A p r i l – M a y 2 0 1 9 JICA NEWSLETTER

Volume III, Issue I

JICA Everyday

A r e a s o f Cooperation :

Agriculture 1

SATREPS 2

E d u c a t i o n 3

Industrial 3 - 4 P r o m o t i o n

Infrastructure 4 (road+energy)

Infrastructure 5 ( w a t e r )

V o l u n t e e r s 5

Up- N e x t 6 w i t h J I C A

JICA staff participated in the annual AACRA Road Safety Awareness Relay Race on May 26, 2019.

I n d e x - based Insurance to Benefit Smallholder Farmers

A new project, At the request of the Ethiopian govern- based insurance among six target zones in “Development of Plant-derived Soil ment to further build on a previous pro- Oromia Region. This project is unique in ject on rural resilience enhancement, that it will also require the close collabora- Stabilizing Additives to Problematic JICA launched the “Index-based Crop tion of local insurance companies to design Soil as a Means to Mitigate Road Insurance Promotion (ICIP) project” on packages that will be beneficial to the farm- Disasters”, is one of the nine SA- April 19, 2019. The five-year project will ers as well as worthwhile for the insurance TREPS projects that were approved not only focus on providing insurance to companies. globally, this month. farmers, but will provide bundled pack- ages of agricultural support such as It is expected that the project will insure If the rains fail, if they come too late farming technology, fertilizer, seeds and 20,000 farmers within Oromia Region in the or if they do not fall as much as ex- microfinance. These bundled packages, next five years. The long-term goal is for pected, the effects on smallholder called Resilience Enhancement Packages the Government of Ethiopia to scale-up and farmers can be catastrophic. In (REPs), will ensure that several options are made available to the farmers based disseminate index-based crop insurance 2016, due to El Nino, the rains did nationwide. not fall as expected during the rainy on their agro-ecological locations and season in Ethiopia. The drought that farming systems. The REPs provide a followed affected tens of thousands way to minimize two types of risks for of people and the farmers lost their the farmers, risk control and risk fi- crops and livestock. While the nance. They control risk by providing weather cannot be controlled, it is water saving technologies, providing important to install measures that seed, fertilizer, or providing micro- can help farmers’ buildup reliance to finance. These are bundled with weath- the effects of drought. One measure er-index crop insurance, which minimize is to develop index-based crop insur- risk finance. ance system that will allow farmers to reduce the risks associated with JICA will be working with the Ministry of shortage of rainfall, erratic rainfall Agriculture (MoA) and the Oromia Bu- patterns and drought. reau of Agriculture and Natural Re- sources (OBoANR) to promote index- A smallholder farmer's plot. Such farmers will be the beneficiaries of index-based insurance. Page 2 JICA ETHIOPIA NEWSLETTER

MNGD Project to Transform Ethiopian Rural Roads

Problematic soils, represent- gy University (AASTU) are The five-year research pro- place in Japan and at Jinka Uni- ed by black cotton soil, are taking the lead in developing ject, which will run from April versity on road disaster manage- widely found in Africa. Expan- plant-derived soil additives 2019 to March 2024, aims to ment for Ethiopian researchers. sive soil covers more than and their operation model to develop a cellulose-based One of the outputs of the project will be to produce manuals and 10% of Ethiopia’s 1.1million reduce road disasters on product, which can be added 2 guidelines for building roads on km of total land area. This problematic soil. to the soil to stabilize the problematic soil, especially for soil, which is prone to shrink- sub-base of roads. In Japan, The Universal Rural Road villages identified for road disaster ing or swelling due to chang- a cellulose-based powder countermeasures in South Omo Access Program (URRAP) es in water volume, causes called celldoron has proven Zone. roads to crack and lift up. designed by the Government effective when added to con- This damages existing roads of Ethiopia, seeks to free crete mix for making roads. This projects contribution towards and in some cases leaves rural residents from the road In Ethiopia, researchers will the SDGs communities isolated as their access constraints by con- be studying ensete (false entrance to main roads is cut necting all kebele’s banana leaves) and other off, leaving them without (neighbourhoods) to all plants in South Omo Zone to access to social services and weather-roads. It stresses see if their cellulose can be trade routes. that rural roads should be used as a soil-stabilizing improved and maintained so additive. Expansive soils present sig- that they can be accessible nificant geotechnical and year-round, in all weather Jinka University, which is structural engineering chal- conditions. The second located in South Omo Zone lenges globally. Therefore, phase of URRAP highlights and the Ethiopian Roads Au- JICA has chosen to tackle this the need for: (1) innovative thority (ERA) will also be involved in the research, problem in Ethiopia by facili- construction methods using mainly in developing opera- tating a joint international local materials (2) low cost tion models in South Omo research between Japan and construction methods and Zone and in the suburbs of Ethiopia. Researchers from (3) maintenance using com- city respective- Kyoto University and Addis munity participation or micro ly. During the duration of the Ababa Science and Technolo- and small enterprises. project, trainings will take

