The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has selected a total of 59 projects for the SME/SDGs Business Support Program, for which it invited applications in September 2022 (see attached list of selected projects). 52 out of the 59 projects are for SMEs. The total number of projects supported to SMEs is 1,117(*), and proposals from SMEs in all prefectures have been selected so far.
(*)Total number of cases since the predecessor program “SME Overseas Development Support Program (including those commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)” started in FY2012.
In FY2022, the program will be reorganized on a trial basis in order to improve the convenience of the system, further promote business development, and further enhance its contribution to development impact. In addition to the Dissemination, Demonstration, and Business Creation Project (Note 1), we have newly invited applications for the Needs Assessment Survey (Note 2) and the Business Creation Demonstration Project (Note 3).
In terms of application trends, applications from startup companies stood out in the “Business Demonstration Project” category. For example, Ecologie Inc. (headquartered in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), a university-launched venture company, plans to industrialize cricket raw materials, which are attracting worldwide attention as a protein material, and develop a raw material business for food and pet food applications through research on a recycling-based food production system using farmed crickets in Cambodia. The project plans to industrialize cricket raw materials, which are attracting worldwide attention as a protein material, and to develop a food and pet food raw materials business. Through this, we aim to improve the income of farmers in Cambodia and contribute to diversification and the establishment of a food value chain.
(headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), which is engaged in developing solutions to reduce crime worldwide, is planning a demonstration project in Brazil that will promote the digitalization of police work through an operational management system that streamlines police patrol operations by predicting crimes through AI. The system will also contribute to the realization of urban and regional development as a safe and secure smart city.
The regional percentages of projects adopted this year are Southeast Asia (52.5%), Africa (13.6%), South Asia (11.9%), Latin America (10.2%), and East and Central Asia (8.5%). By sector, agriculture and infrastructure development/transportation/transportation (16.9% each) are the most common, followed by healthcare (13.6%), disaster prevention/disaster control (11.9%), and waste management (10.2%).
(Note 1) “Dissemination, Demonstration, and Business Development Project” is a project to develop a business plan through verification of business models including demonstration activities of technologies, products, know-how, etc., and promotion of understanding of proposed products, etc.
(Note 2) “Needs Assessment” is to collect basic information and formulate an initial business plan after verifying the consistency between the product/service and the needs of developing countries.
(Note 3) “Business feasibility study project” is a project to improve the accuracy of the business plan by confirming the acceptability of the product/service to customers, establishing a system to provide the product/service, and establishing a plan to ensure profitability, with the aim of starting a business that can contribute to solving problems in developing countries.
© Source JICA