Water Sector Platform Activities ~ Water Utilities share experience, learn together, and aim for co-creation and collaboration beyond national borders ~

Executive Forum

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Background and Objectives

The Executive Forum is for executives of water utilities and ministries with water supply jurisdiction in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and fosters increased awareness and commitment among executives through a "learning from each other" forum where participants share best practices and exchange opinions, with the goal of creating a healthy water utility that can provide sustainable water services in the future. The Executive Forum also serves as a forum for networking and the exchange of useful information not only among participants but also between participants and Japanese waterworks and others.

Contents

In the Asian region, five forums have been held since 2010, and in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, two forums have been held so far since 2019. Details of each forum are as follows.

【Executive Forum for Enhancing Sustainability of Urban Water Service in Asian Region】

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Period January 20-22, 2010 September 30-October 6, 2011 July 1-4, 2014 August 1-4, 2017 August 22-25, 2023
Location Yokohama Symposia JICA Research Institute Yokohama Symposia Yokohama Symposia Yokohama Symposia
Main theme From a Vicious Circle to a Virtuous Circle Dialogue and Collaboration Sustainable Management of Water Utilities in Asia Take action toward the next step Co creating Resilient and Sustainable Water Supply Service from Asia
Participating countries
and number
of people
from Asia
32 persons from 9 countries
(India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam)
13 persons from 5 countries
(Cambodia, Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan)
31 persons from 12 countries
(India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Myanmar, Laos)
32 persons from 13 countries
(Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Laste, Vietnam)
29 persons from 10 countries
(Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam)
Total
attendance
314 people 50 people 360 people 310 people 495 people

【Executive Forum for Enhancing Sustainability of Urban Water Services in Sub - Saharan Africa 】

1st 2nd
Period November 13-14, 2019 March 7-9, 2023
Location Kigali City, Rwanda Johannesburg, South Africa
Main theme - Utility Management for Sustainable Water Supply Services
Participating countries and
number of people from
Sub-Saharan Africa
36 persons from 8 countries
(Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, Rwanda)
27 persons from 11 countries
(Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa)
Total attendance 93 people 70 people

JICA Development Studies Programme

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Background and Objectives

JICA provides training programs (Group Training / Long-term Training (study abroad programs)) for the knowledge and skills required in each country for human resources, in Japan and other countries to play a central role in the development of developing countries in the relevant fields.

JICA provides systematic and comprehensive capacity-building cooperation at three levels (individual, organizational, and social) in developing countries. Training programs are mainly targeted at the individual level, of which Group Training is for general staff within water utilities and ministries, and long-term training (study abroad programs) is for mid-career engineers and executive candidates.

能力強化(キャパシティ・ディベロップメント)の対象と手段

JICA's long-term training (study abroad program) offers for core Human Resources in Developing Countries the opportunity to learn about Japan's modernization and development experiences, which differs from those of Europe and the U.S., and its wisdom as a country that provided cooperation toward the progress of developing countries after World War II., in addition to education and research in specialized fields within university degree programs.

These programs are called “JICA Development Studies Program (JICA-DSP)”, and in the field of water resources, “Water Engineering and Utility Management Future Leaders Training Program” is conducted as a long-term training program (study abroad program) for human resources who can become the next generation of leaders in the water supply field in developing countries. The University of Tokyo and Toyo University accept students from developing countries.

Contents

1. Program Features

① Problem-solving research
• Collecting data and conducting surveys in each home countries, focusing on issues related to local water supply and other research topics.
• Aiming to develop human resources capable of solving problems through their own analysis.

② Strategic selection
• Selecting candidates in cooperation with the executives of the foreign students' home institutions, university professors who will provide guidance, and JICA experts.
• Also looking to maintain and strengthen relationship with Japan by selecting people from among those involved in JICA projects, etc., and engaging them in JICA projects after they return to their home countries.

③ Cooperation from Japanese local governments, companies, etc.
• Offering few-days internships and site visits at Japanese water utilities and companies. The following water utilities and companies have accepted us (including online) so far.

(As of End of September, 2023)
Waterworks and Sewerage Bureau,
City of Kawasaki
Saitama City Waterworks Bureau Nagoya City Waterworks and
Sewerage Bureau
KUBOTA Corporation. Sapporo City Waterworks Bureau Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau
Kitakyushu City Water and Sewer
Bureau
Zama City Waterworks and Sewerage
Bureau
Maezawa Industries, Inc.
Saitama Prefectural Public Enterprise
Bureau
Water Utility of Chichibu Large
Municipal Area Union
Yokohama Waterworks Bureau
Sayama City Water and Sewerage Part Japan Water Agency

④ Sharing Japan's Development Experience
• In lectures and other classes, we use the educational material "Japan's Experiences on Water Supply Development" to help students learn about good examples and lessons learned from Japan's waterworks projects.
• In order to expand the opportunities of such Japanese studies in partner countries as well, JICA now started the “JICA Chair (JICA Program for Japanese studies)” in collaboration with leading universities in partner countries. The "JICA Chair" lecture videos by Prof. Satoshi TAKIZAWA, Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo are also being used in the target countries under this program.

2. Acceptance Records

Asian region African region
Graduate School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo
Prof. Satoshi TAKIZAWA, Associate Professor Dr. Shinobu KAZAMA, and Project Assistant Professor Dr. Benyapa Sawangjang
Graduate School of Global and Regional Studies,
Toyo University
Prof. Hidetoshi KITAWAKI and Prof. Toshiya ARAMAKI
Acceptance start: September 2018 Acceptance start: September 2020
Number of students accepted: ~5/year (Master's program) Number of students accepted: 3-5/year (Master's program)
Target countries: 8 Asian countries
Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos
Target countries: 5 African countries
Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Republic of South Africa, Rwanda
Acceptance record and plan:
2018: 1 in Cambodia, 2 in Myanmar, 1 in Laos (Completed)
2019: 2 in Indonesia, 1 in Nepal, 1 in Myanmar (Completed)
2020: 2 in Indonesia, 1 in Cambodia 1 in Sri Lanka, 1 in Pakistan (Completed)
2021: 1 in Indonesia, 1 in Nepal, 1 in Pakistan, 1 in Myanmar, 1 in Laos (Completed)
2022: 2 in Indonesia, 1 in Nepal, 1 in Laos
Acceptance record and plan:
2020: 1 in Kenya, 1 in Malawi, 1 in Rwanda (Completed)
2021: 2 in Malawi, 1 in Rwanda (Completed)
2022: 1 in Tanzania, 1 in Malawi, 1 in Republic of South Africa, 1 in Rwanda
2023: 1 in Kenya, 1 in Tanzania, 1 in Malawi
2 in Rwanda

3. Voices of Graduates

Nepal: Mr. Shekhar Khanal

Nepal: Mr. Shekhar Khanal

"Prior to coming to Japan, I worked as an engineer on the Melamchi Water Supply Project in Nepal. Intrigued by the challenges of water supply in the Kathmandu Valley, I sought to understand how Japan manages 24/7 drinking water supply in a densely populated urban environment. Through lectures, site visits, and internships, I gained insight into Japanese water supply management, including water quality, leakage control, and long-term vision. This two-year experience far exceeded my expectations and broadened my global perspective on water utility management. I am deeply grateful to JICA for providing me with this wonderful opportunity."

"Prior to coming to Japan, I worked as a civil engineer for the Water and Sanitation Authority under the jurisdiction of the Punjab Provincial Government in Pakistan. My participation in this program has provided me with the expertise, skills, and perspective necessary to address pressing water challenges and make a positive contribution to society. I look forward to using this experience to make a meaningful impact not only in the field of water engineering, but in other areas as well. Beyond academics, I have been deeply captivated by the fascinating essence of Japanese culture and have been instilled with a deep appreciation for the possibilities of multiculturalism."

Pakistan: Mr. Najeeb Farooq

Pakistan: Mr. Najeeb Farooq

4. Papers published so far

• Abbas, M., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Water demand estimation in service areas with limited numbers of customer meters-Case study in Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Lahore, Pakistan, Water, 14, 2191, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142197
• Alfonso, S. M., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Inequalities in access and consumption of safely managed water due to socio-economic factors: Evidence from Quezon City, Philippines, Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2021.100117
• Indrastuti, Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Evaluation of microbial contamination of groundwater under different topographic conditions and household water treatment systems in Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, Water, 13, 1673, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w13121673
• Khaing K. S., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Assessment of billed-unmetered water consumption to improve water utility management in Yangon City, J. JSCE Ser. G (Environmental Research), Vol. 63, No. 7, III277-III285, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.2208/jscejer.76.7_III_277
• Khanal, S., Sawangjanb, B., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Performance assessment of household water treatment and safe storage in Khatmndu Valley, Nepal. Water, 15, 2305, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122305
• Mitria, W., Sawangjanb, B., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Assessment of water reclamation and reuse in Bali Province, Indonesia, Water, 15, 2642, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142642
• Phea, S., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Performance assessment for increasing connection rates of private water supply operators in Cambodia. 2369, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152369
• Purwandari, T. W., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Water consumption analysis of small islands supplied with desalinated water in Indonesia, J. JSCE, Ser. G ( Environmental Research), Vol. 77, No. 7, III-129-III_140, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.2208/jscejer.77.7_III_129
• Shresta, A., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Influence of service levels and COVID-19 on water supply inequalities of community-managed service providers in Nepal, Water, 13, 1349, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w13101349
• Taftazani, R., Kazama, S., Takizawa, Spatial analysis of groundwater abstraction and land subsidence for planning the piped water supply in Jakarta, Indonesia. Water, 14,3197, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w14203197
• Urfanisa, D., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Evaluation of a slum upgrading program for improvement of water supply in Bandung City, Indonesia. Water, 14, 3025, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193025
• Zin, N. N., Kazama, S., Takizawa, S., Network model analysis of residual chlorine to reduce disinfection byproducts in water supply systems in Yangon City , Myanmar, Water, 13, 2921, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202921