Expansive soil Distorted roads due to expansive soil

False banana trees (ensete) widely found in South Omo Zone. The cellulose from the ensete may be used as an additive to stabilize the soil.

Map of Ethiopia showing areas with expansive soil. Page 3 JICA ETHIOPIA NEWSLETTER

Strengthening Mathematics Education in Ethiopia

On a global scale, Japanese JICA, to improve mathemat- (MUST)” to focus on raising analyzed and new lesson support students consistently achieve ics and science education. In student's knowledge of mathe- materials will be drafted. Ethiopian high rankings in mathematics the past decade, JICA has matics by improving teaching teachers will review the materials and science. Japan places a conducted the SMASEE and practices and adding remedial and localize the content as neces- sary. Four schools will be chosen in lot of emphasis on its sci- LAMS projects that focused classes for students. The MUST each region to pilot and evaluate ence, technology, engineer- on improving the teaching project will focus on develop- the materials. The overall aim is to ing and mathematics (STEM) and learning methods in the ing lesson support materials disseminate lesson support materi- curriculum; this is partly to sciences and mathematics for for Grades one through eight als, training materials and videos do with the belief that Grades 7 and 8, nationwide. in four designated regions: nationally at the completion of the strength in these areas is the Amhara, Afar, Oromia and project in August 2023, with the foundation for innovation. To further develop the com- Southern Nations Nationalities view of having the teaching and prehension of mathematical and Peoples (SNNP). learning method developed by Innovation is the key to concepts, JICA has recently MUST adopted into the Ethiopian boosting economies, creating launched the “Project for With the assistance of Japa- curriculum. jobs and improving quality of Mathematical Understanding nese experts, the current cur- life – which are all crucial for Science and Technology riculum and textbooks will be concerns for developing countries. With booming population growth and in- creasing competition in the global market place, emerg- ing countries such as Ethiopia need to work hard to educate their people and ensure that they have the skills needed for success.

Studies have shown that the performance scores of Ethio- pian students in mathematics is low. Ethiopia has been working with Japan, through The JICA team conducted assessments of schools located in Afar region.

Kaizen Expands into Djibouti via JICA and EKI

In collaboration with the training sessions. a strong commitment towards point JICA will host a national Kai- JICA Ethiopia Office and Kaizen and they will be instru- zen workshop and award the best JICA Djibouti Office, basic In early April, a five-day train- mental in encouraging other performing organization in the pres- level Kaizen is being intro- ing course was held in Djibouti organizations to improve their ence of high-level officials from duced within five Djiboutian for employees of the previous- productivity and competitive- Djibouti. We hope that the five Government organizations ly mentioned organizations, ness using this management selected organizations will serve as (Djibouti Road Authority, while those in management philosophy. a model for others and will motivate Waste Management Bureau, levels were trained for two the Djiboutian government and Firefighting and Rescue Of- days. Basic Kaizen concepts Follow-up programs by JICA organizations to support the dis- fice, Djibouti Coast Guard, were covered in the training, and EKI will continue until semination of the Kaizen philosophy and Geothermal Organiza- including the 5S method and December 2019, at which nationwide. tion) by dispatching consult- the different types of waste. ants from the Ethiopian Fruitful discussions were held Kaizen Institute (EKI). throughout the week and the feedback received from each The initial steps began with participant was very positive. an invitation towards 10 Djiboutian delegates to visit The consultants from Ethiopia Ethiopia in late January to returned to Djibouti in late attend training sessions and April to monitor the imple- gain exposure to Kaizen in mentation of 5S concepts and Ethiopia. The visit motivated to provide guidance in situa- the participants to actively tions where challenges arose. begin the process of imple- During this time, the Djibouti menting Kaizen in their or- Road Authority (DRA) orga- ganizations, and led to the nized a feedback session for dispatch of EKI consultants all participants and led the in March to assess the pos- campaign for realizing Kaizen in Djibouti. They have shown sibility of engaging in further Basic Kaizen training session in Djibouti. Page 4 JICA ETHIOPIA NEWSLETTER

