28th January 2019, African Union Headquarters – The African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Amb. Kwesi Quartey, held discussions with Mr. Ryuichi Kato, the Director General of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on the progress of implementation of the activities and projects undertaken with the African Union. They deliberated on the joint collaboration in education, scientific research, infrastructure, food security and health, to accelerate the realization of the AU’s Agenda 2063.

As Africa seeks to reposition itself as a global player, Amb. Quartey emphasized on the development of knowledge and skills to empower Africa’s youthful population through education and training, to unlock the continent’s potential. Mr. Kato, on his part, committed to continue extending support to the JKUAT-hosted Pan-African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI) in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of the support to Africa’s education agenda.

To address the skills deficit on the continent, the African Union Commission established the Pan-African Universities (PAU) to promote science and technology and to enhance the competitiveness of Africans in the global economy. PAU is a post-graduate training and research network of university nodes in five regions. It is supported by the African Union.

Acknowledging the nexus between education, skills development and industrialization, Amb. Quartey underscored the need to enhance the productive capacities to facilitate domestic and regional trade. He identified the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, the Single Air Transport Agreement, and the African passport, as some of the indicators of Africa’s commitment to development.

Mr. Kato, expressed JICA’s shared commitment to support projects under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD (currently under transformation into the African Union Development Agency), such as the regional infrastructure development and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). NEPAD’s transformation into the African Union Development Agency seeks to provide greater conceptual coherence to enable effective delivery of Agenda 2063.
The African Union and JICA are also collaborating on supporting the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in regional centres. The collaboration in various public health aspects is aimed at combating the threat of infectious diseases in Africa.
At the same time, the Deputy Chairperson also discussed the preparations for the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) with Amb. Fumio Shimizu, Japan’s Ambassador to the African Union, who was present in the meeting. TICAD 7 will be held in Yokohama, Japan later this year.

Source: African Union Website