Focus on Mekong

Investing in human resources helps prevent expensive infrastructure mistakes

Across the world billions of dollars worth of well-intentioned development projects lie idle and abandoned.

Major causes of the collapse of these so-called ‘white elephants' are that in the original project planning few provisions were envisaged to make them sustainable – by training local personnel and embedding the principal of ‘local ownership' in the communities and governments expected to benefit.

In its official development assistance (ODA) Japan has attempted to avoid those past mistakes by marrying projects with longterm sustainability.

As part of this effort Tokyo established 10 Japan centers, in nine Asian countries, including the Mekong states of Laos, Cambodia and two in Viet Nam.

They are staffed by Japanese teachers and experts with the aim, among others, of teaching local people the latest skills in subjects ranging from computers to administrative management or, in the bureaucratic parlance, promoting ‘human resources.'

Laos is one of the world's poorest countries. It began an open-door economic policy as long ago as 1986 but still lacks the skilled management to ensure continued growth.

Teaching a new generation of experts, administrators and teachers are essential for a country’s economic growth.

The Laos-Japan Center was established in 2001 and last year the National University of Laos began its first MBA (Master of Business Administration) course on its campus in the suburbs of the capital, Vientiane.

One day recently some 30 students from high school, college and working personnel attended the opening of a short-term course on production management where they are expected to learn both production control and ways to increase productivity.

"I would like to tell you about my experiences – including my failures – and I want students to learn important manufacturing perspectives," Tsuyoshi Shimizu, the Japanese course leader with a 40-year engineering career behind him, told the class.

Students looked uncertain about his opening remarks, particularly the emphasis on analyzing failure. Laos developed in recent years under a socialist system in which such an approach was not part of any curriculum.

But the locals were soon appreciative. "These are high level lectures by Japanese experts and the course is well developed," said Viengxay Phongxay, who works at a local UN agency. "It would be a great economic burden for me to try to get an MBA in a foreign country."

JICA provides Japanese experts who work with the local economic and management faculty. In addition to purely business courses, the centers also stage cultural and traditional events from both Laos and Japan itself to foster mutual understanding and a Japanese language course encourages students to study in Japan and apply for positions with Japanese companies.

Teaching a new generation of experts, administrators and teachers are essential for a country's economic growth.

"The Japan center serves as a hub for human-resource development. We hope to turn out many people who will lead market oriented reform and development," according to Manisoto Keodara, the president of the center.

When it was first opened, JICA underwrote all operating costs, but now local authorities contribute 50% and according to Japanese advisor Mikiharu Sato, "In the near future who hope Laos will be able to run the center independently."