Largest Start - up Event in Ethiopia: Solve IT 2019 Regional Hub Competitions Underway

JICA, in collaboration with The competition schedule for the the U.S. Embassy and iCog remaining cities is as follows; Labs, is carrying out the largest start-up event in May 24-27: , , Gon- Ethiopia called “Solve IT dar, 2019”. More than 2,000 participants from the ages of June 7-9: Addis Ababa Asosa, 18 to 28, in 15 cities, have registered for this innovation competition. June 14-16: Semera, Dire Daw a, Arba Minch, Gambella Since February, a series of trainings (on product devel- opment, business-plan de- June 28-30: velopment, marketing, etc) have been completed in each One of the regional innovation competition winners in Jigjiga city. city and the regional hub (Their prototype is a hotel reservation management software, competitions began last targeting low-mid level hotels) week. The top three winners from each region will be selected and invited to com- pete in the grand finale, which will be held in Addis Ababa in August.

So far, regional hub compe- titions were held in Jigjiga, and cities. The top winners were select- ed and awarded.

Presentations were made to judges in Jigjiga city Demonstration of Prototype to audience in Jigjiga city (Their idea is to create an e-commerce platform for buying/selling a variety of products not only commer- cial products but also “service and data” etc.)

JICA Contributes to Improved Management of Addis Roads

Founded in 1877, cost of maintenance and re- jective and decisions on road used for planning purposes at the Addis Ababa - the new flower pair with the passage of time. maintenance, repair, and AACRA offices. of Ethiopia - had its first road budget allocation were not built in 1902, connecting it to The Government of Ethiopia founded on data. However, The technical skills of AACRA engi- the city of Addis Alem. Since has stated that one of its with the assistance of the JICA neers have also been developed then, periodic episodes of goals is the establishment of team, data was collected and through over 100 seminars, work- quick expansion grew the road a plan that can consider the the staff were trained on how shops and on-the-job-training in network of the city. Today, the maintenance needs of all road to prioritize which roads should Ethiopia; additionally two training city hailed as the capital of networks and the develop- be maintained first and how to sessions were conducted in Japan. Africa, boosts a road network ment of an advanced infra- appropriately allocate short of around 6,000kms. and long-term repair and structure system. JICA has The capacity of AACRA staff has maintenance budgets. answered this call for assis- increased immensely during the Addis Ababa’s growth into a tance and is at the frontier of duration of this project. JICA is metropolitan city is character- developing the management “It is the most important work. confident that AACRA will sustain- ized by rapid population capacity of the staff at the Correct data never becomes growth and spatial expansion. Addis Ababa City Roads Au- obsolete; whole systems and ably continue to develop its ca- Against the backdrop of thority (AACRA). machines can become abso- pacity and serve as a model for steady economic growth in the lute,“ stated Mr. Hiroshi Honda, other cities within Ethiopia, as JICA experts handover the sys- past several years, the city is Since 2015, the JICA expert Chief Advisor, JICA, during a becoming increasingly urban- team, together with AACRA, Joint Coordination Committee tems in July 2019. ized and motorized. However, has been developing a sys- meeting held in May. due to inadequate mainte- tematic and effective road nance most of the cities roads maintenance system. This will The JICA technical assistance are old and in poor condition. help ensure longer life cycles project is centered on system Lack of follow-up and mainte- for roads and help AACRA development, but at the same nance is hampering the mobil- achieve a higher return on time, it introduced new tech- ity of pedestrians, raising the their investment. nology to the AACRA team. A operating costs of businesses pavement condition survey who spend more time on the Initially the project team fo- vehicle (PCSV) was purchased road and aggravating road cused on ensuring accurate to gather data by capturing accidents. Additionally, the data collection, the establish- road images and the conditions absence of maintenance work ment of a database and eval- of road surfaces. The infor- is causing roads to deteriorate uation of the data. Previous mation is then analyzed and quickly, thus increasing the practices at AACRA were sub- Japanese expert measuring road damage. Page 5 JICA ETHIOPIA NEWSLETTER

