jica ethiopia newsletter...whale shark, which is a treas-ured memory for me. the shark was more than...

J I C A E v e r y d a y

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8 – J a n u a r y 2 0 1 9

V o l u m e I I , I s s u e V

J I C A E T H I O P I A

N E W S L E T T E R

A r e a s o f

C o o p e r a t i o n :

J I C A

E v e r y d a y 1 - 2

E d u c a t i o n 3

I n d u s t r i a l

P r o m o t i o n 3 - 4

W a t e r 5

V o l u n t e e r s 6

U p - N e x t w i t h J I C A 7

Happy New Year! Shimekazari is a traditional new year decoration in Japan. When placed above an

entrance door it marks the border to a pure space and prevents bad spirits from entering.

N e w C h i e f R e p r e s e n t a t i v e A r r i v e s i n E t h i o p i a

This month we bid farewell to

Mr. Ken Yamada, who served

as Chief Representative of JICA Ethiopia Office for almost

two years. Mr. Yamada has

assumed his post as Chief

Representative of JICA Bot-

swana Office and we are con-

fident that he will continue to

lead them with the same en-

thusiasm and committed that

we witnessed in Ethiopia.

In the meantime, we have

welcomed Mr. Makato Shinka-

wa back to Ethiopia, this time as Chief Representative of

JICA Ethiopia Office.

We have asked him a couple

of introductory questions:

1. Have you previously worked

in (or visited) other African

countries? Can you share a favorite experience from one

of the countries?

I was in Kenya for three years as a JICA volunteer; I also worked at JICA Ghana and JICA Ethiopia for four years each.

In Djibouti I swam with a whale shark, which is a treas-ured memory for me. The shark was more than three meters long! I was very excit-ed.

While in Kenya I also climbed Mt. Kenya. Although I was tired, seeing the break-of-dawn over Kenya was quite beautiful.

I would like to visit Eritrea.

2. Where was your last job

post? and please briefly tell us

what your job was like?

I worked at JICA Hokkaido

(OBIHIRO) as Head of institu-

tion. Hokkaido is located in

Northern Japan where it is

really cold, sometimes it can

get as low as -20°C.

At the Hokkaido office I re-

ceived JICA trainees from

several countries and also sent experts from Hokkaido to

developing countries for tech-

nical cooperation activities.

3. What cultural or historical

aspects of Ethiopia are you

most looking forward to ex-

ploring?

I would like to learn Amharic. My goal is to travel around Ethiopia, alone, using the Am-haric that I have learned.

If possible, I would also like to study the Ethiopian Ortho-dox Church and visit several churches around the country.

Mr. Yamada (left) and Mr. Shinkawa

(right)

On January 22, 2019, repre-sentatives of the JICA Ethio-pia Office hosted a visit from former Prime Minister Hai-lemariam Desalegn and for-mer First Lady Ms. Roman Tesfaye.

In April 2018 they estab-lished the Hailemariam and Roman Foundation (HRF). As an international non-government organization, HRF will focus on maternal & child health and nutrition, as well as ecotourism and con-servation.

The Foundation is still formu-lating its strategic plans and discussions were held with the JICA Ethiopia Office team on future possible areas of collaboration.

Mr. Makoto Shinkawa, Chief Representative, JICA Ethio-pia, also took the opportuni-ty to appreciate the former Premier for his keen interest in support from the Japanese Government.

It is to be noted that in 2014, Prime Minister Hai-lemariam declared the month of September as “Kaizen Month’’ in Ethiopia. Additionally, he also support-ed the high-level policy dia-logues between Japan and Ethiopia, which he acknowl-edged as critical support in fulfilling Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTPII).

J I C A E T H I O P I A N E W S L E T T E R

Press Partake in Tour of Three Technical Projects

Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and former First Lady, Ms. Roman Tesfaye (center) met with JICA Ethiopia representatives on January 22, 2019.

Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Held Talks with JICA Representatives

In early January, JICA orga-

nized a tour of three technical

cooperation projects taking

place near Bahir Dar city for

members of the JICA-Ethiopia

Alumni Association (JETAA)

and members of the media.

The tour covered the follow-

ing projects:

1. Smallholder Horticul-

ture Farmer Empower-

ment through Promo-

tion of Market-

Oriented Agriculture

(Ethio-SHEP).

In the city of Finoteselam, located 185kms from Bahir Dar, the media and JETAA members were able to meet farmers who were learning market-oriented approaches to farming. The Ethio-SHEP project focuses on shifting the mindset of farmers and their communities from thinking of agriculture as a lifestyle, to treating agriculture as a busi-ness. The farmers discussed how the project was enabling them to have discussions at the marketplace to assess the needs of the community and to ascertain selling prices for their produce. The project is also teaching them new methods for planting and irrigation to increase their yield, including the use of organic fertilizer.

2. Functional Enhance-

ment of the National

Rice Research and

Training Center

(Ethio-Rice).

JICA is working with the Government of Ethiopia to promote rice (growth and consumption) in Ethiopia. In Woreta town, surrounded by the Fogera Plains, our Tour was able to visit the National Rice Research Center, which is the heart of rice research in Ethiopia. The Center Di-rector briefed the group how farmers are now able to uti-lize swampy areas of land, that were previously unable to grow other crops, by growing rice. The productivi-ty of rice has also been very high, making it the second most productive crop in Ethi-opia. Additionally, it has also been possible to integrate rice with traditional foods by mixing it with teff and mak-ing injera. JICA is sending agriculture experts, farmers and students to Japan for short and long-term training to develop their capacities in the rice sectors. JICA will also continue to provide the Center with experts from Japan who will continue to experiment on rice varieties and their adaptability to the Ethiopian climate.

3. Capacity Develop-

ment for Kaizen Im-

plementation for

Quality, Productivity

and Competitiveness

Enhancement

In Bahir Dar city, our Tour

visited the Amhara Water

Well Drilling Enterprise to

learn about how they have

implemented Kaizen over

the past few years and the

impact that it has had on

their activities and their

bottom-line. They explained

how Kaizen has helped them

to become more efficient,

primarily by becoming more

organized. They are able to

reduce unnecessary waste,

in both material resources

and the time of their human

resources. They have been

able to maintain and

properly use valuable and

very expensive water-

drilling equipment by im-

planting the 5S Kaizen

method. Additionally they

also explained how Kaizen

had the added benefit of

being a friendly approach

that allowed staff at all lev-

els to participate in making

a difference; this, they said,

boosted employee morale

and built a friendship among

their staff that previously

did not exist.

A farmer explains how he uses natural fertilizer when planting onions.

JICA’s technical cooperation approach is a unique method for carrying out official development assistance. Technical Cooperation is a people-to-people collaboration that supports developing countries by enhancing their comprehensive capacities to address challenges through their own efforts.

NRRTC Director describing rice varieties.

The storage room at Amhara Water Well Drilling Enterprise is organized using Kaizen.

Graduates from the second

(2015) and third (2016)

batch of Japan’s Master’s scholarship program - the

‘African Business Education

Initiative for Youth’ - have

begun returning to Ethiopia.

After two years in Japan

pursuing various fields of

study, the graduates are

now employing the skills

and knowledge they have garnered to spur the devel-

opment of their country.

The ABE Initiative was es-tablished to deepen relations

between Japan and African

countries by strategically

providing 1,000 African

youth with the opportunity

to study in Japanese univer-

sities as well as by interning

at Japanese companies.

Upon returning to their

home countries’ graduates

are expected to explore

ways of introducing Japa-

nese technology to their work places while also

reaching out and building

relationships with Japanese

At the request of the MoE,

JICA has to support the

translation of Science and Mathematics modules for

Grades 5 and 6 into seven

local languages. The modules

will be translated to Amharic,

Oromifa, Tigrigna, Somali,

Afar, Berta and Anuake.

