Amidst continuing disruptions to the global economy as a result of logistical issues, sanctions, and war, the United Nations has warned that millions of people in Africa are at risk of severe hunger, malnourishment, and starvation.
In an effort to prevent a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, traveled to Tokyo last month to secure pledges from business leaders, government ministers, and Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to increase food development aid to Africa.
According to a recent report from the UNDP, Africa’s development trajectory is in danger of further stagnation as a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“African governments are left with limited finances to implement adequate policy responses and protect vulnerable populations while also preventing societal and economic destabilization,” said Eziakonwa. “Overall, the war in Ukraine constrains economic activity and could trigger further social tensions and unrest, which could have regional and global ramifications. Some key measures could be taken urgently to avert the situation becoming even worse.”
The Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD)
JICA President, Tanaka Akihiko, took office in April 2022 and has made the agency’s Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) a top priority. First launched in 2008, CARD is a comprehensive initiative that aims to double the production of rice in Africa in order to achieve domestic self-sufficiency and/or the ability to produce surpluses for export.
CARD is currently active in Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea (Conakry), Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda on the African continent. Its initial goal was for Africa to produce 14 million tons of rice annually, a target that was surpassed with a yield of 31 million tons in 2018.
“JICA is concerned about the global food crisis. The role that we can play is to enhance food capacity in Africa by relying on our strengths, knowledge, and experience, and that is rice production because Japan is a rice country,” said Shinjiro Anameishi, an agricultural development specialist at JICA.
Anameishi has spent several years working with farmers in Tanzania and Senegal to increase rice production but acknowledges that what is needed is more investment from Japanese companies and the creation of regional hubs for agricultural mechanization.
“We are working to attract Japanese companies to come to Africa, and for that, we need a bigger distribution network,” said Anameishi.
JICA has also announced that it will create seven training centers in Tanzania to specialize in different microclimates, will work to improve irrigation systems in Senegal, and make it easier to import farm equipment from Japan. Currently, most mechanized farming equipment used in Africa is sourced from either China or India which is usually cheaper than Japanese imports.
Further announcements are expected at the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) which will take place in Tunisia’s capital from August 27-28, 2022.
Africa-Japanese Partnerships
TICAD8 is co-organized by the UNDP, the African Development Bank, and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and is supported by the Japanese Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).
During (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa Ahunna Eziakonwa’s trip to Japan in May of this year, she noted:
“The facts are convincing. Historically, Africa’s women are the heartbeat of entrepreneurship and trade. They take risks, invest in ventures, and know how to turn a profit. We must seize the innate power of women and invest in them as the drivers of global progress.”
She also stressed that a key barrier to female entrepreneurship was a lack of access to bank loans and credit.
Eziakonwa met with local leaders and civil society partners such as AUDA-NEPAD, whose Head of Human Capital and Institutions Development, Fati N’zi-Hassane, stated:
“Whether from Japan or Africa, female entrepreneurs face similar challenges and obstacles. That is why we are here, expressing solidarity and working so that Japanese women can trade in Africa and African women can trade in Japan.”
During her visit, Eziakonwa also spoke about the UNDP’s brand-new timbuktoo initiative that hopes to raise $1 billion in start-up capital to improve trade in Africa and support young entrepreneurs.
“I invite the Government of Japan and all of its partners present here today, including Keizai Doyukai, to rally behind timbuktoo and support women entrepreneurs and to capitalize on TICAD8 as a platform for increased public-private partnerships, co-investments, and business-to-business networking,” said Eziakonwa.
