Applying Research Findings to Aid Strategies in Africa

From her collaborative study with FASID, Muto spoke on the impact of business skill training on micro and small entrepreneurs in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania. Her results suggested that, by learning such skills as basic accounting, process control and marketing, business performance can be improved.

Reflecting on the feedback, JICA Senior Special Advisor Hiroto Arakawa commented that the research findings provide evidence for the synergy effects of JICA's three development schemes: Official Development Assistance Loans, Grant Aid and Technical Cooperation. He added that there is no way JICA would not apply these findings to its operations. Voicing his expectations, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Promotion Office Director Ichiro Tanbo said that JICA is not simply expected to develop infrastructure, but also to lead employment opportunities and development of industries while encouraging related businesses through its operations. He feels the research results presented at this seminar meet such expectations. Such research can produce synergies within JICA's assistance of cross-border infrastructure and "one-stop border posts," and, through TICAD V planned for 2013, may also contribute to policy messages for achieving trade investment and economic growth, according to Tanbo.