J-Bridge Africa Launch Event To Be Held

1. Background

METI and JETRO launched J-Bridge in 2021 as a platform to create international open innovation by supporting collaboration and M&As between Japanese companies and foreign companies including startups. Since its launch, the platform has been facilitating efforts toward partnerships in the fields of digital and green technology. Taking advantage of the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) in April 2022 to further promote these efforts, J-Bridge has been expanding into Africa since April and has begun activities such as discovering promising local startups and hosting webinars.

Also, at the plenary meeting of the Second Japan-Africa Public-Private Economic Forum General Meeting in May, J-Bridge's initiatives were recognized as concrete measures toward deepening economic relations between Japan and Africa.
Against this background, the J-Bridge Africa Launch Event will be held to widely spread awareness of the platform's expansion into Africa and to further increase the momentum toward collaboration and cooperation between Japanese and African companies. The event will focus on Africa's budding innovation and the local startups cultivating it. It will also introduce examples of pioneering partnerships between Japanese and African companies and other information, thereby presenting the potential for seizing business opportunities through collaboration in Africa. In addition, the event will introduce promising local startups that are eager to collaborate with Japanese companies, and provide an opportunity to discover partners to work with.

Note: For more information on J-Bridge, please visit its official website  (JETRO).

2. Outline of the event

Theme: "The Future of Innovation in Africa -Seizing Business Opportunities Through Collaboration-"

(1) Date and time: August 4, 2022 from 16:00 to 17:45 (Japan time)

(East Africa time: same day, from 10:00 to 11:45. West Africa time: same day, from 8:00 to 9:45)

(2) Format: Online

Language: Japanese/English (simultaneous interpretation)

(3) Target audience: Japanese and African businesspeople and government officials

(4) Organizers: METI and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

3. Program (planned)

(1) Opening remarks

Mr. HOSODA Kenichi, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

(2) Dialogue

Theme: Africa's Growing Startups and Innovation Ecosystem

Speaker: Mr. Olatunbosun Tijani, Co-founder and CEO of Co- creation Hub
Interviewer: Mr. YAMAWAKI Ryosuke, General Partner, Kepple Africa Ventures

(3) Panel discussion

Theme:

Creating Synergies through Collaboration - Japanese companies talk about examples of partnerships with African companies

Panelists:

• Mr. SATO Daiki, Director, Head of East Africa, Mobility 54 Investment SAS
• Mr. TAKAMITSU Akihiro, General Manager, Nairobi Branch, MITSUI & CO. EUROPE PLC
• Mr. SAKURAI Masatoshi, Group Manager, e-PT Strategy Gr., Musashi Seimitsu Industry
• Mr. HIGUCHI Takahiro, President, KIRAMEX / Executive Director, UNITED

Moderator:

Mr. ISHIHARA Yoshiaki, Executive Director of JETRO African region, Johannesburg office

(4) Introduction of J-Bridge

Ms. KAWADA Mio, Director-General of Invest Japan Department, JETRO

(5) Introduction of promising African startups

• Rology (Egypt / Health tech)
• Amitruck (Kenya / Logistics)
• InstaDeep (Tunisia / AI)
• Autochek (Nigeria / Mobility)
• Cellulant (Kenya / Fintech)

(6) Closing Remarks

Mr. SASAKI Nobuhiko, Chairman of JETRO

4. How to participate

If you wish to participate, please refer to this URL for more information.

5. About press coverage

If you are a member of the press and wish to cover the event, please contact the following by email or phone.

<Contact for press coverage>

Miyazaki and Mizuno, JETRO DX Promotion Team

Phone:

03-3582-5644 (Direct)

Email:

DXPT@jetro.go.jp

Division in Charge

Investment Facilitation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau