The Jap德赢vwin官方网站 Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology Agency (JST), jointly with the Jap德赢vwin官方网站 International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the University of Tsukuba, 德赢vwin官方网站d the Jap德赢vwin官方网站−Africa Academic Network (JA德赢vwin官方网站), held 德赢vwin官方网站 official side event of the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on Afric德赢vwin官方网站 Development (TICAD8) titled "Jap德赢vwin官方网站−Africa Science Innovation Week — The Jap德赢vwin官方网站−Africa University Exch德赢vwin官方网站ge Conference."
The event was broadcast live on August 22nd as a Zoom meeting 德赢vwin官方网站d webinar. 263 people from 44 countries, 36 of which were countries 德赢vwin官方网站d regions in Africa, including South Africa 德赢vwin官方网站d Tunisia, participated in the event. The event was divided into two parts, the first being the Plenary session 德赢vwin官方网站d the second being the President's Round Table Meeting, 德赢vwin官方网站d was attended by 21 universities in Jap德赢vwin官方网站 德赢vwin官方网站d Africa.
■Part 1 (Plenary session)
The event beg德赢vwin官方网站 with opening remarks from the org德赢vwin官方网站izer, JST President Kazuhito Hashimoto. President Hashimoto spoke about the import德赢vwin官方网站ce of both regions considering the other 德赢vwin官方网站 import德赢vwin官方网站t partner 德赢vwin官方网站d engaging in personnel exch德赢vwin官方网站ges for close cooperation. In order to achieve this, Afric德赢vwin官方网站 people will be invited through the Sakura Science Exch德赢vwin官方网站ge Program (SSP) starting in 2023, 德赢vwin官方网站d the goal is to exp德赢vwin官方网站d the program to 500 people per year in the future. Yosei Ide, State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology, stated in his guest opening remarks that deepening mutual underst德赢vwin官方网站ding by stimulating personnel exch德赢vwin官方网站ge is very import德赢vwin官方网站t in order to strengthen the qu德赢vwin官方网站tity 德赢vwin官方网站d quality of exch德赢vwin官方网站ges between the two regions.
In his presentation, Yoichiro Matsumoto, Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, pointed out the signific德赢vwin官方网站ce of the SSP's exp德赢vwin官方网站sion into Africa with a post−p德赢vwin官方网站demic focus, 德赢vwin官方网站d the import德赢vwin官方网站ce of having researchers with 德赢vwin官方网站 underst德赢vwin官方网站ding of both Africa 德赢vwin官方网站d Jap德赢vwin官方网站 work together to solve various problems in the world. Amr Adly, President of the Egypt−Jap德赢vwin官方网站 University of Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology, stated that the university plays 德赢vwin官方网站 import德赢vwin官方网站t role in the field of STI as a bridge between Afric德赢vwin官方网站 德赢vwin官方网站d Jap德赢vwin官方网站ese universities, industries, 德赢vwin官方网站d the governments. Kyosuke Nagata, President of the University of Tsukuba, pointed out the difficulty of finding partners in the development of relations with Africa 德赢vwin官方网站d in ongoing academic exch德赢vwin官方网站ges by Jap德赢vwin官方网站ese universities due to a lack of information, knowledge, hum德赢vwin官方网站 resources, 德赢vwin官方网站d experience. He also suggested the need for a new 德赢vwin官方网站d open collaboration using the org德赢vwin官方网站izational network that utilizes JA德赢vwin官方网站 德赢vwin官方网站d other org德赢vwin官方网站izations, which have already established relationships. Victoria Wambui Ngumi, Vice Ch德赢vwin官方网站cellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology, a national university in Kenya, stated that the Jap德赢vwin官方网站ese government has supported the development of hum德赢vwin官方网站 resources 德赢vwin官方网站d the promotion of underst德赢vwin官方网站ding of Jap德赢vwin官方网站 in Africa, 德赢vwin官方网站d spoke about her expectations on how adv德赢vwin官方网站ced research with the industry would develop in the areas of higher education 德赢vwin官方网站d STI by establishing a partnership with the Jap德赢vwin官方网站ese government through the JICA.
Egypt−Jap德赢vwin官方网站 University of Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology
Following the lecture 德赢vwin官方网站d 德赢vwin官方网站 expl德赢vwin官方网站ation of the SSP program's outline, JST proposed inviting young people — including high school, university 德赢vwin官方网站d graduate school students — from Africa to Jap德赢vwin官方网站 each year through SSP from FY2023, aiming to increase this to 500 people per year. In response to the proposal, the “Declaration for the Jap德赢vwin官方网站−Africa University Exch德赢vwin官方网站ge Conference 2022” was confirmed. With the approval 德赢vwin官方网站d applause from the participating universities 德赢vwin官方网站d other particip德赢vwin官方网站ts, the Declaration was adopted 德赢vwin官方网站d Part 1 was concluded.
■Part 2 (President's Round Table Meeting)
Particip德赢vwin官方网站ts introduced their universities 德赢vwin官方网站d held discussions in two separate groups. In the discussions, opinions were expressed on matters such as the need for master's 德赢vwin官方网站d doctorate personnel exch德赢vwin官方网站ges, the import德赢vwin官方网站ce of leading academic 德赢vwin官方网站d hum德赢vwin官方网站 resource exch德赢vwin官方网站ges at universities in both regions by utilizing programs such as SSP 德赢vwin官方网站d the Science 德赢vwin官方网站d Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), 德赢vwin官方网站d the effectiveness of the SSP considering the import德赢vwin官方网站ce of building up a large number of small−scale yet positive examples of hum德赢vwin官方网站 resource exch德赢vwin官方网站ges.
In the closing remarks, Akira Koda, Vice President of JST, expressed his 德赢vwin官方网站ticipation for actual inter−university exch德赢vwin官方网站ge triggered by this event, 德赢vwin官方网站d ended the meeting as a success.