Over 30 experts from Re-

gional Education Bureaus

convened in Adama city for

10 days to translate the

modules. The modules will be

used to conduct trainings for science and mathematics

teachers across the regions.

In Ethiopia, classes are con-

ducted in the regional moth-er tongue until the comple-

tion of Grade 6, from which

point classes will primarily be

conducted in English.

JICA in collab-

oration with Ministry of Edu-

cation (MoE) conducted vari-ous capacity building activi-

ties in collaboration with the

Mathematics and Science

Improvement Center (MSIC)

of MOE. As of the 2011 Ethio-

pian academic year, MSIC

started providing national

trainings for Grade 5 and 6

regional trainers in science and mathematics.

A five-day training was pro-

vided to 400 teachers in Ada-ma city, during which, one

major challenge was identi-

fied with the teaching mod-

ules. Teachers from various

regions expressed that they

found it difficult to utilize the

modules prepared by the

MoE since they were all writ-

ten in English.

Grades 5 and 6 Education Books Translated to Seven Local Languages


(Front Row: left to right): Mr. Taisuke Horie, Marubeni Corporation; Mr. Ken Yamada, Chief Representative, JICA Ethiopia Office; H.E. Mr. Daisuke Matsunaga, Japan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia; H.E. Mr. Fumiyo Shimizu, Japan’s Ambassador to the African Union; Mr. Akimasa Asako, Mitsubishi Ethiopia; Mr. Mekonnen Yaie, Director General, Ethiopian Kaizen Institute.

(Back Row): ABE Initiative Graduates

Students Return from Japan Ready to Invigorate Ethio-Japan Business

companies wishing to enter

the African market.

At a reporting session held for

nine ABE Initiative graduates

on December 18 in Addis Aba-

ba, the returnees presented

on their experiences in Japan

and their future plans to H.E. Mr. Daisuke Matsunaga,

Japan’s Ambassador to Ethio-

pia; H.E. Mr. Fumiyo Shimizu,

Japan’s Ambassador to the

African Union; JICA Ethiopia

representatives and to mem-

bers of the Japanese business

community in Ethiopia.

“I want to emphasize win-win

relationships and build trust

with Japanese companies,“ explained Mr. Bereket Samuel

who studied at the Graduate

School of Engineering at Na-

gaoka University of Technology. He

noted that most Japanese investors

are risk averse and would like to

have a lot of information on hand

before making big investment deci-sions. However, he has been dili-

gent in continuing to network with

companies.

During the reporting session, Am-

bassador Matsunaga commended

the areas in which ABE candidates

had chosen to study, noting that

they were pragmatic choices and

ones that would surely aid in the

development of Ethiopia. Some of

the areas that were presented on

included: “The improvement of

quality and productivity of Ethiopi-an footwear manufacturers”,

“Determinants of pricing strategies

in the leather industry”,

“Improvement and design of ma-

chinery for small-scale farming”

and “The impact of kazien on quali-

ty and efficiency improvement”.

ABE graduates are now being en-

couraged to create an alumni asso-

ciation so that they can network,

collaborate and create linkages

with Japanese organizations seek-ing access to the local market and

local partners whom they can trust.

Science and mathematics modules being translated into local languages.

Relationships

The Ethiopian Kaizen Insti-

tute (EKI) conducted a Kai-

zen (5s) seminar for the Government of Djibouti in

Addis Ababa on January 30

and 31. The JICA Kaizen

Project is engaged in the

development of Kaizen con-

sultants and the institution-

alization of Kaizen so that

EKI can function as a Center

of Excellence in the dissemi-nation of Kaizen within Afri-

ca.

In response to the request from the JICA Djibouti Of-

fice, nine representatives

from the Djiboutian govern-

ment (comprising of the

Coast Guard, Road Authori-

ty, Waste Management,

National Civil Protection and

Geothermal Energy Devel-

opment Office) were invited

to Addis Ababa for the Sem-inar.

