2019

IIMA conducted JICA’s Co-creation Program: Strengthening of Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) in SADC Countries

As a training course under Japan International Cooperation Agency’s ODA technical assistance, IIMA in association with Japan International Cooperation Center arranged and conducted a program from Sept. 19 to Oct. 11, 2019. Participants were 13 senior managers from mainly DFIs of 11 countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

IIMA　has been participating in this program for five consecutive years and throughout this period as the needs of the participating countries have changed, the contents of the program have been changed as well. In Africa as SME promotion became a large issue, the lecture of Tokyo Credit Guarantee Corporation and a visit to a Japanese SME doing business in Africa were added three years ago. Because of recent growing interest in Private Public Partnership (PPP), this year lecture of PPP/PFI Promotion Office of the Cabinet Office of Japan and, as an example case, a site visit to a waste treatment plant in the city of Mitaka were added.

Other lectures were given by IIMA researchers, university professors of Waseda, Hitotsubashi and University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy, experts from IFC, Japan Economic Research Institute, JICA, MUFG Bank and others. In the last part of this program every participant prepared and presented an “Action Plan” on issues of their own country, such as investment promotion, industry promotion, etc.

It is hoped that the information and knowledge gained by the participants from this program will contribute to the development of their countries.

  

Collaboration Program between World Bank and JICA:
Public Debt and Risk Management

From May 16 to May 31, 2019, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the World Bank held a program in which 17 people of the finance ministry of 15 developing countries of Africa, Asia, Middle East and the Pacific were invited. The program was on public debt and risk management, mainly on contingent liability. JICA-World Bank collaboration program has been continuing since 2016, IIMA, in association with Japan International Corporation (JICE), have involved in planning and management of the program from the beginning.

The program included lectures by the World Bank explaining about the comprehension and management of contingent liabilities and case studies; also lectures from people of the Japanese Ministry of Finance. A short trip to Kobe, with a visit to the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution to learn about the Great Hanshi-Awaji Earthquake and lectures about the various ways funds were raised for reconstruction after the earthquake.

Constantly during the program there were exchanges of ideas and opinions amongst the lecturers and the participants, making the participants not only increase their knowledge on public debt and risk management, but were able to increase friendship amongst them.