Special Topics • Partnership Between Africa & Japan • 4Achievements of the ABE
Initiative & the Voices ofAfricans
Author Yukifumi Takeuchi

By Yukifumi Takeuchi
Preface

Photo: Author

The ABE Initiative – the “African Business Education Initiative for
Youth” – under the Japanese government’s program for humanresources development started in the autumn of 2014 with the arrivalof the first batch of 156 participants from eight African countries,
making the scale of this development program for Africa
unprecedented in the history of Japan’s international cooperation.
The welcome reception held on Sept. 19, 2014, at the International
Conference Hall in the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s(JICA) Ichigaya Building in Tokyo saw many young African people
dressed in colorful ethnic costumes and brand new suits.
The initiative was advocated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at theFifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD
V) in June 2013. The TICAD is the main framework of Japanese
economic assistance for African countries, which started in 1993.
The ABE Initiative program aims at inviting a total of 1,000 young
African people to Japan over five years, giving all the participants theopportunity of a professional education at graduate schools
throughout Japan so that they can help form the backbone of Africa
in the future. At the same time, the program offers the participants
the opportunity to receive internship training at Japanese companies
in order to learn not only state-of-the art technologies and advanced
skills but also the corporate culture and work ethic of Japan.
At TICAD VI held in 2016, it was also announced that the program
would be expanded further. The total number of ABE Initiative
participants so far is 1,219 from 54 countries, including 119 fifthbatch participants from 47 countries who arrived in Japan in theautumn of 2018.
Taking the opportunity of TICAD VII held in Yokohama at the end
TABLE

Number of ABE Initiative participantsYear of arrivalin JapanNumber ofyoung Africans

1st batch

2014

156

8

2nd batch

2015

317

33

3rd batch

2016

348

46

4th batch

2017

279

46

5th batch

2018

119

47

1,219

54

Total
Source: Compiled by the author

38 Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 2019

Number ofcountries

Leading members of Kakehashi Africaof August 2019, the achievements of the ABE Initiative were focusedon. In particular, the participants voluntarily established a networking
channel named “Kakehashi Africa” (Bridge of Africa) to maintaincommunication among not only African members but also Japanesesupporters and companies that are interested in African business.
Considering the future of relations between Japan and Africa, thisnetwork will be the key channel of information exchange andbusiness development and cooperation in the African market (Table).

Sense of African Solidarity
Through interviews with many participants of the ABE Initiative
since it started in 2014, it becomes clear that one of the biggest
achievements is that this program creates opportunities for African
participants to meet each other in Japan and make them aware of
their African neighbors as well. The land mass of the African
continent is more than 30 million square kilometers and isapproximately 80 times bigger than Japan with a population of morethan 1.2 billion. Although they have the African Union and several
regional common markets within the continent, they don’t have
many chances to meet each other when they stay in their African
mother countries.
Through such meetings with other African people, many
participants feel a sense of solidarity or unity. A Madagascar female
participant said to me, “When I saw various African sisters andhttps://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

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Photo: Author

Young Africans gather for an exchange meeting with Japanese companies.

brothers in the same reception space, I felt very excited. The ABE
Initiative made me rediscover my identity as an islander of the Indian
Ocean near the African continent.” Another male participant from
Cameroon said, “It was the most ideal opportunity to gain further
understanding about various African cultures.”
Such a common perception among participants was probably themain motivation to establish the Kakehashi Africa network.
According to Kozue Tanaka, a coordinator of the Japan International
Cooperation Center (JICE) in charge of the ABE Initiative, some ofthe second batch of ABE Initiative participants raised the idea ofcreating a platform using English as a common language, not just foralumni but as a useful business network for Japanese companies
taking part in the African market. They established the organization in2016 by themselves and created its own logo to print on T-shirts andstationery.
Kakehashi Africa is now registered as an international NGO locatedin Kenya with five regional branches – East, West, South, North andCentral Africa – and approximately 450 members. The current CEO isNico de Wet from South Africa who currently works for a major
Japanese telecommunications company in Tokyo having finished theABE Initiative program. He pointed out that Kakehashi Africa will bevery useful for maintaining the momentum of the ABE Initiative andexchanging views on various topics and business information withJapanese companies. Kakehashi Africa’s core members took part in aside-event at TICAD VII to promote this voluntary organization.

