The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has selected a total of 68 projects for the SME/SDGs Business Support Program, for which it invited applications in September 2023 (see attached list of selected projects). 57 out of 68 projects are for small and medium-sized enterprises. The total number of projects supported to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is 1,174*, 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.
JICA supports the creation of businesses by Japanese private companies and others that contribute to solving problems in developing countries. JICA is working to co-create value by utilizing the networks, relationships of trust, and know-how with governments of developing countries that it has built through Official Development Assistance (ODA). In FY2022, the program was reorganized on a trial basis to make it more convenient, to further promote business development, and to further contribute to the development impact.
Continuing from last year, we received many business proposals from startup companies developing innovative SDGs businesses, and out of a total of 68 proposals, 11 startup companies were selected.
For example, SORA Technology (Aichi, Japan), a company that develops business centered on global health using air mobility centered on drones, will conduct a business feasibility study of an efficient water monitoring service for breeding colonies of borers using drones and AI in Ghana, where the incidence of malaria and other mosquito-borne infectious diseases is still high. The project will be a business feasibility study in Ghana, where malaria and other mosquito-borne infections still have high rates. The project aims to win orders from the local Ministry of Health and international donors.
Sagri Corporation (Hyogo Prefecture), a provider of new farming methods using satellite data, will promote the introduction of its unique IT system developed for agricultural cooperatives in Peru, where the cost of soil analysis and appropriate fertilizer use have increased and production costs have become an issue. The project will conduct a study to determine how IT can be used to improve the efficiency of farming guidance and farmland management, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and generate carbon credits that can contribute to additional income for small-scale farmers.
The regional percentages of projects adopted this year are Southeast Asia (45.6%), Africa (25.0%), South Asia (8.8%), East and Central Asia, and Latin America (all 7.4%). By sector, most projects are in agriculture (16.2%), water purification/water treatment (14.7%), and healthcare (13.2%), followed by environment, disaster prevention/disaster management, and infrastructure development/transportation (all 10.3%).
© Source JICA