JICA Investment Promotion and Business Environment Reform (Basics) (B)

This training course aims to promote sustainable and inclusive development by revitalizing domestic industries, primarily through support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and simultaneously improving the business environment to encourage foreign investment. It was conducted as a one-month training program in Japan for participants from various African countries.

At the beginning of the training, the course leader, a university professor, posed three questions to the participants:

• Do African countries possess the industrial structures necessary for sustainable growth?
• For whom are we creating this business environment? And, as individuals interacting with foreign investors, are we able to engage in dialogue while understanding the cultural differences of each country?

• Do African entrepreneurs have the motivation and ability to invest more in sectors that lead to sustainable industrial development?

Throughout the approximately four-week training program, the participants deepened their reflections on these points.

After organizing their respective countries’ comparative advantages and challenges, participants visited relevant Japanese ministries to learn about policies for attracting investment and improving the business environment in Japan. They also visited large corporations expanding into Africa and small and medium-sized enterprises supporting local industries in order to understand local challenges and investor sentiment.

We hope that the action plans created by each participant during the training will be implemented, promoting investment and reforming the business environment in the participating countries.

 

【Yuzen Dyeing Experience】

【Problem Analysis Workshop】

【Action Plan Presentation Completed】