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The Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be held in Tunis on 27 and 28 August. Since 1993, the Japanese have led this conference, which is in concert with the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the African Union. Commission.
TICAD is unique in the sense that its main timetable is not limited to investment and trade, but also integrates the social and political problems facing Africa. Along with monetary assistance, Japan has provided critical support, and COVID-19 measures are a vital component of those efforts.
Popular Japanese artist Pikotaro, who was appointed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017 to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), released a video on handwashing titled “PPAP-2020” pandemic in 2020. It became a global good fortune and was used through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to aid physical education and hygiene in Zambia as part of COVID-19 reaction efforts in that country.
This handhing video is based on his new video “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”, abbreviated as “PPAP”, which went viral on YouTube in 2016, giving him international recognition. It was later identified through the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest song to enter the Billboard Hot Hundred chart. Pikotaro’s works as an SDG ambassador concerned performances in public functions, and she added a reception organized by the Japanese government at the UN headquarters in New York in 2017.
“I think it’s the first step in making other people perceive what the SDGs are,” Pikotaro said. There are 17 goals, ranging from “zero poverty” to “partnerships for the goals,” but Pikotaro believes that many other people tend to associate the SDGs with environmental issues.
Inspired by the positive reaction that the original video “PPAP” has provoked among young people, he is interested in the fourth goal: quality education. “PPAP-2020” created as anything that is readily available and fun for young people around the world. regardless of your country, culture or language.
Pikotaro says that the early days of the pandemic were difficult, other people were asked to stay home and activities were severely limited. Thinking of what he could do as an artist, Pikotaro had the undeniable idea of encouraging young people to wash their hands. .
“At the time, I felt that all the measures against COVID-19 were very serious and I sought to propose something light,” he said. “If it’s not fun, young children probably wouldn’t respond. Instead of talking to young people about viruses or vaccines, having their hands blank is a critical first step they can take.
Using the familiar melody and choreography of “PPAP,” the 2020 edition features Pikotaro’s “wash” chant with a strong Japanese accessory while amusingly demonstrating the Ministry of Health’s rigorous handwashing procedure.
“PPAP-2020” designed and learned at home in just five days. After Pikotaro posted it on YouTube in April 2020, the video gained more than 10 million views in about a month, reaching more than 150 countries around the world.
One of the basic philosophies that motivate Pikotaro is peace in the world. Taking credit for the great popularity gained through the original video “PPAP”, he proposed “Pray for other people and for peace” as the motto behind the 2020 version. “When he gets to ‘What is peace?’ In fact, it means having an environment where other people can sing, dance and have fun. “
“The original ‘PAPP’, very popular in Africa,” recalls Pikotaro. Shortly after the launch of PPAP-2020, JICA approached me to use the new video as part of their efforts in Zambia.
More than 6,000 Zambian youth from lusaka’s slums, where many houses lack sufficient water infrastructure, participated in some 120 sessions of the handwashing campaign, which included a grassroots classroom lecture on COVID-19 and a well-known Zambian comedic performance “PPAP-2020”.
The undeniable rhythm, movements and words were easily understood even among young people who did not yet perceive English. Follow-up interviews with participants’ families revealed increased awareness of the importance of handwashing and positive feedback from parents.
While Pikotaro made a stopover in Uganda when he was appointed tourism ambassador in 2017, he has yet to stop in Zambia. He says he would like to go.
“I need to know more about water and sanitation-like disorders. For example, it would be wonderful if there was a way to use Japanese experience in generation and infrastructure to provide clean water for all. Everything in our lives starts with water, then everything,” Pikotaro said.
The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Africa is expanding, but it remains low compared to developed countries. Immunization remains concentrated in adults over the age of 18 and only 7% of doses administered in 23 countries have been administered to young people and adolescents. The median policy among adults over the age of 18 who have finished their number one series is 34%.
Since June 2020, Japan has been supporting new COVID-19 infection controls in many African countries through bilateral and foreign organizations. Japan has long placed the fitness sector as a priority domain for TICAD and continues its efforts to build resilient and inclusive medical and fitness systems. This includes selling a universal fitness policy, a term that means all Americans and communities get the fitness they want without suffering financial hardship.
Having built its own national health care system, Japan is using this experience to promote foreign cooperation to achieve UHC based on the precept of “leaving no one for health” in the global fight against COVID-19. Japan’s COVID-19 aid Countermeasures in Africa include the provision of medical supplies, apparatus and technical cooperation, assistance for human resource progression, and contributions of one billion dollars to the COVAX vaccine distribution program and additional commitments of up to $500 million for long-term efforts.
Japan established the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana as the main hub for Ghana and its neighbors, and has been offering technical cooperation and grants for 50 years.
The institute has conducted some 20,000 PCR tests over a week, accounting for 80% of all COVID-19 tests in Ghana. The center is named in honor of the Japanese Hideyo Noguchi (1876 to 1928), a doctor faithful to that of infectious diseases around the world, adding Africa.
The strong bond between Japan and Africa is also manifested in the Hideyo Noguchi Award for Africa, an award that recognizes medical studies and medical facilities in Africa and honors change agents (Americans and organizations) at the forefront of efforts to fight disease and improve lives. The rite of award of the winners of the fourth Africa Hideyo Noguchi Prize will be held in Tunisia TICAD 8.
