On 19 January 2023, Kyoto University and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) hosted three events as part of their ‘Innovative Africa: Educational Networking Programs for Human Resource Development in Africa’s SDGs (Innovative Africa Program, or IAfP)’, underway since 2020 with support from the education and science ministry (MEXT) provided under the ‘Inter-University Exchange Project with Africa’. The three events were: the 8th Committee for Japanese Universities’ International Exchange Program with Africa, the 2nd Advisory Committee for Developing Human Resources for Africa/External Evaluation Committee, and the 2nd Joint Meeting for Human Resource Development in Africa, all held both online and in-person at Kyoto Academia Forum, Tokyo.
The first event, the 8th Committee for Japanese Universities’ International Exchange Program with Africa, brought together 32 faculty and staff members from the 10 Japanese universities carrying out programs under the Inter-University Exchange Project with Africa. The meeting was primarily an opportunity for sharing information on four topics, including platform-building efforts.
Next, the 2nd Advisory Committee for Developing Human Resources for Africa/External Evaluation Committee took place with the participation of 35 representatives from the 10 universities and the nine members of the Advisory Committee. The university representatives reported on the progress of their respective programs and received feedback from and exchanged opinions with the Africa experts comprising the External Evaluation Committee.
The final event of the day was the 2nd Joint Meeting for Human Resource Development in Africa, held with 85 participants from 17 universities and 22 business, government, and non-government organizations engaged in related activities. The session began with a speech by His Excellency Mr Lulama Smuts Ngonyama, ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Japan, who emphasized the importance of educational exchanges between Africa and Asia. Representatives from Sanyu Consultants Inc, Terra Renaissance (nonprofit organization), and the Tokyo University of Agriculture then outlined their efforts in human capital development. This was followed by a discussion among participants on the topic of training highly specialized human capital, with opinions and information actively exchanged across the boundaries of scholarship and practice.