Environment: the Most Popular Technology
According to JICA, the major subjects studied by participants in
the ABE Initiative so far are:• Engineering: 360• Economics & business management : 321• Agriculture: 142• ICT: 111• Politics & public policies: 77• Science: 48• Medical health : 21
• Others: 139
On the other hand, the number of companies registered to accept
internship programs for the ABE Initiative was 217 in 2015 andincreased to 584 in 2019. The business categories by industry are:• Manufacturing: 29%• Service: 18%• Sales: 14%• ICT: 10%• Academism & research: 9%• Construction: 6%• Logistics: 3%• Agriculture & forestation: 3%• Others: 10%
Visiting some of their universities and internship companies
reveals that one of the most popular areas of research is theenvironment and its infrastructure development. In particular, waste
treatment and management is a very important technology toimplement in most African countries.
Mutembei Kariuki from Kenya came to Japan for the ABE Initiativein 2014. He studied the Information and Communication Technology(ICT) in Kobe and now works for the Eco-center of the Shirai Group.
He is involved in preparing construction of a treatment facility in
Nairobi. Following economic development, the population of Nairobi
is expected to double from three million in 2009 to six million in
2030. The volume of discharged waste in the Nairobi region has
increased to 1 million tons a year, of which the volume of hazardous
waste has sharply increased to 30,000 tons. However, Nairobi has
only one disposal site for general waste and half of such waste
generated is said to be illegally dumped.
Kariuki acknowledges that “while the legal system is firmly inplace in Kenya, the enforcement of policies and regulations requires
improvement. One reason is that there is no business operator
capable of replacing the existing operators. Japan’s excellent
environmental technologies can nurture such business operators.”
Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 201939

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Water Treatment Technology Based on Bitter
History of Pollution

caused in his country by mineral poisons from copper mines.
Meanwhile, Cecilia Mwango Ratemo, who is a researcher in ecotourism from Kenya and studies at Sophia University in Tokyo, talked
about her visit to a museum and an eco-park in Minamata city in
Kumamoto Prefecture. She said, “Japan’s painful past experiencehas made Japan now emphasize environmental conservation
policies. I hope that Japan will teach Africa not only technologies but
also incontrovertible knowledge based on its past experience.”
Africa’s needs in regard to water are not confined to improvementof the water supply through proper effluent treatment and the
reduction of pollution, etc. but are diverse, including the efficient andsustainable use of water, water resources management andconservation of the eco-system surrounding water.

Among various environmental fields, water treatment is anotherpopular technology for Africa. Hinode Sangyo Co. Ltd., an enterprise
which specializes in the treatment of effluent in Yokohama, started
accepting ABE Initiative internships from 2016 and has become themost popular company among Africans wanting to learn about
Japanese water treatment technology.
According to George Obina Anioke, who is an industrial inspector
at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria andstudies at Nagasaki University, the population of Nigeria of more than
180 million is the largest in Africa. But its economy has slowed down
due to sluggish natural resources prices. He lamented that “neither
fiscal growth nor infrastructure development have been able to catch
up with the population growth and rapid urbanization. The resulting
strain has led to a water problem of 80% of waste water being
discharged untreated nationwide.” Many infants die due to suchdiseases as cholera associated with unhygienic water.
Nigeria also experiences problems which are typical for an oil
producing country. One is the discharge of contaminated water fromillegal exploration as well as from crude oil. The official regulatory
regime which is in place is said to be seldom complied with properly.
Anioke expressed his concern about a possible escalation of polluted
water, as with Minamata Disease in Japan, in Africa.
Xolani Nkosikhona Mhlongo, currently studying at Kagawa
University, is a university lecturer in South Africa and an expert infood processing. He pointed out the environmental pollution is

