Contributing to Non-Electrified Areas in Senegal- Aiming to be a bridge between Senegal and Japan

• Name: Mr. Momar Talla DIENG
• Country of origin: Senegal
• Batch: 4th Batch (Arrived in Japan in September 2017)
• Name of university/graduate school in Japan: Kumamoto University, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology
• Name of internship company: Fukuoka Shoten Holdings Co. (Actual FUKUSHO)

Mr. Momar, a Senegalese 4th batch student, had aspirations of becoming a researcher before joining the ABE Initiative. However, his experiences at the ABE Initiative have changed his original career path significantly, and he is now working daily to build a bridge between Senegal and Japan!

Mr. Momar holds a master's degree from Senegal, his home country, and initially wanted to become a researcher. When he had just embarked on his inaugural year of doctoral studies and thinking of going on to obtain a Ph.D. in Senegal, he learned of the ABE Initiative. He decided to join the ABE Initiative out of curiosity, as he had never been involved in the private sector or business before, having focused exclusively on university and research.

In Japan, Mr. Momar decided to enter Kumamoto University. The official language in　Senegal is French, so doing his master's degree in English was a challenge for him. However, with the support of his advisor, the university, and JICA, he was able to successfully complete his studies with excellent results, including the publication of three research papers in an international journal. He was very happy to see his Japanese juniors in the laboratory working hard on research by referring to the thesis he had written.

Also, during his time in Japan, he met FUKUSHO, which was considering entering the Senegalese market, at a networking event organized by JICA. He began providing the company with information about the possibility of a solar power generation business in Senegal. This led to his summer and post-graduation internship with FUKUSHO.

Upon completion of his master's program at Kumamoto University, Mr. Momar had a dilemma. His advisor had recommended that he enter a doctoral program at Kumamoto University, and he was interested in pursuing it. On the other hand, a path to pursue joint collaboration with FUKUSHO was also very appealing to him.

He was then reminded of the purpose of the ABE Initiative, which is to connect businesses in Japan and Africa. Mr. Momar reflects that he had received a lot of support from JICA through the ABE Initiative, and in order to give back to Japan, he chose to pursue a joint partnership with FUKUSHO. He then applied to FUKUSHO and was successfully and officially hired.

At the time Mr. Momar joined FUKUSHO, the company was interested in applying for JICA's SDGs Business Supporting Survey (Note). Mr. Momar provided support by advising on the local situation in Senegal, and brushed up on the company's application form for the Survey. As a result, FUKUSHO was successfully selected under this project.

After that, the company was unable to travel to Senegal for a while due to the COVID-19, but in June of 2024, FUKUSHO members including Mr. Momar are finally scheduled to visit Senegal for the feasibility study of the project.

In the meantime, Mr. Momar completed his Ph.D. program online at a Senegalese university while working at FUKUSHO. When Mr. Momar returned to Senegal to defend his doctoral thesis and officially receive his Ph.D. degree, he went out on his own to search for potential villages for pilot projects and to establish connections with the local government. The candidate villages are now waiting for FUKUSHO to start the pilot project this year.

FUKUSHO is planning to open a branch in Senegal in the future, if its work is successful, and Mr. Momar will be appointed to be the leader.

Mr. Momar says that he is very happy to be able to contribute to the development of his home country by supplying electricity to non-electrified areas in Senegal through the technology of a Japanese company.

Mr. Momar's dream is to contribute to FUKUSHO's expansion into Senegal and to continue to serve as a bridge between Senegal and Japan.

Note: About the SME/SDG Business Support Project ｜ About the Project - JICA