{"id":266904,"date":"2025-12-01T13:51:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T14:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/?p=266904"},"modified":"2025-12-01T15:06:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:06:55","slug":"university-of-tokyo-and-afdb-partner-with-up-to-develop-africa-asia-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/builder\/university-of-tokyo-and-afdb-partner-with-up-to-develop-africa-asia-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Tokyo and AfDB partner with UP to develop Africa\u2013Asia leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>\n

The University of Pretoria (UP), the African Development Bank<\/a> (AfDB), and Japan\u2019s University of Tokyo<\/a> have forged a new Africa\u2013Asia partnership aimed at working together to develop the next generation of leaders for inter-regional public\u2013private partnerships.<\/span><\/p>\n

The partnership is receiving financial support from the Japanese Government through the Japan Trust Fund, administered by the AfDB, and was signed on behalf of UP by Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Francis Petersen. <\/span><\/p>\n

It also aims to strengthen research and networking capacity, promote sustainable industrialisation and innovation in the agribusiness sector, and enhance Africa\u2013Asia business collaboration to support youth entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise (SME) development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Petersen expressed deep gratitude to the Japanese government, the University of Tokyo and the AfDB. \u201cAmid the geopolitical uncertainty we are experiencing, partnerships like this are proof that positive growth and cooperation strongly counterbalance these challenges,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are delighted to join hands with the African Development Bank and the University of Tokyo, one of the leading universities in the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can learn so much from Japan, with its sustainable industrial policy centred on key initiatives, such as Green Transformation (GX), Digital Transformation (DX), AI, robotics [Japan is the global leader in industrial robotics] and automation, semiconductors, ship-building, aerospace and defence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Petersen said innovation, entrepreneurship, digitalisation and sustainable industrialisation are imperative for South Africa and the continent\u2019s growth. \u201cWe welcome the drive for knowledge without borders [and the] innovation and development this partnership represents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Francis Petersen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a top research-intensive university in Africa, UP is working at the frontier of transdisciplinary research, innovation, engagement and entrepreneurship to accelerate development and address society\u2019s most complex challenges, including unemployment, climate change, biodiversity loss, and food and economic insecurity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Future Africa at UP, together with the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy, will lead the implementation of the partnership. Future Africa is UP\u2019s collaborative platform for research that works across the sciences and with the government, business and society to address complex challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Petersen said that with a student population of 56 453 at UP \u2013 the largest number of enrolled contact students in a South African university \u2013 \u201cwe have a duty to produce graduates who are well prepared for the rapidly evolving future of work, and who can take sustainability into their professions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In South Africa, out of a population of over 60 million people, approximately 60% of 15- to 24-year-olds are unemployed, along with over 40% of 25- to 34-year-olds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo actively reduce these massive unemployment levels, we need programmes that empower our young people to start and grow active, successful businesses that create employment. Business entrepreneurial incubation is essential to achieve this,\u201d Prof Petersen added.<\/span><\/p>\n

This Africa\u2013Asia partnership emanates from the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), convened from 20 to 22 August 2025 in Yokohama City in Japan with the theme \u2018Co-create innovative solutions with Africa\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

University of Tokyo and AfDB partner with UP to develop Africa\u2013Asia leaders.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Government of Japan has been leading this conference since 1993. It is attended by heads of state and delegations from Japan and African Union member states, together with representatives from the co-organisers, namely the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. <\/span><\/p>\n

The three pillars of TICAD \u2013 economy, society, peace and stability \u2013 establish the preconditions for inclusive growth and sustainable development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yokohama Declaration drawn up at TICAD 9 highlights the \u201ctremendous opportunities\u201d possible with Africa\u2019s young population and abundant resources, and also recognises the multifaceted challenges the continent faces in realising sustainable economic growth and development. <\/span><\/p>\n

It stresses the importance of an enabling business environment, increasing technological development \u2013 particularly in the AI and data sectors \u2013 trade and investment, fostering economic integration, diversification and value-addition, investing in infrastructure, human capital and home-grown innovation, improving access to affordable finance for development, and supporting African countries in strengthening economic governance and business environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

An excerpt from the declaration states: <\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe encourage productive partnerships between Japan and Africa to promote investment, support innovation from the private sector through deeper collaboration between Japanese and African companies, and facilitate technology cooperation. <\/span><\/p>\n

We recognise the importance of co-creating an enabling environment to drive the digital transformation of Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

We note the imperative need to harness Africa\u2019s demographic dividend through investment in people and promotion of decent work, especially for Africa\u2019s youthful population through youth apprenticeship and tax incentives for firms employing youth in the AI\/data sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recognise the critical role of efficient transport and logistics infrastructure in unlocking Africa\u2019s trade potential, we commit to accelerating investments in sustainable and resilient infrastructure networks across road, rail, maritime, and aviation modes of transport.<\/span><\/p>\n

We underscored the need to partner in building sustainable and smart cities with adequate urban mobility solutions that respond to the rapid urbanisation and resilience building, which supports an inclusive transport system.<\/span><\/p>\n

