Making a presentation at a business matching event
Time: June 5-11, 2023
Place: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Hosted by: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
From June 5 to 11, an ICT business matching/study tour was held in Mongolia for a total of 19 Japanese companies/organizations. The tour included business matching jointly organized with a local Mongolian bank, a visit to a Japanese-style technical college in Mongolia, observation of the DX Business Plan Contest for students from both Japan and Mongolia, participation in an exchange event with the Japan Graduates’ Association for Japanese Graduates and Students Returning to Japan (JUGAMO) and “Engineering Higher Education Support Project” (commonly known as MJEED, yen loan, August 2015 (MJEED, yen loan, August 2015 – June 2015)”, participation in exchange events with alumni, and inspection tours of a poor area in Ulaanbaatar known as the “Ger District[1]”.
JICA is currently implementing several cooperation projects in Mongolia in the areas of private sector development, ICT and digital sectors, including “Mongolia-Japan Human Resource Development Center Business Human Resource Development and Exchange Center Functional Enhancement Project Phase 2” (GIPRO, April 2020 – April 2013), “Mongolian ICT and Digital Industry and Start-up Promotion Information Collection and Verification Study” (March 2023 – April 2013), MJEED, and several other projects are underway. In August of this year, Mongolia Open Innovation and Co-creation for SDGs, which aims to solve social issues in Mongolia by bringing together Japanese and Mongolian companies, NGOs, educational and research institutions, local governments, financial institutions, etc., with their respective technologies, ideas, networks, and funds, was launched. The Mongolia Open Innovation and Co-creation for SDGs (MICS) will be held in Ulaanbaatar (click here for details).
The purpose of this tour was to promote cooperation between related JICA projects and Japanese companies, as well as to promote applications for private-sector cooperation projects with themes such as ICT/Digital and DX. The 19 participating Japanese companies/organizations (16 Japanese companies, 1 university, 1 college of technology, and 1 non-profit organization each) were selected as executives of Japanese companies/organizations interested in this tour, or executives in positions close to decision makers.
During his stay in Mongolia, Ambassador Kobayashi of the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia also addressed the participating companies/organizations in this tour during an exchange event with ICT companies.
Participants of the tour commented, “I was satisfied to find potential partner companies through the business matching process. I got a glimpse of Mongolia’s social issues, such as the ger district problem, and felt that we would like to do something about Mongolia’s problems using our own technology.
The Mongolian government officials also expressed high expectations for business with Japanese companies and a strong desire to further promote business exchanges between Mongolian and Japanese companies at pitch events scheduled to be held in Tokyo and Fukuoka with the Minister of Digital Communications and Development, who will visit Japan from June 25 to July 1, and about 8 Mongolian startup companies. The Minister also expressed his strong desire to further promote business exchanges between Mongolian and Japanese companies at pitch events scheduled to be held in Tokyo and Fukuoka with the Minister of Digital Communications and Development and eight Mongolian startups visiting Japan from June 25 to July 1.
[1] More than 70% of Ulaanbaatar’s population lives in ger (tent) and simple house settlements (ger districts) that have formed around the city, and 80% of them are said to be living in poverty. The number is said to be increasing by 30,000 people per year, many of whom have lost their livestock due to the cold wave known as the Zod, and have quit their nomadic lifestyle in the countryside to migrate to the cities. These areas have no water or sewage systems, and in the middle of winter, when temperatures can drop below 40°C below zero, poor-quality coal is burned for heat, which has led to a serious air pollution problem.
Business Matching/Study Tour Program
Day Time Schedule Monday, June 5 Evening ・Transfer (Japan→Ulaanbaatar) Tuesday, June 6 AM ・Visit Mongolia-Japan Human Resources Development Center, IT Park PM ・Visit DXCUP2023 Wednesday, June 7 AM ・Visit and observe Trade Development Bank (TDB) PM ・Co-hosted business matching event with TDB Evening ・Interchange event with JUGAMO and MJEED graduates Exchange event with JUGAMO and MJEED graduates Thursday, June 8 AM ・ (Schedule A) Job fair
(Schedule B) Visit to Mongolian ICT companies including start-ups PM ・Co-hosted business exchange event with Golomt Bank Friday, June 9 AM ・Visit to Mongolian National College of Science and Technology and New Mongolian National College of Technology PM and evening ・Participate in “Golden week (business exchange event)” organized by Japan Chamber June 10 (Sat) AM ・Visit Mongolian National College of Technology
Visit to Ger district PM and evening ・Participation in “ICT EXPO” organized by Ministry of Digital Communications and Development and IT Park
Networking with ICT and digital-related companies and organizations June 11 (Sun.) AM ・Transportation (Ulaanbaatar → Japan)
Social events with JUGAMO and MJEED alumni
Business Matching Event with TDB
Making a presentation at a business matching event
Group photo in front of Mongolian National College of Technology
Listening to an explanation from a representative of AndGlobal, a major local AI developer
© Source JICA