Japan has come forth to clarify the issue of Africa Hometown, saying the concept was essentially meant to revitalize the country’s regions by further strengthening the relationships that local governments have built with African countries.
“The purpose of JICA Africa Hometown is to contribute to solving African issues and revitalizing Japan’s regions by further strengthening the relationships that local governments have built with African countries,” an official statement from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
According to the JICA statement, the agency has certified each of the four designated cities as a ‘JICA Africa Hometown,’ to promote exchanges between Imabari City and Mozambique in Ehime Prefecture, Kisarazu City in Chiba Prefecture and Nigeria, Sanjo City in Niigata Prefecture and Ghana, and Nagai City in Yamagata Prefecture and Tanzania.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) supports international exchange in each city through human resource exchanges and support for collaborative events.
It was explained that, having such ties that serve as a foundation for two-way exchanges of human resources will contribute to Japan’s national interest in fostering personnel who can be a link to Africa, given expectations that the continent’s population will play a key role in global development as it continues to grow.
Local authorities hope that the designations would lead to an increase in their cities’ populations, which would contribute toward their regional revitalization efforts.