By holding the competition in

various cities, including: Arba

Minch, Addis Ababa, Adama,

Assosa, Axum, Bahir Dar,

Dire Dawa, Gambella, Gon-

dar, Harar, Hawasa, Jigjiga,

Jimma, Mekelle and Semera,

JICA, along with iCog labs,

hopes to capitalize on the

diversity of ideas collected

from these areas.

Thus far, over 15,000 partici-

pants have registered for the

competition and orientation

sessions have begun region-

ally. Training will be given in

the cities, focusing on prod-

uct development, technical

support, business-plan devel-

opment and marketing. Win-

ners at the regional level will

advance to the National

Round in August 2019,

where a weeklong boot camp

will be offered before the

final presentation to a jury of

industry experts.

During the Addis Ababa

launch, Mr. Kahlid Ahmed,

Director General of Innova-

tion Development and Re-

JICA, in partnership with the

U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, is

funding the second SolveIT!

A national innovation compe-

tition, where Ethiopian youth

will develop tech-based solu-

tions to address community

challenges.

This will be the first year that

JICA will be involved in the

competition as part of a wid-

er effort to support small

businesses and entrepreneur-

ship in Ethiopia. SolveIT!,

which officially launched in

Addis Ababa on February 01,

2019 will also involve 14

other cities throughout Ethio-

pia.

The goal of the competition is

to encourage innovation

among young people be-

tween the ages of 18 to 28.

Participants are tasked with

addressing core problems

within their communities

while at the same time using

technology and business-

oriented approaches that can

be scaled-up.

search Affairs at the Ministry

of Innovation and Technology,

promised to provide seed

funding to the competition

finalists.

“Our objective is to strengthen

the ecosystem of micro, small

and medium enterprises and

entrepreneurs, so that they

can grow and become more

competitive, not only in Ethio-

pia but also in the global mar-

ket. One of the main activities

of BDS is to encourage innova-

tion to solve prominent prob-

lems of the society by utilizing

emerging technology. Innova-

tive startups contribute signifi-

cantly to economic growth and

JICA Launches National Innovation Competition


job creation nationwide; it also

helps develop new and innovative

solutions to the challenges faced by

societies,” stated Hideo Eguchi,

Chief advisor for the JICA BDS pro-

ject.

In September 2018, JICA began the

Business Development Service

(BDS) Enhancement project to sup-

port micro, small and medium en-

terprises. The BDS project will work

in collaboration with Ethiopia’s Fed-

eral Small and Medium Manufactur-

ing Industry Development Authority

(FeSMMIDA), the Federal Urban Job

Creation and Food Security Agency

(FeUJCFSA) and Addis Ababa City

Administration.

An NA Metal employee shows the dele-gates how the various colors are used to identify supply needs. Since the sheets of metal are at the yellow line, the procure-ment department knows it needs to order additional metal sheets. When the sheets reach the red line, this would indicate that materials are critically low and the produc-tion line can be affected.

EKI’s First Experience Sharing Seminar on KAIZEN for Djiboutian Delegation

The first day of the Seminar

took place at the JICA Ethiopia

Office. Participants presented

on the challenges within their

organizations and how they thought they could benefit

from Kaizen. This was fol-

lowed by presentations on

Kaizen and the 5S method by

Ms. Seblewongel Haregewein,

Deputy Director of the manu-

facturing sector at EKI. The

participants also viewed a 2S

implementation video on how

to begin introducing Kaizen to their workplaces.

The second day started with a

visit to EKI where the Director General, Mr. Mekonnen Yaie,

explained the inception of

Kaizen in Ethiopia, the journey

towards institutionalizing the

management method, and

some of their success stories

since 2005.

