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On June 26, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a memorandum of cooperation with the French Development Agency (AFD: Agence Française de Développement)* at the opportunity of the France-Japan summit. This memorandum aims to facilitate a stronger partnership between the agencies in order to contribute to better development projects and to achieve SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in developing countries.

The remarkable growth in the Indo-Pacific region and significant potential in Africa comes with increasing development needs for quality infrastructure and actions against climate change. With this in mind, there is an ever greater need for Japan and France to cooperate in contributing to economic development in these regions.

The AFD is a French governmental organization which provides development assistance, boasting an annual project budget that exceeds 10 billion euros. In addition to providing assistance in Africa for many years, the agency has a wealth of experience in providing support in the private sector in order to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries. The AFD is one of JICA’s closest allies among European development partners, and signing this memorandum is expected to facilitate a stronger partnership and enable effective development in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa, as well as a greater level of cooperation.

JICA looks forward to responding to the diverse needs of developing partner countries and actively contributing to providing solutions to development challenges from here on.

*French Development Agency: Established in 1941, this is the main agency that implements official development assistance (ODA) of France (including assistance to overseas French territories).