is what brought me here.
JS: Could you explain a bit about the Ishikawa

Diagram?

Deschamps: This is a theory about PDCA and the 5Ms (Method,Material, Man, Machine, Measurement) as the elements of quality
management in a factory, and this is something I trained employees
about in my previous organization mainly when it is applied in themanagement field. My former CEO appreciated my work and said
that I could go further, and that is why I came to Japan.

https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

resource development is a very important issue forall nations – and particularly for Africa – in achieving
economic development. How has this initiative
contributed to your country or other Africancountries in the respect?

Deschamps: The initiative has allowed people to gain experience andtraining in Japan and then go back to Africa to address the lack ofhuman resource training there, particularly in developing countries. It
may take a little more time for change to take place, but in a few
years it will come.
Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 201947

Special Topics 6

View of TICAD
JS: You must be familiar with the TICAD process. How

do you assess its achievements so far, apart from theAbe Initiative, and what do you expect from TICAD VII
in Yokohama this year?

Deschamps: TICAD has strengthened the relationship between Japanand African countries not just in terms of economic development but
also in cultural and social relations. There are a lot of improvements
in contracts between my country’s government and the Japanese
government, including the Toamasina Port Development Project.
I think this will result in a lot of commercial transactions between thetwo countries.
JS: TICAD has helped bring Japanese companies toAfrica. How do you think they can further contributeto African development?

Deschamps: In terms of know-how, and sharing best practices andexpertise, and in terms of technology and innovation, Japan canmake contributions to African countries. When it comes to PDCA,
there are things that Japan can learn from Africa, and that Africa canlearn from Japan. It would not work to just take the methods fromJapan and try to apply them to Africa, nor vice versa, so there needs
to be an element of adaptation when sharing best practices. PDCA
can work very well – when people see the results they are convinced
and want to apply them effectively to achieve their goals in many
fields, such as their businesses and their daily lives. As long as
people know where we are going and what it is about, they tend torespond favorably to it, so I think it can be applied successfully
across borders.

power. To achieve real sustainable energy we have to move awayfrom nuclear, which is not at all easy. At the least, we have to raiseawareness of this situation and bring together people who areinterested in it, including policymakers and the political sphere. We
need to promote the issue among the population.
JS: In Madagascar, what kind of renewable energy

sources offer the most potential?

Current Working Experience in Japan

Deschamps: Solar and wind energy. There is geothermal but it is still
limited – very little is used to generate electricity in Madagascar.
Solar and wind are still under-utilized in terms of their potential.
Since we have so much sunlight throughout the year, we can get
solar energy very easily. The challenge lies with batteries, as wecannot store the energy yet, so we need to protect the environment,to use fewer batteries, and instead rely more on wind and hydroelectricity, in the appropriate combination.

JS: Your company is involved in renewable energy,

JS: As far as solar and wind power are concerned, do

which is very important for Japan especially since
the Fukushima disaster. What lessons learned inyour company in Japan could contribute to therenewable energy situation or development in Africa?

Deschamps: Right now I am learning how to utilize sustainableenergy, and I think that Japan has achieved local community
collaboration to leverage energy use and bring it to the grid. This issomething totally new to me. We can learn from this and implement
it in Madagascar and also in other countries in Africa. Local
community collaboration is very important and is one of the mostimportant lessons to be learned from Japan when it comes toleveraging renewable energy. Another is reducing the use of nuclear
48 Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 2019

you think Japanese technology offers someadvantages?

Deschamps: Yes, especially in terms of turbines. Japan has
somewhat similar climate conditions to Madagascar – we are bothislands and we face similar challenges. We have cyclones and this isa big challenge in terms of making turbines that can withstand theimpact of cyclones, and this is something we can learn from Japan.
I should also mention biomass. This is already ongoing and variousorganizations from Japan are in Madagascar to teach about biomass.
JS: You studied management rather than technology.

For a renewable energy resources company, what

Special Topics 6

JS: Working for a Japanese company, are you very

conscious of the existence of a hierarchy?

Deschamps: Not really. While my company has a hierarchy, it is notlike a typical Japanese company: the CEO is open-minded, and thisextends to the employees also. I can share my ideas and can takeinitiatives at any point.

Talking About the Future
JS: How do you see future relations between

Madagascar and Japan?

kind of management techniques would be useful?
Not in terms of leadership, but for example,
mathematics can be applied to renewable energy tohandle all the data coming from the energy sources.
Managers need to maximize the profits so I imagine
that some mathematical techniques might be usefulfor achieving efficiency.
Deschamps: I am not sure if there is one thing that we have tofollow. I would like to emphasize the point that if Japan wants to go
to Africa or another country, there is no one singular route that itneeds to follow. Management is one tool, but leadership is the key toopening it. We need to inspire people, and so I am not sure if amathematical or theoretical approach is the most relevant. Rather,people and talented management might be more important in thisrespect.

Life in Japan
JS: How many years have you been in Japan so far?

What is your perspective on living in Japan?

Deschamps: In total, two and a half years. What I love about theculture is that people are humble and polite, and very organized.
Japan has a culture of excellence, which I really like, although it canbe very difficult to achieve. Something that I do not like so much isthat sometimes Japan puts too much emphasis on perfection insteadof humanity.

Deschamps: I foresee a very positive future for relations. Japan has
been very active in the economic and social development ofMadagascar over the last decade. There are projects with JICA,
including the development of the port, and these will allow a lot of
two-way traffic and transactions between the two nations. There will
also be many opportunities for sharing knowledge and know-how in
the future.
JS: In the future, you may wish to go back to yourcountry to contribute to its economic prosperity. How
do you view your future at the moment?

Deschamps: My plan is ultimately to be able to have my own
company and to inspire the youth in my country using myexperience in Japan. If my company can build some links with Japanit would be great. In the end though, I would like to run my owncompany. I do hope that we can create some business opportunities
that benefit both countries.
JS: Will your company function as a bridge between

Japan and Africa?

Deschamps: Not necessarily, but I think that the future is a very longtime. It could start tomorrow or in several years. It might not belimited to Japan, but I am not yet sure exactly what kind of company
I would like to create. I will try to use my networks in Japan to buildup a company and then to facilitate some transactions between
businesses in Japan and Madagascar. I am steadily growing myhuman network in Japan which will be very important for opening
doors in future, and for uncovering new opportunities and potential
markets. People management will be key, and I think I can achieve
this through networking.

Written with the cooperation of Joel Challender, who is a translator,
interpreter, researcher and writer specializing in Japanese disaster preparedness.

Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 201949