In order for the participants to

observe the tangible benefits of

Kaizen they visited NA Metal

Engineering Company, a truck

assembling plant on the out-skirts of Addis Ababa. The com-

pany begun implementing Basic

Kaizen practices on its factory

floor with the assistance of

Kaizen Consultants from EKI in

October 2017. Within six

months, NA Metal received a

certificate of recognition from

the Ministry of Trade and In-

dustry (MoTI) and EKI.

The Kaizen Seminar was an

eye-opening experience for the

participants. Mr Keder Abdu-rahman expressed that seeing

Kaizen practices in Ethiopia has

inspired him to instil similar

changes in his organization in

Djibouti.

Going forward, EKI’s goal is to

provide Kaizen services tailored to

the needs of neighbouring coun-

tries, and to promote Kaizen prac-

tices to public institutions and service industries. Currently EKI is

developing and standardizing its

teaching materials.

Mr. Hideo Eguchi, Chief Advisor for the JICA BDS project, speaking at the launch of SolveIT! 2019.

A week-long study tour on solid waste management took place in Addis Ababa by JICA and UN-Habitat. Participants from 14 African countries, as well as experts from Japan, convened to study how to manage and rehabilitate solid waste landfills through the “African Clean City Platform (ACCP)”.

ACCP was established in April 2017 by the Ministry of Envi-ronment of Japan, JICA, UNEP, UN-Habitat and Yoko-hama city as follow up activi-ties of the 6th International Conference on African Devel-opment (TICAD VI) to pro-mote appropriate solid waste management and achieve SDGs. As of December 2018, 35 African countries, including Ethiopia, and 65 cities are members of the Platform, showing that African coun-tries have a vested interest in proper solid waste manage-ment.

In fact, it is expected that Addis Ababa City residents will generate around 3,000 tons of waste per day this year. Of the total waste gen-erated, 85% is collected and transported to open landfills,

while only 5% is recycled; however, the remaining 10% is regrettably dumped illegally in ditches, sewers, streets and open fields. Target 12.5 in the SDGs is to ‘substantially re-duce waste generation through, prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse, by 2030’, it is necessary to accelerate activities to achieve the above SDGs target in Addis Ababa.

The Government of Japan is now supporting the rehabilita-tion efforts of Addis Ababa’s 50-year old open landfill site, known as Reppi-Koshe. In March of 2017, 200 waste-pickers and residents of the surrounding area were killed when parts of the dumpsite collapsed. The Government of Japan immediately responded by coordinating with UN-Habitat to introduce the Fukuo-ka Method of solid waste man-agement to prevent further landslides.

The Fukuoka Method uses a semi-aerobic landfill design for waste which cannot be burned and this method reduces haz-ardous substances like carbon dioxide and methane gas; when accumulated, these sub-stances can cause landslides and the spontaneous ignition


Study Tour to learn Fukuoka Method:

Rope Pump Scale-up Efforts Reach 3,000 households from initial 200

The water sector team recently conducted a field visit to se-lected zones and weredas in the SNNP Region, where past WAS-RoPSS projects were implemented. The project’s goal was to improve liveli-hoods by installing rope pump technology to supply clean drinking water and sanitation to communities.

Since the completion of the JICA project, the SNNPR Wa-ter, Irrigation Development Bureau (WIDB) purchased around 10,000 rope pumps for the region. JICA has learned that 3,000 rope pumps have been installed and trainings on operating the rope pumps have been provided; the re-maining 7,000 rope pumps are currently being installed.

In order to install the rope pumps in a timely manner, it is necessary to develop the skills of the technicians and experts at the regional, zonal and wereda levels. To address this

concern, JICA initiated and con-ducted a refresher training course for technicians in collab-oration with WIDB

A total of 18 technicians and experts attended the six-day course, from January 21 to 26, in Hawassa city and Shebedino

ACCP Study Tour participants at the Reppi Koshe open landfill site.

of waste. In addition to its effectiveness in solid waste management, the Method is cost effective, easy to con-struct, operate and maintain. In 2011, the Fukuoka Method was selected by the United Nations as an effective meth-od for mitigating global warming.

