The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions (R/D) with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania on January 24 in Dodoma on the technical cooperation project “Strengthening Manufacturing Enterprises through Quality and Productivity Improvement (Kaizen) Project Phase 3. The project is a technical cooperation project to strengthen manufacturing enterprises through quality and productivity improvement (kaizen).
Tanzania, located in East Africa, has positioned the “promotion of industrialization” as a priority area of national policy and has identified the spread of kaizen (Note 1) as one of the goals to be achieved to promote industrialization. JICA has been working to develop human resources to promote kaizen and to introduce kaizen to companies. However, there are still issues to be addressed in order to spread kaizen throughout Japan, such as further strengthening the capacity of kaizen promoters and the low level of recognition of kaizen and its benefits among companies.
The project will target eight mainland Tanzanian provinces and Zanzibar Island, and will contribute to improving the competitiveness of small, medium, and micro enterprises by strengthening the capacity of kaizen promotion personnel who can lead business management and kaizen, providing consulting services to companies, and conducting awareness-raising activities. In addition, an impact evaluation (Note 2) will be conducted to verify the scientifically based effects of the introduction of kaizen. Through this project, we will contribute to SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Goal 8 (both job satisfaction and economic growth) and Goal 9 (create a foundation for industrial and technological innovation).
The details of the project are as follows
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