We underscore the need for co-creating an open, reliable, and resilient industrial innovation and start-up eco-systems that can sustainably attract and manage domestic and external resources to realise economic prosperity and social well-being for Africa and Japan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Petersen encouraged the parties involved to focus on collaboration. \u201cWe have this unique window to create a very deliberate, positive future for our country and continent,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether with the African Development Bank, the University of Tokyo and the Government of Japan, we welcome the opportunity of what we can achieve together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Pretoria (UP), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Japan\u2019s University of Tokyo have forged a new Africa\u2013Asia partnership aimed at working together to develop the next generation of leaders for inter-regional public\u2013private partnerships.The partnership is receiving financial support from the Japanese Government through the Japan Trust Fund, administered by the AfDB, and was signed on behalf of UP by Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Francis Petersen.\u00a0It also aims to strengthen research and networking capacity, promote sustainable industrialisation and innovation in the agribusiness sector, and enhance Africa\u2013Asia business collaboration to support youth entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise (SME) development.Prof Petersen expressed deep gratitude to the Japanese government, the University of Tokyo and the AfDB. \u201cAmid the geopolitical uncertainty we are experiencing, partnerships like this are proof that positive growth and cooperation strongly counterbalance these challenges,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are delighted to join hands with the African Development Bank and the University of Tokyo, one of the leading universities in the world.\u00a0\u201cWe can learn so much from Japan, with its sustainable industrial policy centred on key initiatives, such as Green Transformation (GX), Digital Transformation (DX), AI, robotics [Japan is the global leader in industrial robotics] and automation, semiconductors, ship-building, aerospace and defence.\u201dProf Petersen said innovation, entrepreneurship, digitalisation and sustainable industrialisation are imperative for South Africa and the continent\u2019s growth. \u201cWe welcome the drive for knowledge without borders [and the] innovation and development this partnership represents.\u201dProf Francis PetersenAs a top research-intensive university in Africa, UP is working at the frontier of transdisciplinary research, innovation, engagement and entrepreneurship to accelerate development and address society\u2019s most complex challenges, including unemployment, climate change, biodiversity loss, and food and economic insecurity.Future Africa at UP, together with the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy, will lead the implementation of the partnership. Future Africa is UP\u2019s collaborative platform for research that works across the sciences and with the government, business and society to address complex challenges.Prof Petersen said that with a student population of 56 453 at UP \u2013 the largest number of enrolled contact students in a South African university \u2013 \u201cwe have a duty to produce graduates who are well prepared for the rapidly evolving future of work, and who can take sustainability into their professions.\u201dIn South Africa, out of a population of over 60 million people, approximately 60% of 15- to 24-year-olds are unemployed, along with over 40% of 25- to 34-year-olds.\u201cTo actively reduce these massive unemployment levels, we need programmes that empower our young people to start and grow active, successful businesses that create employment. Business entrepreneurial incubation is essential to achieve this,\u201d Prof Petersen added.This Africa\u2013Asia partnership emanates from the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), convened from 20 to 22 August 2025 in Yokohama City in Japan with the theme \u2018Co-create innovative solutions with Africa\u2019.University of Tokyo and AfDB partner with UP to develop Africa\u2013Asia leaders.The Government of Japan has been leading this conference since 1993. It is attended by heads of state and delegations from Japan and African Union member states, together with representatives from the co-organisers, namely the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.\u00a0The three pillars of TICAD \u2013 economy, society, peace and stability \u2013 establish the preconditions for inclusive growth and sustainable development.The Yokohama Declaration drawn up at TICAD 9 highlights the \u201ctremendous opportunities\u201d possible with Africa\u2019s young population and abundant resources, and also recognises the multifaceted challenges the continent faces in realising sustainable economic growth and development.\u00a0It stresses the importance of an enabling business environment, increasing technological development \u2013 particularly in the AI and data sectors \u2013 trade and investment, fostering economic integration, diversification and value-addition, investing in infrastructure, human capital and home-grown innovation, improving access to affordable finance for development, and supporting African countries in strengthening economic governance and business environments.An excerpt from the declaration states:\u00a0\u201cWe encourage productive partnerships between Japan and Africa to promote investment, support innovation from the private sector through deeper collaboration between Japanese and African companies, and facilitate technology cooperation.\u00a0We recognise the importance of co-creating an enabling environment to drive the digital transformation of Africa.We note the imperative need to harness Africa\u2019s demographic dividend through investment in people and promotion of decent work, especially for Africa\u2019s youthful population through youth apprenticeship and tax incentives for firms employing youth in the AI\/data sectors.We recognise the critical role of efficient transport and logistics infrastructure in unlocking Africa\u2019s trade potential, we commit to accelerating investments in sustainable and resilient infrastructure networks across road, rail, maritime, and aviation modes of transport.We underscored the need to partner in building sustainable and smart cities with adequate urban mobility solutions that respond to the rapid urbanisation and resilience building, which supports an inclusive transport system.We underscore the need for co-creating an open, reliable, and resilient industrial innovation and start-up eco-systems that can sustainably attract and manage domestic and external resources to realise economic prosperity and social well-being for Africa and Japan.\u201dProf Petersen encouraged the parties involved to focus on collaboration. \u201cWe have this unique window to create a very deliberate, positive future for our country and continent,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether with the African Development Bank, the University of Tokyo and the Government of Japan, we welcome the opportunity of what we can achieve together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-builder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266904"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266909,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266904\/revisions\/266909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}