JICA President Tanaka Visited Burundi and South Africa
2026.05.18
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From January 25 to February 2, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko visited the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of South Africa, where he met with the presidents of both nations, held discussions with representatives of international organizations, and visited JICA cooperation project sites. Through these visits, President Tanaka reaffirmed the importance of cooperation with Burundi, a country contributing to regional stability and development in the Great Lakes Region (*Note) through hosting refugees from neighboring nations, as well as the increasingly vital relationship with South Africa amid current global affairs, and the impacts of collaborative initiatives with JICA.
【Burundi】
In the economic capital of Bujumbura, President Tanaka met with President Ndayishimiye of Burundi and other government officials, while also visiting some JICA cooperation project sites. During the meeting with President Ndayishimiye, both leaders reaffirmed the advancement of cooperative relationship between Japan and Burundi since the end of the nation’s civil war and discussed strengthening collaboration toward regional stability and humanitarian crisis response in the Great Lakes Region. President Tanaka also expressed that JICA will continue to contribute to the sustainable development of Burundi through providing cooperation for reconstruction, human resource development, and infrastructure rehabilitation.
Burundi President Ndayishimiye (right) and JICA President Tanaka (left)
Visit to Prince Regent Charles Hospital
President Tanaka also met with representatives from the Burundi office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to discuss responses to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes Region. They exchanged views on continuing collaborative efforts to facilitate peaceful coexistence and the improvement of social services in refugee-hosting districts.
(*Note) The Great Lakes Region is home to a cluster of massive lakes formed along the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Centering on Lake Victoria, the region encompasses countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the area is known for its rich nature and dense population, it has also faced persistent conflicts over issues such as resource rights. Intervention from neighboring countries has further complicated these issues, leading to a long history of complex disputes.
Meeting at UNHCR Burundi office
【South Africa】
President Tanaka met with President Ramaphosa of South Africa and other government officials in the capital city Pretoria. He also had a discussion with CEO Bekele-Thomas of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and visited JICA project sites.
During the meeting with President Ramaphosa, who expressed his gratitude for JICA’s more than 30 years of cooperation for South Africa, the two leaders exchanged views on the country’s challenges, including unemployment and the capacity development of governmental institutions. President Tanaka also met with Minister of Finance Godongwana and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lamola and discussed possibilities for future collaboration.
Meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
During the meeting with AUDA-NEPAD CEO Bekele-Thomas, President Tanaka expressed his gratitude for the partnership maintained since 2014 and stated that JICA would further deepen its collaboration with both AUDA-NEPAD and African nations to contribute to the realization of Agenda 2063, Africa’s long-term development goals. Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), the scope of cooperation with AUDA-NEPAD has expanded from five areas to twelve new sub-themes.
In his meeting with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), a South African government-affiliated development finance institution, the CEO expressed appreciation for the long-standing partnership between JICA and DBSA since 2010, specifically for the dispatch of JICA experts in various fields—such as regional integration, non-revenue water management, and green finance—as well as for loans provided in the green finance sector. Both parties agreed to further deepen their collaboration moving forward.
Additionally, President Tanaka visited local micro, small, and medium enterprises scheduled to receive financing through FirstRand Bank Limited (FRB), a major local private bank and the borrower under the "Project to Promote Sustainable Finance in South Africa”, a private-sector investment finance agreement signed with JICA on January 27, 2026. His visits included a barber shop entrepreneur engaged in franchise expansion and developing young talents, as well as an entrepreneur operating a cafe that specializes in African specialty coffee. Through these site visits, President Tanaka reaffirmed that loans to local entrepreneurs are effectively leading to job creation.
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