Another company located in Yokohama, Hoken Kagaku, Inc.
(Health Sciences Research Institute) is very active in accepting ABEinterns specializing in public health. It is the top enterprise in Japanin the field of clinical examinations. Hend Saad Elsayed Elsayed, who
is a pharmacist working for the Ministry of Health and Population in
Egypt, came to Japan in the autumn of 2016 and is studying at theGraduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health of Nagasaki
University. She took an internship at this company and expressed herconcerns regarding the spread of geriatric diseases as well as
lifestyle diseases. She said, “40% of the population suffer from highblood pressure but many people are unaware of their own state ofhealth. An improved diet has led to an excessive intake of highPhoto: Author

Photo: Author

Young Africans conducting a water treatment experiment at Hinode Sangyo Co., Ltd. water
recycling company

40 Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 2019

Bigger Need for Public HealthYoung Africans receiving internship training at Hoken Kagaku, Inc. in Yokohama

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calorie foods, increasing obesity. The number of people sufferingfrom heart disease is also increasing because of high salt intake.”
She then expressed her view that “Accurate diagnosis requires
accurate medical health data. I hope to facilitate exchanges between
the Japanese and Egyptian health sectors with a view to using
Japan’s health system and medical equipment to improve health in
Egypt.”
Another ABE Initiative participant who received training at thiscompany is Lindo Celestino Gavicho, a doctor working for the
Ministry of Health of Mozambique. He also studies at the same
graduate school of Nagasaki University and conducts research on thedetection of the DNA of schistosomes. He said, “I would like to play abridging role for Japanese enterprises planning to invest in
Mozambique to improve the situation of the shortage of medical
equipment in Mozambique.”People with various health and medical backgrounds come to
Japan under the ABE Initiative program and are conducting various
studies and research work.
Tracey Elizabeth Jones, a pharmacist working for the Ministry of
Health in Sierra Leone, came to Japan in 2016 and studies infectious
disease control at the graduate school of Tohoku University. From
mid-2014 to 2016, she was in the frontline of the battle against Ebola
haemorrhagic fever which was rampant in West Africa. Her thesis“Lessons from a pandemic in Sierra Leone”, published in theacademic journal of Tohoku University, emphasized the importanceof educating nurses and other health workers, greatly stimulating
Japanese researchers.
In Sierra Leone, 8,704 people were infected with Ebola in a one
and a half year period from its original outbreak and 3,589 of themdied. In the frontline of the battle, hospital-acquired infection affected
12 doctors of whom only one survived. The number of victims
among health workers was much higher, with 31 out of 74 workers
infected in the initial period of four months from the outbreak
eventually having died.
Infection by the Ebola virus was initially confirmed in 1976 in
Sudan and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and thename originated from the Ebola River in northern Zaire. As it had notoccurred in West Africa before, the manner of its spread through theblood, body fluids and excrement of patients was not properly
understood locally.
At the end of 2014, the government of Sierra Leone establishedthe National Ebola Training Academy in Freetown with the assistanceof the International Organization for Migration, World HealthOrganization, and the United Kingdom’s Department of International
Development. Using this facility as a base, some 6,000 healthworkers received professional training and education. The Ebola
epidemic was quelled after a year or so.
“Intensive and effective education can prevent hospital-acquired
infection, protecting the lives of health workers. In turn, this createsa strong defense mechanism to protect people from infectious
diseases,” said Jones. She added, “Education is also important foryoung children. Education on sanitation and environmental cleaningup must be thoroughly implemented at schools throughout Africa.”

South Sudanese Praying for Restoration of Peace
Among the third batch of ABE Initiative arriving in September
2016, 11 members of the Republic of South Sudan took part for the
first time. A tall lady made a speech at the welcome reception. She
was Awar Arop Deng Kuol from Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Kuol is an architect who graduated from the University of Juba.
She used to be a draughtsperson at an architect’s office. It was
surprising to find that she speaks almost perfect British English.
When asked about it, she explained that she grew up in Oman in the
Middle East where her father was an English teacher.
In 1983 before she was born, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA) based in southern Sudan revolted against the government of
Sudan which was controlled by the majority Arab Muslims. This
marked the start of the second Sudanese civil war. The SPLA was led
by the Dinka, the largest ethnic group in the south, gaining the
support of the southern Sudanese people, many of whom were
Christians. Kuol’s father was a Dinka born in southern Sudan. For the
Photo: Author

