On March 14, 2024, the “13th Committee for Japanese Universities’ International Exchange Program with Africa” was convened in a hybrid format. The Committee brought together 36 faculty and staff members from the 10 Japanese universities running programs under the Inter-University Exchange Project with Africa. Each university reported and shared information regarding the challenges encountered during the current year and outlined the plans for the upcoming year. Additionally, a question-and-answer session was held to address any queries or concerns.
Each university raised issues in the planning and implementation of the program in terms of its operations. In particular, as April 2024 marks the last year of the program, many universities are implementing various measures to ensure sustainability of outcomes after the end of the program. These measures include strengthening intercampus cooperation and making the program courses regular university courses.
Finally, the platform secretariat proposed planning a joint symposium involving all the implementing universities by the end of the overall project next year. The concept of Japan–Africa human resource development as part of the platform project was also discussed. The importance of cooperation between universities and local governments was emphasized, along with efforts to include a further focus on Japan–Africa human resource development in the plenary session and the declaration of the next TICAD conference in 2025 for the advancement of human resource development in Africa.