As a component of Japan’s efforts in relations with African nations, the African Youth Entrepreneurship Education Initiative, led by the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has enabled more than 1500 people from 54 countries to pursue master’s studies at Japanese universities.
The EBA initiative announced by the Japanese government at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in 2013. With the International Labour Organization pointing out that other young people in Africa were facing work disorders such as unemployment and inequality of opportunity, the Japanese government, upon detecting that solid progress of industry and business in Africa would gain advantages not only on the continent, but also in the world: it created the EBA Initiative.
Zanele Phiri of the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) participated in the ABE initiative from 2019 to 2021. In addition to reading at japan International University’s Graduate School of International Management in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, she participated in an internship program on a rice and strawberry farm. She was also able to participate in extensive short-term business education provided through JICA.
Her achievements to date and her ongoing adventure to make a difference in her company are the best embodiment of the goals of the ABE initiative as she works to expand African industries and be a potential “seafarer” for Japanese companies operating in Africa.
After graduating from the University of Eswatini with a degree in Agriculture, Phiri began working at the Nazarene University of South Africa. But he also had a preference for examining business. Unfortunately, many of the business control courses he discovered in Africa were too expensive. After hearing about his supervisor’s EBA initiative, he seized the possibility and applied without delay.
In Niigata, he basically studied Japanese agricultural policy and business development, spending time between and after categories visiting rice fields and vegetable farms near the IUJ campus. Interacting with farmers in the region, she was informed that Japanese agriculture is similar to hers. own country, where many farms are relatively small and are run by families or small and medium-sized enterprises. Based on those similarities, Phiri said, “Eswatini can receive information from Japan on how to manage the source and demand for its main staple foods. “, rice, and apply it to white corn, Eswatini’s main staple food. “self-sufficiency.
Phiri said there are many values and perspectives that have encouraged her through her interactions with farmers and local businesses. and respect for nature,” he said. She also encouraged to be informed that many companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, are integrating the concepts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their business practices.
Another innovation that, according to her, can be implemented in local companies in Eswatini is the concept of turning environmental disadvantages into something useful.
“For example, Minamiuonuma has a lot of snow in winter. But instead of saying they can’t do much in the winter, they use snow and bloodless for things, like storing products that taste better when they’re fresh or canned,” Phiri said. He believed that such thinking can also simply reshape local factors, adding what would possibly appear to be disadvantages, into new values that can also simply contribute to the branding of local products.
“What is not happening in Eswatini is the implementation of an effective strategy to advertise local brands. A mix of innovation, fondness for local networking and strong leadership is to expand and advertise local brands. This is something I can see in the way Minamiuonuma’s Koshihikari rice is advertised across the country,” he said.
Phiri said JICA’s entrepreneurship program is useful for her and other young Africans with entrepreneurial aspirations. “It helped me think more about my business concept and redefine my entrepreneurial style about the achievable SDGs and the disruptions it can solve,” he said.
Another advantage of the program is that it helped her link up with ABE participants throughout Japan. “Through this opportunity, we were going to meet other like-minded people and be more informed about each other’s cutting-edge activities and ideas. It’s smart to keep talking online,” he said.
Using everything he has acquired in Japan, Phiri has been running non-stop since returning to Eswatini in June 2021.
“As soon as I was given a home, I started my own start-up called Makwandze Organica, an agribusiness focused on developing organic vegetables sustainably and selling farmer brands in my local community,” he said, explaining that makwandze means “I wish you fertility and prosperity. The word is interchangeable with graces. On her farm, she grows local vegetables, a variety of spinach and lettuce, as well as strawberries, which she learned to grow during her internship in Japan. “I keep in touch with the company. . . . . They give me recommendation and we talk about the option of doing anything in combination in the future.
He also began running to involve his government in identifying and selling local products, while also addressing social issues.
“For example, we have several tourist sites in our community, adding the largest dam in Eswatini. I need to involve farmers and the government in an agrotourism project, for which I have implemented a grant from the United Nations Development Programme,” Phiri said. Through this project, he believes it can decorate the territory, attract more tourists and create more jobs while helping food self-sufficiency.
Upon returning to the Nazarene University of South Africa, Phiri regained her previous position as director of the Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. In addition to teaching, he is a member of the university’s curriculum progression committee. The way to replace in society is to raise awareness through education and convince them that their movements are important.
“I couldn’t have done all this without the wisdom and delight I gained through IUJ, JICA’s entrepreneurship program and my internship in Japan,” he said. Now, Phiri is more at the forefront of her business practices and is more involved in achieving the SDG through her business and educational activities.
He encouraged young Africans to Japan.
“There are many things that emerging countries can know from Japan. You want to have transparent goals, professional and private, about what you want to achieve when you return to your country to be informed beyond the full takeover. “merit of opportunities such as the JICA Entrepreneurship Program and Internship Program.
The Japanese government will continue the progression of human resources in Africa in various fields, such as industry, agriculture, fitness and medicine, and will also strongly drive the progression led by African ownership.
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