Professor Matsufuji, a leading ex-pert and one of the founders of the Fukuoka Method, will be leading the study tour and site visit to the Reppi-Koshe dumpsite during the week. The knowledge exchanged during this time will be invaluable to participants as they all combat the challenges of growing waste and inappropriate disposal meth-ods in rapidly expanding African cities.

wereda. The trainees were able to share their knowledge and experience on installation, man-ufacturing, hydrology, technolo-gy, community awareness and management. Three Japanese volunteers working in communi-ty development in the region also took part in the training.

Additionally, JICA also held discus-sions with WIDB, Omo Micro Fi-nance (OMF), Hawassa TVET and wereda office about continuing scal-ing-up efforts. JICA was happy to learn that WIDB will continue to work together with zone and wereda offices to organize similar refresher seminars during the scaling-up pro-cess. These seminars can reinforce the importance of maintaining the standardization of rope pump tech-nology to ensure quality control and the full utilization of the technology. Additional coordination between MOF and TVET colleges will also add to the sustainable dissemination of rope pump technology.

Capacity building activities need to continue in order to bring more rope pumps into rural communities to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation.

Trainees testing the rope pump after the installation (Shebedino wereda/Aramsa kebele)

A Solution to Addis Ababa’s Infamous Open Landfill Dumpsite


Education and Community Development Volunteers Arrive in Addis

Five volunteers arrived in Ad-dis Ababa on January 31, 2019 to begin their two-year assign-ments.

Upon their arrival, the volun-teers paid courtesy calls to the Chief Representative of JICA Ethiopia Office, Mr. Makoto Shinkawa, as well as to repre-sentatives of the Embassy of Japan and the Ministry of Finance.

The volunteers assignments are as follows:

1. Two science education teach-ers will be working at Te-menjayaze Primary School and Tesfa Kokeb Primary School in Addis Ababa

2. Two early childhood educa-tion teachers will be working at Addis Raey Kindergarten and Eyerusalem Kindergarten in Addis Ababa.

3. One community development volunteers will work at the Dire Dawa Administrative Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency in Dire Dawa city.

The volunteers will receive one month of Amharic language train-ing in Addis Ababa, before report-ing to their duty stations.

The volunteers during a courtesy visit at the JICA Ethiopia Office.

(From left to right): Ms. Ikeda Ayako; Ms. Takeuchi Utae; Mr. Makoto Shinka-wa, Chief Representative, JICA Ethiopia Office; Ms. Morikida Megumi; Ms. Tanoi Mizuki; and Mr. Miyakoshi Nozomu.

Japan International Cooperation Agency

Ethiopia Office

Mina Building 6th & 7th Floor

P.O.Box 5384

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Phone: +251 115 50 47 55

Fax: +251 115 50 44 65

Mission: JICA, in accordance with the Development Cooperation Charter, will work on human security and quality growth.

Vision:

Leading the World with Trust JICA, with its partners, will take the lead in forging bonds of trust across the world, aspiring for a free, peaceful and prosper-ous world where people can hope for a better future and ex-plore their diverse potentials.

Actions 1. Commitment: Commit ourselves with pride and passion to achieving our mission and vision.

2. Gemba: Dive into the field ("gemba") and work together with the people.

3. Strategy: Think and act strategically with broad and long-term perspectives

4. Co-creation: Bring together diverse wisdom and resources.

5. Innovation: Innovate to bring about unprecedented impacts.

J I C A E T H I O P I A O F F I C E

February 2019

Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting with the

Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (EWTI)

Policy Dialogue Seminars on productivity and the auto-

motive industry

Farmers Field Visit, Ethio-SHEP team members will visit

farmers in Arsi.

C o m i n g u p

L e a d i n g t h e W o r l d w i t h T r u s t

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jica ethiopia newsletter...whale shark, which is a treas-ured memory for me. the shark was more than...

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