Daily Trust - the online edition

Japan does not attach any strings whenever it reaches out in magnanimity to less endowed nations as its gesture has always been informed by the desire to assist for its sake, and neither does it accompany such with heavy drum beat, so says Mr. Toshitsugu Uesawa, Japan’s ambassador to Nigeria. A veteran of African affairs and his country’s official Development Assistance Programme, Ambassador Uesawa told Daily Trust in exclusive interview that his country’s benevolence to Nigeria is simply informed by Japan’s desire to be a developmental partner with no strings attached.

He acknowledged that development and progress are better made and even enhanced under a democratic culture and process but Japan does not brow beat her assistance recipients in to any formula to attain the process. Ambassador Uesawa said that if Japan and Nigeria can shake hands and build a strategic relation, mountains can be moved in the development challenge of Africa. According to the envoy, Africa is heart of the world, and the globe would move more steadily and confidently if the plights and blights of the continent are attended to in a more purposeful manner, noting that African possibilities and potentialities far exceed its current lethargy. Putting Nigeria as the fulcrum of African development the Japanese envoy said that his country is determined to turn the tide in the critical affront against poverty and underdevelopment. Ambassador Uesawa pointed clearly that in facing down the development challenges in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, Japan asked for noting and will not ask for anything except for the radiant smiles of people weaned from the clutches of poverty.

Japan travelled a hard road to her current preeminence in economic development. Having been brought to ruins after the second war, it took advantage of the pacifist constitution imposed by the victorious powers to turn to economic modernization and development. And having experience the privation of economic ruin and social dislocation brought by defeat, Japan takes African development challenge to the core of her global development partnership. As a member of the group of eight most industrialized countries, Japan pioneered the African outreach of the annual summit of group, which has brought leaders of the continent to the G8 forum. Japan has instituted a forum on global focus on the challenges of development in Africa. Next month, the fourth round of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) will hold in the city of Yokohama.

TICAD is a policy forum for African development which Japan initiated in 1993 with other co-organisers including UN, UNDP and World Bank while political awareness of African Development by the international community was declining due to the end of the cold war. TICAD I provided an important opportunity to renew the public awareness of the international community about Africa. After TICAD I, the TICAD process has led the initiative of the assistance for Africa in the international community by holding summit level conference every five years (TICAD II in 1998 and TICAD III in 2003) and ministerial and other meetings on sectoral issues such as trade and investment, consolidation of peace as well as environmental conservation and energy. At TICAD IV, three priorities have been identified. First will be boosting economic growth in Africa with a view to strengthening support in order to make the current strong economic growth in Nigeria self sustained, more pro-poor and inclusive. Secondly, to ensure human security and thirdly addressing environmental issues and climate change. Japan’s mainstreaming of critical portion of her oversea development assistance to African seen to have been encapsulated in the vision of her former prime minister, Mr. Yoshiro Mori, that "with solving problems in Africa, the world will never enjoy peace and prosperity.

Ambassador Uesawa quite agrees and as practical step, and road map, the embassy of Japan in Nigeria has designed the 7 point agenda on Japanese assistance to Nigeria. The seven point agenda includes the definition of the goals of the Japan assistance to Nigeria as the "happiness of every one of Nigeria", with a pro-poor approach. The selling point of the agenda is "sincerity and technology, while its rule would be "Nigerian ownership first. The forty of the agenda is to "give hope and opportunity to the poor by providing water, electricity and education, to the amount volume 333 billion naira the agenda anchors its policy platform on Tokoyo International Conference on Africa Development TICAD and the group of eight most industrialized nation’s summit.

Since Nigeria became independent in 1960, Japan has made a great deal of assistance to the tune of N338,087,000,000, starting with loans for Arewa Fabric Factory expansion, Unitechs factory expansion, National Railway expansion and Lagos – Kaduna coaxial cabling in 1966. Since then Japan has never looked back in official development assistance but rather added in speed and expanded the scope of the development assistance. Since 1999 through the grant assistance for grassroots human security projects (GGP) in Nigeria, up tot 2007, Japan has expended the sum of US$ 3,829,466 in the execution 89 projects in rural communities through direct grant to non-governmental organization. Most of the projects include provision of boreholes, renovation and rehabilitation of primary schools, expansion of health clinics etc.

Japan, according to the document on the seven point agenda of development assistance to Nigeria said that Nigeria’s image in Japan is that of a leader in Africa with enormous political, economic and cultural influence. Nigeria is also view as the engine for African development, with the largest economic potential given the resource endowment, both material and human.

In term if focus, the development assistance programme will revolve around three key sectors of education, which has gulped 2.1 billion naira, water at a cost of 3.5 billion naira and energy that has taken a more staggering chunk of 6.1 billion naira. The uniqueness of Japan’s assistance is that Nigerians are the main actors the crucial development challenge. And in other to lead to Nigeria’s self, effort, Japan’s assistance would eschew any unnecessary conditionalities.

The Japan’s envoy to Nigeria expressed confidence that his country’s generous assistance will provide the base for its beneficiaries to engage in self-improvement effort. According to him, the philosophy of the assistance is not to give hand outs, but to stimulate and propel to self-drive towards a more sustainable development. In offering to assist Nigeria, the envoy said that ordinary Japanese whose taxes create the funds for the development assistance would ask for nothing except prudent and transparent use of the provided funds. Nigeria’s potential for greatness is evident that Japan’s assistance is apparent tailored to stimulate the actualization of it.

Ambassador Uesawa said clearly that Japan is a partner, Nigeria can trust and also states clearly that the main challenge of Nigeria development rest with Nigerians and their government.

From the Chinade community in Bauchi State to Akpagher village in Gboko, Benue State, Umueze-aka, Aguaga L.G.A. in Anambra State, Koma hills in Jada L.G. in Adamawa, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State, Zherugba community, Obi L.G. in Nasarawa State, among numerous others across the country, it has been smiles of running water, school desks, courtesy of the large-hearted Japanese. The trend is such that very soon far flung communities inaccessible to critical social amenities will have cause to smile as a result of large-heartedness of the Japanese people.