JICA and SOAS Held a Joint Workshop on Inclusive Development in Africa

On February 15 and 16, JICA and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, organized a joint workshop entitled “Institutional Foundation of Inclusive Development in Africa.” in London, UK. This workshop followed on the first one, which was also held here with a title of “Understanding Institutional Foundation for Inclusive Development through a Comparative Analysis of Asian and African Experiences.”

In his presentation, Hosono pointed out, “Those who live in high risk zones, because they don’t have other options due to poverty, are much more exposed to risks than others. Enhancing resilience is, therefore, essential for the poor not to be excluded from social system.” Then he listed three aspects that are crucial to disaster risk management in developing countries: (1) prevention and reduction of risk with use of the reconstruction design of the Great East Japan Earthquake; (2) tackle for the changes of risk over time, considering the effects of climate change, urbanization and others; and (3) the importance of capacity development in governments, particularly local governments, as well as in communities and citizens. Furthermore, as examples of disaster prevention measures in developing countries, he introduced JICA’s BOSAI and TAISHIN projects in Latin America, and noted that programs of urban redevelopment with land readjustment can be an effective approach to address urban poverty, slums and disaster prevention.

During the concluding session, Professor Machiko Nissanke of SOAS and Hosono as moderators, overviewed the policy recommendations for accelerating inclusive development in Africa, based on the presentation of Kimiaki Jin, Chief Representative of JICA UK Office.