Borderless Japan and JICA Co-Host Event 'AFRICA BUSINESS BOOSTER | JICA BLUE CARAVAN @TOKYO' to Explore Co-Creation Opportunities in African Business with Practitioners

Borderless Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; CEO: Kazunari Taguchi) co-hosted the 'JICA BLUE CARAVAN @TOKYO' event on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB), as an operational partner of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the 'JICA Overseas Volunteers Entrepreneurship Support Project (BLUE)'.

The event's theme was 'AFRICA BUSINESS BOOSTER – How to Leverage On-the-Ground Realities and Voices for Business Acceleration?'. Over 100 participants, including practitioners operating in Africa, JICA Overseas Volunteers (OVs), corporations, venture capitalists, local governments, and students, gathered to actively discuss and exchange insights on how field experiences can be translated into successful business launches and expansions.

'JICA BLUE CARAVAN' is a nationwide co-creation event series that connects the on-the-ground knowledge gained by JICA Overseas Volunteers with diverse companies, organizations, and supporters. It aims to expand the impact of the 'JICA Overseas Volunteers Entrepreneurship Support Project (BLUE)' by transforming international cooperation experience into new ventures and solutions for social challenges.

Overview of JICA BLUE CARAVAN @TOKYO

How have top business leaders in Africa transformed local realities and voices into successful ventures? And what insights and on-the-ground realities have JICA Overseas Volunteers (OVs) gathered who are planning to launch or scale their own businesses in Africa?

This edition of JICA BLUE CARAVAN, titled 'AFRICA BUSINESS BOOSTER', aimed to deeply explore approaches to launching and scaling businesses in Africa and to foster opportunities for co-creation.

Part 1: Panel Discussion | 'How Top Practitioners Start and Scale Businesses in Africa'

Speakers:

Takuma Kishi (Representative, A-GOAL General Incorporated Association)

Ai Taniuchi (Director and COO, WASSHA Inc.)

Ryohhei Tanaka (Africa Department, JICA)

Part 2: Needs Verification Pitches by JICA Overseas Volunteers

Speakers:

Norihiro Takeda (Afurikano Oto) (participating online)

Yuta Kono (Lim-Kawano & Company Inc.)

Koji Hirano (Kiwi Fruit Country Japan)

Part 3: Networking and Co-Creation Matching

Date and Time

Thursday, July 9, 2026, 18:00–21:00

Venue

Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB)

Admission

Free

Format

In-person event

Connecting International Cooperation Experience to New Challenges

The event opened with a welcome address by Hiroshi Kobayashi, Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Mr. Kobayashi emphasized the importance of JICA Overseas Volunteers, who have cultivated broad perspectives and field-level insights through their work in developing countries, returning home and contributing their knowledge back to society. He also expressed hope that exposure to innovative business ideas from OVs tackling African challenges would spark new empathy, collaboration, and support networks among participants.

Top Practitioners Share the Potential and Realities of African Business

In the first session, a panel discussion featured three speakers from different backgrounds: a practitioner who has created local impact through partnerships with Japanese companies, a startup operating in Africa, and a JICA representative involved in supporting the implementation of AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) and collaboration with UN agencies and corporations. They discussed the integration of business and social contribution in Africa and opportunities for Japanese corporate entry.

Africa offers immense market potential due to explosive population growth and a youth-dominated demographic structure, where solving social issues directly translates into business opportunities. However, unique challenges such as underdeveloped legal systems, country risks, local business customs, and inadequate infrastructure also exist. The key to overcoming these barriers lies in 'co-creation' with talented local personnel and leveraging JICA Overseas Volunteers, who deeply understand the local context, as hubs. Additionally, speakers emphasized the importance of 'starting engagement now' through information gathering and research—even without large investments—to avoid rising entry costs in the future.

[Key Messages from Speakers (Excerpts)]

・Takuma Kishi (Representative, A-GOAL General Incorporated Association)

'While Africa’s culture of tolerance for failure and mutual support is attractive, challenges such as conflicts arising from differences in values and business practices also exist. The key to success, in my view, is collaboration with passionate local team members. Additionally, networks among Japanese entrepreneurs venturing into Africa can be effectively utilized.'

・Ai Taniuchi (Director and COO, WASSHA Inc.)

'Flexible product adaptation to local demand and delegation of authority to capable local staff are crucial. On top of that, Japanese companies can leverage their strengths in financial resources and talent development culture, using young Japanese professionals with deep field knowledge as hubs to enable rapid business expansion.'

・Ryohhei Tanaka (Africa Department, JICA)

'Africa holds tremendous potential due to population growth and market integration, making it not a market for the future, but one to engage with now. JICA supports Japanese companies exploring entry into African markets through initiatives like JICA Biz, assisting with needs verification and proof-of-concept for business development.'

JICA Overseas Volunteers Present Business Ideas Validated On the Ground

In Part 2, three JICA Overseas Volunteers who had personally traveled to Africa to conduct hands-on needs assessments based on their business ideas took the stage.

They shared real-world validation results—what worked, what didn’t, and what made the difference—and delivered passionate pitches aimed at accelerating and advancing their ventures through collaboration with top African business leaders, attendees, companies, and organizations.

[Pitch Presenters and Topics]

① Norihiro Takeda (Afurikano Oto)

Theme: Supporting Rural Poor Households through Study Tours and Livestock Rearing

This business model aims to alleviate poverty among female-headed households in Rwanda by using revenue from study tours for Japanese participants to provide chickens and cows locally, creating sustainable income. The survey revealed that symbolic value of cows in restoring women’s self-esteem and the sense of achievement from earning independently are more valued than economic rationality. It also highlighted the importance of carefully forming teams, considering complex interpersonal dynamics rooted in the historical context of the Rwandan genocide.

Moving forward, the project plans to seek sponsorship from Japanese companies to cover initial costs.

・Mr. Takeda’s comment: 'As one local woman said, “We will tell our grandchildren about the Japanese who gave us animals.” I aim to build a lasting and impactful initiative.'

② Yuta Kono (Lim-Kawano & Company Inc.)

Theme: Youth in Africa