A
AUDA-NEPAD
AFRICAN UNION DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
JICA
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Africa Kaizen Annual Conference 2021
"Opportunities to Accelerate Industrialization and Trade in Africa: Streamlining Kaizen/QPI with Digital Technologies, Start-ups, SME Development, and Home-Grown Economic Activities in Africa"
Panel Discussion
"How to Strengthen the Competitiveness of African Firms and Businesses in the Global Economy, and the Roles of Stakeholders in a Changing Environment."
24 August 2021
Toru Homma
Senior Advisor on Private Sector Development, JICA
Reasons or issues that bring about the lack of competitiveness of African firms or business in the global economy/market
Internal Factors
Access Factors
External Factors
Weak Firm Capability (Management, Technical)
Lack of Access to Global Business (Trade & Investment)
Unfavorable Business Environment (incl. Policies & Regulations)
Weak Entrepreneur Capability for Innovation
Lack of Access to Finance
Fundamental External Issues (incl. Security, Climate, Population etc.)
jica Japan International Cooperation Agency
Comprehensive approach of private sector development
- 5 critical approaches for strengthening competitiveness by JICA with partners -
③ Firm Capability Enhancement
- Management capacity: Provision of BDS (Business Plan, Marketing, Accounting and Finance etc)
- Technical capacity: Improvement of quality and productivity management
⑤ Facilitation of radical innovation
- Effective entrepreneur development programme
- Development of new business (renovating business models)
- Industry-government-academia partnership
Business Environment
Access to Global Market
- Starting business
- New business dev.
- Technical dev.
- Management Capacity (Marketing, Acc.&Finance, HR Management)
- KAIZEN (Productivity & Management Capacity + Element technology Acquisition)
- Firm Capabilities
Access to Finance
- Funding startups (e.g. Venture capitals)
- Promoting innovation in financial service for SMEs
④ Business Linkage Promotion
- B to B
- Support value chain development
- Facilitate business matching
- B to C
- Utilise E-Commerce
② Improvement of access to finance
- Funding startups (e.g. Venture capitals)
- Promoting innovation in financial service for SMEs
① Reform of policies and regulations
- Industrial policy reform
- SEZ development, investment promotion
- Business Environment Reform
Internal Factors External Factors
(Source: JICA Private Sector Development Group)
(For reference) How Kaizen can contribute to strengthening competitiveness of firms
"Workers, Managers, Productivity: Kaizen in Developing Countries"
- Edited by Akio Hosono, John Page and Go Shimada (2020); GDN-JICA RI joint research -
Chapter 1: Overview Akio Hosono, John Page, Go Shimada
Chapter 2: Industrial Policy, Firm Capabilities and Kaizen John Page
Chapter 3: Kaizen towards learning, transformation, and high-quality growth: insights from outstanding experiences Akio Hosono
Chapter 4: Why is Kaizen Critical for Developing Countries? - Kaizen as a Social Innovation in the Era of Global Inequality Go Shimada
Chapter 5: Kaizen promotion in Ethiopia Kimiaki Jin
Chapter 6: Kaizen Dissemination through the Government and Private Sector in Southeast Asia: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar Toru Homma
Chapter 7: Opportunities for Kaizen in Africa, Developing the Employability of African Youth through Kaizen Momoko Suzuki, Eriko Sakamaki