Young Africans from the Republic of South Sudan

Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 201941

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sake of his children’s education, he opted to live in the Gulf region of
the Middle East which was not affected by the civil war.
It took until 2005 for faint signs of a forthcoming peace to emerge
in Sudan, which had suffered from a long-running civil war. In
January 2015, a peace agreement was signed which ended the civil
war and granted the south the right to self-governance. It was thendecided to hold a referendum in the south to determine whether
South Sudan should decline independence from Sudan or not.
In January 2011, the people of the south overwhelmingly voted forindependence in the referendum, paving the way for the separationand independence of the south. As soon as the south became an
independent country in July 2011, Kuol returned to South Sudan, thehome of her father, and enrolled at the main campus of the
University of Juba where she majored in architecture. Kuol explained
her motivation to study architecture: “Since childhood, I have always
loved drawing pictures. I also wanted to respond to the deep desireof South Sudanese people to live peacefully in their own homes.”
Kuol studies architecture at the Graduate School of Shibaura
Institute of Technology in Toyosu, Tokyo. According to Kuol,
traditional houses in South Sudan are mostly made of mud walls andbamboo. However, recent years have seen the construction of
10-story office buildings in Juba and the demand for modern
architecture is growing. “Even though the climate is quite different
between wet Japan and dry South Sudan, I would like to explore thepossibility of applying the traditional wooden architecture in Japan tohouses in South Sudan. I would also like to study Japan’s ecohouses equipped with photovoltaic power generation systems.”
The Graduate School of Shibaura Institute of Technology has
another ABE Initiative participant. Lazarus Lemi Chacha Costa studies
construction materials. His English is exceptionally good. When South
Sudan was governed by the north, the official language was Arabic andEnglish was not taught in ordinary schools. However, Costa attended a
missionary school as a Christian where he learned English eventhough he was born and grew up in Juba. After independence, English
became the official language of South Sudan. “As I can speak both
English and Arabic, I can live in Africa or the Middle East,” said Costa.
He works for the Ministry of Infrastructure of the provincial
government and has been supervising public works. His research
theme in Japan is construction materials, such as cement.
Costa lamented that, “Even though South Sudan has limestone
resources, there is not a single cement factory. Water and gravel are
locally available but 90% of the materials, including cement andadmixture, to make concrete must be imported from a neighboring
country.” He dreams of establishing “a concrete laboratory” in Juba
to develop construction materials which are suitable for the climate
42 Japan SPOTLIGHT • September / October 2019

and the available natural resources of South Sudan to overcome thecurrent problems.
The solidifying speed and strength of the concrete used forconstruction work greatly vary depending on the quality of thecement as well as the water and ambient temperature. Recycledmaterials from industrial waste are sometimes used as concretematerials. It is hoped that repeated tests at the university jointly
conducted with Japanese students will produce positive results thatcan be applied.
Professor Takeshi Iyoda of the Shibaura Institute of Technology
who is Costa’s supervisor applauds Costa’s positive attitude:“Japanese cement has achieved the highest quality in the world andthere is much to learn from Japanese technologies in terms of
construction materials. I hope that Costa fully analyses thesematerials and technologies and takes back positive results to his own
country.”

EpilogueIn the International Development Journal, a magazine specializing
in international cooperation, I began publishing a series of articles
called “The ABE Initiative – Pilots of African Business” in November
2014, for the purpose of recording this large-scale attempt at humanresources development.
As Africa evokes a sense of distance both physically andpsychologically for Japan, the series aims at not only conveying thehonest opinions of the participants but also at diminishing the senseof distance on the Japanese side through the input of information ona wide variety of African countries. The series also introduces theJapanese universities assisting the education and research work of
the African participants and explains the relationships between theparticipants and the Japanese enterprises providing training
opportunities by means of internships.
Many of the participants who have completed the ABE Initiative
program have since returned to their own countries and are now
acting as bridges between their countries and Japan while making
the best use of their newly-acquired knowledge from Japan at theirplaces of work.
It is my sincere hope that, taking the opportunity of TICAD VII, theABE Initiative and its participants will continue their own successstories.
Yukifumi Takeuchi worked for the Asahi Shimbun for 31 years, including as acorrespondent in Bangkok and New Delhi. He has continued to work for themonthly International Development Journal since 2014.