JICA Hosts Consultations on Groundwater Policy Review

The Ministry of Water, Irri- regulation of groundwater at Upon the request of MoWIE, eration, SIWI, Agricultural gation and Energy (MoWIE) all levels. JICA hosted a consultation Transformation Agency, USAID has a water sector-working session on May 10, 2019, to and the Global Green Growth group, which was estab- During the 10th Joint Tech- review the draft of the revised Institute. lished to coordinate and nical Review Meeting and the water policy that will legalize communicate ideas and 8th Multi-stakeholder Forum, groundwater management. The For the last 20 years, JICA has courses of action between which was held in July 2018, session was attended by tech- provided technical assistance the government and donor cases for legalizing the nical committee members from to the Ethiopian government in partners. To ensure the ef- groundwater management MoWIE, Oromia Water and mapping the hydrogeological fective and efficient achieve- Mines Bureau, Ethiopia Water policy were presented by landscape of various basins, ment of programs and pro- various stakeholders. Based and Land Resources Center, jects, the working group is Addis Ababa University, Italian including Middle Awash and Rift on the recommendations of Valley, as well as, Jarar and categorized into Water Sani- the group, the Stockholm Agency for Development Coop- tation and Hygiene (WASH) International Water Institute and Water Resource Man- (SIWI) took the initiative to agement – Technical Com- revise the identified policy mittee (WRM-TC). gaps for groundwater man- agement. The WRM TC, of which JICA is a member, has identified JICA is currently serving as seven critical areas in the co-chair of the Groundwater national integrated water Legislation Technical Commit- resource management docu- tee at MoWIE. JICA is working ment; the legalization of towards coordinating group groundwater management is members to share technical one of the pressing issues. assistance with MoWIE to Currently, the policy on further develop the Ethiopian groundwater covers exploita- water resource management tion, exploration and devel- policy and strategy as it re- opment, but fails to address lates to groundwater manage- the management aspect. ment. There is a need to clarify the Stakeholders consultation session on the legalization of groundwater management

Sports Volunteers Give First Aid Seminar

Two sports volunteers, Ms. Mitsuki Usami (physical educa- tion teacher in Axum) and Ms. Mako Takahashi (badminton instructor in Arba Minch) held a first aid seminar in Arba Minch from May 08-12.

The seminar was organized to refresh the skills of coaches and players, as well as for govern- ment officers within . The JICA volunteers shared first aid techniques through lectures and by provid- ing the attendants with the opportunity to practice practical exercises. Basic first aid skills, such as CPR and recovery posi- Lectures on first aid techniques. CPR demonstration. tions, as well as applying dress- ings, bandages and arm slings using locally available materials were demonstrated.

The participants gained knowledge and skills on how to deal with emergency injuries and sickness. Arrangements were also made with the Gamo Gofa Sports Office to schedule another seminar soon.

These volunteers will be leaving Ethiopia in July; however, they expect that the first aid meth- ods that they have shared will be practiced and shared with others in a sustainable manner. Practical exercises: arm sling and bandage application. Coming up in June 2019

June

 June 17-20, 1st Water and Energy Week at Skylight Hotel

 June 24-26, 4th African Kaizen Annual Conference in Tunisia

 Regional innovation competitions (please refer to page 4)

Leading the World with Trust

Mission: JICA, in accordance with the Development Cooperation Charter, will work on human security and quality growth. JICA ETHIOPIA OFFICE

Vision: Japan International Cooperation Agency Ethiopia Office Leading the World with Trust Mina Building 6th & 7th Floor JICA, with its partners, will take the lead in forging bonds of P.O.Box 5384 trust across the world, aspiring for a free, peaceful and prosper- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ous world where people can hope for a better future and ex- plore their diverse potentials. Phone: +251 115 50 47 55 Fax: +251 115 50 44 65

Actions 1. Commitment: Commit ourselves with pride and passion to achieving our mission and vision.

2. Gemba: Dive into the field ("gemba") and work together with the people.

3. Strategy: Think and act strategically with broad and long -term perspectives Follow us on Social Media!

4. Co-creation: Bring together diverse wisdom and Jica Ethiopia resources. @JicaEthiopia 5. Innovation: Innovate to bring about unprecedented impacts. https://www.jica.go.jp/ ethiopia/english/index.html