【Workshop Report】New Asian Approaches to Africa –Potentialities and Challenges-

The international workshop New Asian Approaches to Africa –Potentialities and Challenges- marked its start with Prof. Iwata’s introduction, in which the workshop’s goal was revealed as publication in the U.S. and the object was to examine the potential collaboration among Asian actors rather than highlighting their rivalry or dispute.

Session 1: Asian Forums (initiatives) for Africa’s Development chaired by Scarlet Cornelissen (Professor, Stellenbosch University) was opened by Gina Aghnia Virginenty (MA, Ritsumeikan) presenting on the behalf of Aparajita Biswas (Emeritus Professor, Mumbai University) who could not attend the symposium herself. Titled Evolution of India – India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) since its Inception in 2008, discussion evolved through analyzing IAFS’s achievements and concluded that India’s engagement with African countries are at three levels: bilateral, regional and multilateral and remains mutually beneficial.

Then followed Hyo-Sook Kim’s report South Korea’s Approaches to Africa Emerging Middle Power Diplomacy and the Korea-Africa Forum, examining South Korea’s foreign policy by focusing on the activity of KAF (Korea-Africa Forum). Kim analysed KAF’s limitation in establishing Korean-African cooperative relationship, which was argued as the result of mismatch between Korea’s national identity as a middle power and the actual diplomatic strategies and behaviours of the KAF.

Session 1 was closed by Motoki Takahashi’s (Professor, Kyoto University) presentation on Japan’s engagement with Africa. Japan in Changing Landscape of African Development: History of TICADs and the World reviewed TICAD’s (Tokyo International Conference of African Development) activity as shifting from passing Asian experience to economic growth support and investment, reflecting African countries’ economic leap. Takahashi ended the presentation by suggesting that Japan should focus on backing African initiated development in cooperation with China rather than competing with it.

Last for Session 2 was A Turning Point of Japan’s Soft Power Strategies in Africa by Takuo Iwata (Professor, Ritsumeikan University). On discussing Asia-Africa relations, Iwata stresses that focusing on soft power and how it is intertwined with hard power is crucial. To examine Japan’s soft power in Africa, Iwata argues that in decline of material based influence compared to China, the Japanese authorities have become more keen on soft power strategies recently but that there is more that can be done.

Session 3: New phase of Asian Approaches to Africa chaired by Huaqiong Pan was commenced by Pedro Amakasu Raposo (Professor, Knasai University) on Small Peasants: The Missing Link in the ProSAVANA Triangle. Amakasu Raposo argued that small peasants are the weakest in the development chain of Mozambique’s ProSavana Project which in the ideal of South-South Development Cooperation (SSDC), should have been the strongest. In the presentation, Brazil SSDC and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were brought into examination as the actors of the ProSAVANA Project.

Second was Scarlet Cornelissen (Professor, Stellenbosch University) on Japanese Firms and their Internationalisation in Africa. By highlighting investment and related internationalization patterns, Cornelissen demonstrated the change and dynamics in Japanese firms’ relationship with African countries. Revealing that Japanese investments tend to be more of a long-term and that still regards Africa as risky and unfamiliar, conclusion was that the change over the last decade is not solely dependent on business strategies but economic/ political conditions and more.

Last but not the least was Masumi Owa (Lecturer, Chukyo University) on Changing Aid Architecture in Africa through the Encounter between OECD and Non-OECD Countries. Owa’s argument was that due to rise of the non-OECD countries, development cooperation has become more complex. The non-OECD countries have a different approach compared to OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors, and that bipolarity has been expanded. Hence, the rising African countries, such as Uganda, takes the opportunity in balancing the power relationships between the OECD and non-OECD countries.

Each session was closed by a discussion involving not only the panelists but guests: Katsuhiko Kitagawa (Emeritus Professor, Kansai Univeristy), Carl LeVan (Assosicate Professor, American University) and Ra Mason (Lecturer, University of East Anglia). Discussion was vibrant, forcing the chair persons to call it an end due to limited time.

The Workshop was concluded by Iwata, wishing that the mutual discussion and communication contributed to each paper, which shall be turned in by March 15 2019. Iwata showed gratitude to everyone’s contribution and as he expressed that “the workshop is over but your work continues” the room burst into laughter.

Written and photos taken by Hirohisa Pero Fukuda (Doctoral Student at the Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences)