2024

STePP Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa: Insights from the Local Technology Transfer conducted in Uganda

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, in cooperation with the Government of Japan, has launched the “Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa through Technology Transfer from Japan”.  The programme aims to contribute to inclusive and sustainable industrial development by strengthening the capacity of local engineers and technicians in Africa by deepening their knowledge and skills of technologies possessed by Japanese companies. For more information, please check the official programme page.

On June 14th, a closing ceremony was held at the conclusion of the Industrial Vocational Training in Uganda as part of the STePP Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa.

In Phase 1 of the programme, trainees who were instructors in charge of automobile repair and maintenance at Nakawa Vocational Training College in Uganda came to Japan in November 2023 to learn automotive recycling and dismantling techniques including End of Life Vehicle Recycling Technology from Kaiho Industry Co., Ltd. in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

In Phase 2, after the two trainees returned to Uganda, they served as local instructors to provide technical training to 100 local industrial personnel and trainees at Nakawa Vocational Training College.

Moroccan Trainees Learned Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System with Microbubble Generators (STePP Industrial Vocational Training Programme) / Two-Week Training Program by Hinode Sangyo Co., Ltd.

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo launched the “Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa through Technology Transfer from Japan”, funded by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The programme aims to provide training to local engineers and technicians in Africa on technologies from Japanese companies that contribute to sustainable development and disseminate the newly acquired knowledge within their home countries.  The details of the program can be found here.

STePP Industrial Vocational Training Program for Sustainable Water Solutions in Africa: Insights from the Local Technology Transfer conducted in South Africa

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) ITPO Tokyo Office, in cooperation with the Government of Japan, has launched the “Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa through Technology Transfer from Japan”. The program aims to contribute to inclusive and sustainable industrial development by strengthening the capacity of local engineers and technicians in Africa by deepening their knowledge and skills of technologies possessed by Japanese companies. For more information, please check the official program page.

As part of this program for Phase 1, in November 2023 a two-week training programme was organized with Ebara Corporation (Haneda, Japan), during which 2 trainees came to Japan from South Africa to gain expertise in selling and disseminating sustainable pump technology, including pump selection, cost estimations, and customer support techniques.

In the second phase, after localizing the expertise they acquired in Japan, a call for local technicians and research students involved in sales in South Africa and Botswana was made.  In April 2024, a training program was organized 3 times to accommodate the 100 applicants.

STePP Africa Industrial Vocational Training Programme: Ethiopian Trainees Learned Japanese Sewing Techniques for Female Sanitary Shorts/ Encouraging Women Empowerment in Ethiopia

Two trainees from Ethiopia were invited to Japan under the UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s “Industrial Vocational Training Programme in Africa through Technology Transfer from Japan” and completed the training in January 2024 to learn Japanese sewing techniques for female sanitary shorts. In Ethiopia, some women face the challenges of not having access to sanitary products due to economic and other reasons. The purpose of this programme is to contribute to solving these challenges by building the capacity of industrial workers in the sewing sector and providing access to such products.

2023

Ugandan Trainees Learned Japanese Automobile Recycling Technology (STePP Industrial Vocational Training Programme) / One-Month Training Program by Kaiho Industry Co., Ltd. in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Two Ugandan trainees under the UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s “STePP Industrial Vocational Training programme in Africa” travelled to Japan in November 2023 and successfully completed a one-month training to learn Japanese automotive recycling technology from a Japanese company, Kaiho Industry Co., Ltd. in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. During their training, they learned automotive recycling and dismantling techniques from Kaiho Industry at their factory and training centre. Since Uganda is facing environmental problems and health issues due to the lack of appropriate recycling technology for end-of-life vehicles, the two trainees will conduct training to disseminate the technology and know-how they acquired in Japan in their home country.

STePP Industrial Vocational Training Program for Sustainable Water Solutions in Africa: Insights from the Japan-South Africa Technology Transfer Initiative

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) ITPO Tokyo Office, in cooperation with the Government of Japan, has launched the “Industrial Vocational Training Program in Africa through Technology Transfer from Japan”. The program aims to contribute to inclusive and sustainable industrial development by strengthening the capacity of local engineers and technicians in Africa by deepening their knowledge and skills of technologies possessed by Japanese companies. For more information, please check the official program page.

As part of this program, Ebara Corporation (Haneda, Japan) conducted a two-week training program in Japan, to provide South African trainees with expertise in selling and disseminating sustainable pump technology, including pump selection, cost estimations, and customer support techniques. The “Training of Trainers (ToT)” in Japan is then followed by a second phase in South Africa, where the trainees will disseminate the knowledge they have acquired back to local engineers and sales representatives in their home countries.  This program will help develop the skills of local capabilities in the South African pump technology sales, service, and maintenance industry.

Bridging Environmental Experts and STePP-Registered Companies for Business Opportunities in Bangladesh and Vietnam

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo invited environmental experts from Bangladesh and Vietnam to Japan, and held individual meetings with STePP-registered companies between 13 to 14 November 2023 to discuss potential business opportunities and partnerships available in both countries.

