ASIATODAY.ID, BALI – The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) which aims to strengthen the partnership between Indonesia and JICA in development cooperation in Africa.
The MoC was signed by the Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, and JICA Senior Vice President, Naoki Ando. The signing of this MoC took place on the sidelines of the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali, which will be held on 1-3 September 2024.
This MoC is one of the main outcomes of IAF 2, which aims to strengthen development cooperation in Africa and support the goals of Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“I am proud to be able to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between Indonesia and JICA today, which is expected to strengthen partnerships in development efforts in Africa. It is important to note that this MoC will be the basis for further cooperation between Indonesia and JICA, and encourages us to continue to contribute positive for development in Africa,” said Siti Nugraha Mauludiah.
Naoki Ando, Senior Vice President of JICA explained, “I am currently responsible for Africa and have previously worked in several offices in Africa. I have also been in Indonesia as JICA’s Chief Representative from 2015 to 2018. Through this experience, I know that Indonesia’s development, and cooperation based on that experience, has contributed to Africa, and can contribute even more. With this MoC, JICA strengthens triangular cooperation with Bandung Spirit for the Africa Agenda 2063, and continues to work for Africa with Indonesia as a strong partner,”
The Bandung Spirit was born from the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955 as a form of solidarity and cooperation between countries to advance development in developing countries. The spirit of Bandung then inspired the development of south-south and triangular cooperation, including JICA-Indonesia cooperation.
This MoC covers several important sectors, including health, energy, food security, and trade and investment. The two parties will continue to coordinate closely to explore the implementation of concrete development cooperation projects in Africa.
Currently, Indonesia and JICA are developing cooperation in preparing a handbook related to maternal-child health which will be distributed to various countries, including Africa. These projects are also implementations of the MoC and contribute towards the 9th Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development (TICAD) meeting in 2025.
Mr Ando said, the 9th TICAD will be held in Japan next year.
“I hope to continue discussions with Indonesia regarding African development at the side-event of the event, and then work together towards the same goals such as the SDGs and Agenda 2063.”
“Through the signing of this MoC, we hope to facilitate closer cooperation between Indonesia, Japan and African countries, as well as advance sustainable development that provides positive benefits for communities throughout the world,” emphasized Siti Nugraha Mauludiah. (AT Network)
Follow Us at Google News and WA Channel