Event Report: "STePP Forum: Collaboration among STePP Technologies"

On September 13, 2023, UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, in cooperation with the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, organized a hybrid event “STePP Forum: Collaboration among STePP Technologies” inviting Japanese companies that have registered their technologies in the UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform (STePP). 

G7 Hiroshima Summit - Japanese technologies to provide solution in developing countries for a sustainable future

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo introduced Japanese technologies registered on the Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform “STePP” at the International Media Centre at G7 Hiroshima Summit from 18 to 22 May 2023. The exhibition booth of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo showcased innovative Japanese technologies registered on STePP, drawing over 5,000 media representatives. Highlighting the solutions provided by local companies in Hiroshima and Chugoku region, UNIDO ITPO Tokyo supported the promotion of Japanese companies addressing challenges in developing countries.

Event Report: Hybrid Event “SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY DAY”

The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and UNIDO ITPO Tokyo jointly organized a hybrid pitching and networking event called “SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY DAY” on 17 February 2023. During this event, six Japanese companies (hereafter referred to as STePP companies) that hold innovative technologies registered on the UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform (STePP) made pitches about their businesses and technologies with the intention of collaborating with EU companies in Africa. About 60 people attended the event on-site, and over 100 people around the world watched the pitches online.

2022

Event Report: "Seminar & Networking: Japan's Technology Transfer to Mitigate the Impact of the COVID-19”

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo held the event titled “Seminar & Networking: Japan’s Technology Transfer to Mitigate the Impact of the COVID-19” on 9 June 2022. The purpose of the event was to report on the results of technology transfer projects called “Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform (STePP) Demonstration Project” implemented in 10 countries in Asia and Africa to fight against infectious diseases such as the COVID-19, which were funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. This was the first face-to-face event held by ITPO Tokyo after the COVID-19 pandemic. 48 participants, including representatives from9 Japanese companies involved in the project and embassy officials from 7 countries, shared their experiences and knowledge to strengthen the collaboration.

Japan Supplies Health Technologies to Kenya to Help Fight COVID-19

On 6^th April, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) held a handover ceremony to introduce Japanese Technologies at three hospitals in Kenya, where UNIDO partnered with three Japanese companies to supply the products and to provide technical training to medical staff with funding from Japan to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

Event Report : UNIDO-Japan Cooperation - Mitigating the Impacts of COVID-19 through Technology Transfer from Japan

UNIDO and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna co-organized the webinar titled “UNIDO-Japan Cooperation: Mitigating the Impacts of COVID-19 through Technology Transfer from Japan” on 24 March 2022, which was attended mainly online by 225 global participants. Since 2020, UNIDO has been implementing a COVID-19 countermeasure project promoting technology transfer to Asia and Africa in cooperation with Japanese companies, funded by the Government of Japan. In this event, Japanese companies and local partners involved in the project introduced the activities and achievements in selected countries.

Women’s Voices: Japanese technologies mitigating the effects of COVID-19 in Africa and Asia

Throughout 2021, Japanese companies have finalized the establishment of their projects in selected countries in in Africa and Asia to help limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, under the UNIDO project “Strengthening the capacity of developing countries to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through appropriate technology transfer from Japan”, funded by the Government of Japan.

All projects targeted at least 40% women as beneficiaries and participants, impacting on their lives, health, prosperity and conditions at home and at work,. There are several different cases how women were involved in the projects. A few are described below.

2021

Event Report: Sustainable Technology Exhibition 2021

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo organized “Sustainable Technology Exhibition 2021” online from 13th to 15th October 2021.

The First Meeting with Morocco and Kenya Stakeholders to Fight COVID-19

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo recently conducted two stakeholder meetings with Morocco and Kenya partners on March and April 2021 on the implementation of Japanese technology demonstration and transfer under its Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform (STePP) Demonstration Projects. Supported by a USD 4 million fund from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the goal of these projects is to support developing and emerging countries to improve health, sanitary, and hygiene environment in the fight against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases through technology demonstration and transfer. Both Morocco and Kenya are among the 12 selected beneficiary countries located in Africa and Asia-Pacific.

2020

Event Report: Sustainable Technology Exhibition

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo organized “Sustainable Technology Exhibition” online on 9th and 10th of December 2020.

2018

The Third Technology Day was held on 15 November

UNIDO ITPO Tokyo organized the Third Technology Day on November 15^th 2018, which was attended by 48 participants including 34 representatives from 25 embassies.

2017

The Second Technology Day

A platform event enabling direct communication between the representatives of embassies in Japan and Japanese companies who are eager to transfer their unique technologies in the area of environment and energy development especially for developing and emerging countries, took place for the second time in Tokyo at the UNU Building. The event, Technology Day, attracted 35 participants (representatives from 22 embassies and consultants), who spent the afternoon visiting the exhibition booths of the 12 Japanese companies.

Technology Day

Enthusiasm filled the room, as 50 representatives from 33 countries namely from Embassies of developing and emerging countries in Japan, met 12 Japanese companies through exhibition booths filled with demonstration models and information on technologies waiting to be promoted overseas.

2016

The joint workshop between ITPO Tokyo and companies on “Environmental Technology Database”

The joint workshop was held between UNIDO ITPO Tokyo and companies which were registered or interested in “Environmental Technology Database” on 15 March 2016.